Natural Control of Flowering Plants' Insect Pests

by Crisologo Ramasasa

NATURAL CONTROL OF FLOWERING PLANTS’ INSECT PESTS

Your flowers need your utmost tender loving care in order to give you the beautiful flowers you desired. In this scenario, by looking at their conditions in the garden, you can check if they are free from any insect damage.

How will you know if they are secure and safe? By closely monitoring them everyday, you can be updated what particular pest attacks your plants.

As a home gardener, you should always be on the lookout for possible solutions to your home garden’s health problems. Make this your priority in order to succeed in your flower gardening business.

Planting the same type of flowering plants in your garden should be avoided because they carry the same pests attackers. You’ll entail great loss if your flowers will be infected.

One way to minimize the attack of pests and diseases is to practice multiple cropping system. This means, planting different crops of different types.

This has been proven effective and also improves the soil condition, while lessens your pesticide costs.

Another methods, and this is also very effective, is to include in your garden some insect repellant crops. If you’ll include these plant repellants in your multiple cropping system, you’ll double your gain against your production cost. They helps control destructive insect pests. They have a natural smell that wards off insect pests.

Some examples of plant repellants…

* Lemon grass. Plant them along the sides of the fence or as border plants.
* Marigold. Good as border plants. Plant them in between rows or plots.
* Neem tree. Plant them around your garden. They also serves as wind break.
* Cosmos. Plant them as border plants in between other flowers.

There are lots of these plant repellants in your country. Visit your local agriculture extension office in your area, and seek some advice for more information about some insecticides. Or send me your email at: www.crisramasasa.com for some additional information. I’m always ready to assist you in all the best I can.

Other natural control for common insect pests…

* Chewing insect pests (hard or soft-bodied). Mash 10 gloves of garlic or a medium size onion. Mix with 2 quarts/liter of water. Let sit for a while. Strain to remove impurities. Immediately spray without diluting the solution. To make it more stronger especially for hard-bodied insects, add 30 pieces cayenne/hot pepper. This is effective against nematodes.

Caution: Hot pepper is irritating to the eyes. Use protective eye cover when using them.

* Sucking insect pests (hard or soft bodied). Melt ½ bar bath soap (not detergent soap) in 8 quarts or 1 liter water. When totally dissolved, immediately spray directly to the insect pests. For hard-bodied, add 2 teaspoon salt and about 30 pieces cayenne/hot pepper.
* Aphids and red ants. I personally used this mixture, and its proven effective. Soak 1-2 dried tobacco leaves overnight in 1 liter of water. Strain and mix 2 teaspoons powder soap (any powder soap is ok). Spray directly into the ants or aphids. This mixture can also be used for hard-bodied insect pests with the additional mixture of 20-30 pieces powdered hot pepper.

Follow the same precautionary measures for chewing insects when using hot pepper to protect eyes.

By using the natural control, you’re protecting our environment reduce chemical pollution and poisoning which is the major cause of human and animal illness worldwide.

If you can control it, avoid using chemical insecticides at all cost if you can go on the natural way of controlling pests.