Native Plants and Natural Pest Control

One of the many special things about the Pacific Northwest Coast area is the gardening. The climate here gives us a long growing season, and, for most of the year, plenty of water so that we can have lush yards and gardens without a lot of effort. Contributing to this is the move towards incorporating native plants in Tacoma area gardens.

One of the major advantages of using native plants is, because they are already acclimatized to the environment here, they need very little maintenance. The diversity of local plants means plenty of variety when using them for landscaping. In addition, native plants can help create habitat for birds and butterflies, further beautifying your yard.

Native plants are used to the regional climate, and they have a resistance to the bugs and other pests, too. This means that native-plant gardens need less chemical herbicides and pesticides. This means a safer and cleaner environment for you, your children and pets to enjoy. Besides, when we use pesticides, we kill all the bugs, good and bad, and even some birds. Some bugs and birds eat other pest bugs but leave the plants alone. Ladybugs are an example of this, as they eat aphids. If you do develop a pest problem, there are many natural ways to deal with it. Ladybugs and other beneficial bugs, and even bacteria, that will eat the pest bugs, are now available at most garden centers.

Using native plants doesn’t compromise looks. A garden full of the yellow-orange faced, sunflower-like, arrow-leaved balsamroot flowers will create amazing visual impact, especially when contrasted with the tall, bright blue, large-leaved lupine. The balsamroot was once an important food plant for the first peoples of the area. On sloping properties, the roots of the balsamroot provide stability and prevent erosion. Both the balsamroot and lupine are sure to attract bees and butterflies to your yard, as well as admiring comments from the neighbors.

So whether you’re following the dramatic new trend of digging up lawns and replacing them with wildflower meadows, or just want to add a new section of garden that doesn’t increase your water bill and maintenance hours, knowing a bit about native plants and natural plant-care is an asset. I’d encourage all home-owners, especially those that care about “greening” their surroundings, to do some research and consider a local plant garden.

Anyone living in or visiting Tacoma is encouraged to visit the Native Plant Garden at Point Defiance Park. There you can see wild plants in action, including some very rare varieties, and get ideas for your own yard.

Related Pest Control Articles

Garden: How to Use Companion Plants For Better Pest Control

You’ve struggled, you’ve toiled and, at last, you are satisfied with your garden. It just couldn’t be better. But what’s this? Pests! Now you’ve got to prevent the invasion of destructive bugs in your garden. Here’s the best kind of gardening advice you can find for that purpose: Try growing companion plants.

Companion plants are very useful to gardeners or farmers. They have natural substances in them that will repel or attract insects. In specific cases, they can even increase the growth rate of plants, even improve the flavors these plants produce. Not only that but they help to bring a balanced ecosystem to the landscape. Overall then, growing companion plants will result in much healthier and productive plants and better crop production.

There are many kinds of companion plants available. If this is the first you’ve heard of them, you’ll probably be very surprised by what you’ll find. These are some examples of companion plants:

- Tomatoes for cabbages. Some moths feed on cabbage leaves as well, producing the same problems caused by cabbageworms. Worse, moths give birth to larvae at such a rapid pace that a full blown infestation is almost always guaranteed.

Growing tomatoes alongside cabbage plants will help ward off moths. Tomato plant emit a particular odor that moths just can’t stand. It is loathsome to them. As such, moths will stay away from the garden and lay their larvae elsewhere. – Chives or garlic for roses. Roses are grown for their beautiful flowers. But pests can destroy these flowers and make a quarter of a year’s labor go to waste. Growing chives near roses will help repel the usual pests that feed on rose flowers.

Garlic is said to have the same effect of repelling such pests. Garlic actually collects sulfur, which is a natural fungicide, and can greatly increase disease prevention.

- Beans for corn. A pest infestation on corn crops can be very harmful, even dangerous for the entire farm or the surrounding area. Growing beans in the garden or backyard will help to attract beneficial insects that will prey on and help to eradicate the common pests that haunt corn fields. Armyworms, leaf beetles and leaf hoppers will all be but sad memories when bean plants accompany growing corns.

Sunflowers are also very good for corn. Just planting them around corn it is said will increase their yield. And if you’ve got aphid problems, you won’t for long. Your unknown friends, in the form of ants, will herd the aphids like cattle onto the sunflowers. It’s a curious thing. The sunflowers themselves are so tough that the aphids can do no more than very little damage at best.

- Nasturtiums for cucumbers. Cucumber attracts cucumber beetles. These are small insects which have strong jaws that are even able to cut right through the cucumbers themselves. Nasturtiums, on the other hand, drive off cucumber beetles and allow for the healthy development of cucumber plants.

These are only a few of the many types of companion plants that are available for you to use. Some of them are actually crop plants. Many can be found in varying types of vegetable gardens. Give yourself time to discover what these companion plants are. You may surprise yourself with the combinations you can create.

More Pest Control Articles

Organic Gardening & Pest Control – Suggestions To Guard Your Fruit Bearing Plants Against Pests

Your garden or farm is overwhelmed with delicious fruit bearing plants and trees, you are expecting a good reap this year, but are you worried about keeping away pests from your precious fruits? Leave those worries away because there is a simple and effective way to keep all your troubles that is “organic gardening pest control“.

These solutions are simple, easy, and highly beneficial. Unlike the synthetic pest control remedies these remedies will not harm your trees in any way.

Baits and Horticultural Oil – Moths can be ridden of with the help of sticky traps and folded cardboard. If moths are your prime problem, try using pheromone baits. Horticultural oil can just be sprayed on the stems and leaves of fruit bearing trees and plants to get rid of moth larvae and insects.

Organic Soap Solution and Oil – During late summer you might face big problems in keeping away the insects and spider mites from your precious fruits. Spray this in the evenings for better results.

Predators of Nature – Lacewings and lady bugs are some of the good natural predators that can help fruit farmers. Insects like Aphids are best tackled by their natural predators. Make sure that you have plenty of Lacewings and lady bugs around to help you deal with insects like these.

To protect your trees from borers it is advisable to cover up the tree trunks. But if the tree is already infected inject nematodes to the stems. You can identify the infection with signs like wilted stems and stiff bark. However, it is advisable to pull off the stems that are severely infected.

Till the soil around the trees affected by oriental fruit moths. This will expose the moth larvae and you can get rid of them more effectively.

Organic gardening pest control is an excellent way to protect your fruit bearing trees and plants from pests and the result you gain will be enormous!

Parasitic insects

Most insect parasitoids are wasps or flies. Parasitiods comprise a diverse range of insects that lay their eggs on or in the body of an insect host, which is then used as a food for developing larvae. Parasitic wasps take much longer than predators to consume their victims, for if the larvae were to eat too fast they would run out of food before they became adults. Such parasites are very useful in the organic garden, for they are very efficient hunters, always at work searching for pest invaders. As adults they require high energy fuel as they fly from place to place, and feed upon nectar, pollen and sap, therefore planting plenty of flowering plants, particularly buckwheat, umbellifers, and composites will encourage their presence. Four of the most important groups are:

       Ichneumonid wasps: (5-10 mm). Prey mainly on caterpillars of butterflies and moths.

       Braconid wasps: Tiny wasps (up to 5 mm) attack caterpillars and a wide range of other insects including greenfly. A common parasite of the cabbage white caterpillar- seen as clusters of sulphur yellow cocoons bursting from collapsed caterpillar skin.

       Chalcid wasps: Among the smallest of insects (<3 mm). Parasitize eggs/larvae of greenfly, whitefly, cabbage caterpillars, scale insects and strawberry tortrix moth.

       Tachinid flies: Parasitize a wide range of insects including caterpillars, adult and larval beetles, true bugs, and others.

Plants to regulate insect pests

Choosing a diverse range of plants for the garden can help to regulate pests in a variety of ways, including;

       Masking the crop plants from pests, depending on the proximity of the companion or intercrop.

       Producing olfactory inhibitors, odors that confuse and deter pests.

       Acting as trap plants by providing an alluring food that entices pests away from crops.

       Serving as nursery plants, providing breeding grounds for beneficial insects.

Encarsia formosa

Most of the biological controls listed above depend on providing incentives in order to ‘naturally’ attract beneficial insects to the garden. However there are occasions when biological controls can be directly introduced. Common biocontrol agents include parasitoids, predators, pathogens or weed feeders. This is particularly appropriate in situations such as the greenhouse, a largely artificial environment, and are usually purchased by mail order. Some biocontrol agents that can be introduced include;

       Encarsia formosa. This is a small predatory chalcid wasp which is parasitical on whitefly, a sap-feeding insect which can cause wilting and black sooty moulds. It is most effective when dealing with low level infestations, giving protection over a long period of time. The wasp lays its eggs in young whitefly ’scales’, turning them black as the parasite larvae pupates. It should be introduced as soon as possible after the first adult whitefly are seen. Should be used in conjunction with insecticidal soap.

       Red spider mite, another pest found in the greenhouse, can be controlled with the predatory mite Phytoseilus persimilis. This is slightly larger than its prey and has an orange body. It develops from egg to adult twice as fast as the red spider mite and once established quickly overcomes infestation.

       A fairly recent development in the control of slugs is the introduction of ‘Nemaslug’, a microscopic nematode (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) which will seek out and Parasitize slugs, reproducing inside them and killing them. The nematode is applied by watering onto moist soil, and gives protection for up to six weeks in optimum conditions, though is mainly effective with small and young slugs under the soil surface.

       A bacterial biological control which can be introduced in order to control butterfly caterpillars is Bacillus thuringiensis. This available in sachets of dried spores which are mixed with water and sprayed onto vulnerable plants such as brassicas and fruit trees. The bacterial disease will kill the caterpillars, but leave other insects unharmed. There are strains of Bt that are effective against other insect larvae. Bt israelensis is effective against mosquito larvae and some midges.

       A biological pest control being developed for use in the treatment of plant disease is the fungus Trichoderma viride. This has been used against Dutch Elm disease, and to treat the spread of fungal and bacterial growth on tree wounds. It may also have potential as a means of combating silver leaf disease.

       The parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) has been introduced to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemipterae: Cicadellidae) in French Polynesia and has successfully controlled ~95% of the pest density