What is Integrated Pest Management? You've probably heard the term before. It's one of the most important subjects in the practice of Organic Pest Control, and contains methods that no gardener or landscaper should be without if they intend to stay away from harsh pesticides.

Simply speaking, Organic Pest Control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are all about the idea that chemicals should be the very last resort in caring for your lawn or garden. IPM is a multi-faceted approach to doing this effectively. Listed below are some of the various techniques one may use if they intend to use IPM and organic pest control techniques to their fullest:

1. Your soil health is by far one of the most important variables. When a plant is healthy from healthy soil, it's more able to effectively keep bugs and pests away. Think of plants as having immune systems, much as people do. If a person does get essential vitamins and nutrients, his/her health can deteriorate and that person may suffer from diseases and illnesses. Plants are much the same in that respect.

2. Instead of using chemicals, allow the ecosystem to do its own work. Using harsh pesticides often kill the pests' predators, such as spiders and ladybugs.

3. Pruning unhealthy sections of your plants by hand keeps nutrients from the soil going to the healthy parts of the plant, instead of having to spread the nutrients to unhealthy sections. While doing this, make sure to not leave "stubs" hanging out from the plant. Pests find homes in these stubs, so make sure to prune flush with the stalk or stem.

4. Weed as much as possible, preferably by hand. Weeds suck essential nutrients from the soil, which keeps your plants from receiving the nutrients it needs to survive and fight off pests.

5. Start your planting earlier in the year before the bug season starts. This will allow your plants to be better suited for any type of infestation that may occur. A more mature plant would be better able to fend off an attack.

6. The best type of plant is a plant native to your local ecosystem. Don't plant palm trees in Vermont; you'll only disappoint yourself with the results. A native species is better suited to the local environment and pests that naturally occur in that locale.

7. Keep a close eye on your plants as they grow. Stay involved, and don't be afraid to get dirty. You'll be much more aware of any pests that may show up.

Good luck with your organic pest control ventures.



About the Author:

Joe provides an authoritative reference to organic pest control in his Organic Pest Control Guide. You can learn more about organic pest control methods at his website.

Organic pest control and the effective control of garden pests depends very much on gardener attitude towards approach. The most basic approach has to do with monitoring. It's very important for a gardener to constantly monitor his/her garden through a series of logs and journals, which keep the gardener constantly up to speed on any pest attacks and plant health. Here are some examples of items one should keep in mind for effective pest control:

Sudden insect attacks, specifically from aphids, can occur seemingly overnight. While aphids can chew down leaves and stems, injuring plants, the plants can be smothered by the secretions left by the insects. What's worse, certain types of fungi can grow on the insect secretions, which can suck essential vitamins and nutrients from the plant itself. There are organic ways to handle such garden pests, so further reading and study is needed beyond what's included in this article. However, be prepared for this before any planting is done, as sudden attacks can destroy plants without swift action.

Lawns are especially susceptible to attacks, especially from caterpillars and other root-feeding insects. Why? Lawns, particularly new lawns, have very shallow root structures and can fall prey to predatory insects. Much like the example given above, swift action is needed if this occurs. Without an effective organic pest control plan, these insects can destroy a lawn within days.

Powdery mildew, if left unchecked, can have adverse effects on plants as well. Much like the fungi mentioned above, this mildew can suffocate plants. Ensure that plants susceptible to this are rinsed down with a gentle stream of water to wash off any mildew that might be present.

One of the basic tenants of organic pest control is to "let it be." While it may be tempting to jump in and be "hands-on" with your plants to keep them pest-free, oftentimes it's best to allow the environment to do its own work. While fungi and other pests may be present in your garden at any given time, avoiding the use of chemicals will allow your pests' predators to keep them in check. Spiders, ladybugs, and other forms of predators should be allowed to remain in your garden to fight off the plant-eating pests that you're trying to keep away.

While this isn't a comprehensive review of organic pest control techniques, this should be a good primer in some of the methods one should consider if contemplating organic pest control instead of some of the more established methods.



About the Author:

Joe provides an authoritative reference to organic pest control in his Organic Pest Control Guide. You can learn more about organic pest control ideas at his website.

It is not only important to get rid of pests from your garden, but it is also important to prevent them from destroying your garden. You can use chemicals in the form of pesticides to do this, but it may be as harmful to you as it is to the pests. It is also not good for the plants that grow in your garden. Using these chemicals has also been shown to be related to the cause of a number of diseases like Lymphoma, cancer, birth defects etc. These chemicals are also expensive. Hence using organic garden pest control strategies are beneficial for you and the plants.

One of the first steps you can take is using organic soil. Organic soil aids in the proper growth of plants and thus makes it better equipped to ward off the threats by your pests. You must use compost bins and compost pails, which is an integral part in organic garden pest control, which can be used to produce compost at home. There are several repellents that are good organic recipes for pest control like orange guard and organic insect killer repellent that can be used to kill or repel insects and bugs. These are non toxic in nature and provide effective results in killing or repelling the pests.

The most effective form of pest control is prevention. If you can grow your garden in such a way that the probability of pest attack is minimized, then use of repellents that generally come under the organic pest control category can be kept as a last resort.

You can start the whole process when you are deciding the kind of plants you want in your garden. By studying the types of plants and the various bugs that affect them, you can set up the defences as you know what type of bugs will affect your garden. Certain plants attract certain insects that are known to eat pests that affect other plants. By planting these plants together, you are essentially empowering the garden with its own natural defence system to get rid of the pests. There are certain kinds of plants that have their own natural defence system against pests. These plants can be useful additions in your garden as they provide organic garden pest control measures.

As part of organic garden pest control, you should take care of the soil in the garden and make sure it stays fertile and healthy throughout the year. You can do this by working on your garden throughout the year by adding compost and rearranging your plants. You should make sure that all the planting is done when conditions are not conducive for the growth of pests. Another useful strategy is to allow the growth of bugs that eat pests in your garden. This is where the use of chemicals can be disadvantageous as the bugs that are useful can also get killed.

In any case, you must be ready to get your hands dirty to combat the menace of these pests using organic garden pest control. You should carefully study each and every kind of pests that can likely affect your garden and study the different ways to get rid of them by checking upon sources like insect encyclopaedia. Due diligence and hard work in your garden are sure shot of ways of keeping the pests at bay.



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Visit our website if you are interested in more articles about insect pest,insect pest control products, garden insect pest, insect pest control and more information.

Neem seed oil is derived from the seeds of an evergreen tree that is native to India. It is a product that has withstood the test of time and been used a medicinal ingredient as well as an organic pesticide for centuries. It has a natural tendency to repel insects that may harm the greenery while allowing other insects that benefit, such as; butterflies, earthworms and bees to maintain their beneficial aspect on the garden.

To use as an insecticide it should be mixed, and diluted with soapy water. It can be sprayed on the garden or greenery every two to four weeks for the best results.

It is created by cold pressing the seeds of the neem tree to release the powerful and pungent oil. It can also be produced by steam or solvent extraction. To use these methods is to decrease the impurities that may be included with other extractions of the neem oil. To retain the most beneficial and concentrated part of the oil is to cold press the oil.

Neem oil is one of the most powerful aspects of any organic pesticide without the harsh chemicals that come in inorganic pesticides.

Neem seed oil is brown in color and has a strong odor that repels insects. It is comprised of large amounts of triterpenoid compounds which are responsible for the bitter taste of the oil. It has been used medicinally for generations to prevent everything from head lice to eczema and is a popular choice as an ingredient in soap.



About the Author:

Garden Mandy is an organic gardening specialist and the hostess with the mostess over @ GardenMandy | Organic Gardening Center

Organic Pest Control

We're all searching for ways to live in a more earth-friendly fashion. But when it comes to gardening, it's difficult to find out how to kill or prevent garden pests in a safe way. Organic pest control has come a long way, and we're lucky to have many more effective tools to resolve this problem.

Create Natural Barriers

Picking off grubs and other critters by hand is an easy way to reduce your pesky problem. You can also build many types of barrier environments which entrap the insects. Plugging holes is also fundatmental. Snails can be caught hiding in damp places under rocks and towards the base of plants with straplike foliage. Simply exploring your garden and adjacent areas for potential insect hideaways is one of the most useful forms of organic pest control.

Use Biological Control

Encourage predatory insects such as green lacewings and dragonflies to feed on aphids and other pests that attack your plants. You can do this by placing a shallow bowl of water in the garden. Beneficial insects such as dragonflies will hover around water. Bacterial insecticides such as B. thuringiensis could also be used against caterpillars.

Finding the Safest Repellents

How to kill or prevent garden pests? Organic pest control methods can be effective and the ingredients for most of the recipes can be found in your kitchen cupboard. If chemical repellents are truly necessary, try to use the least-toxic and apply using the manufacturers instructions. These include insecticide soaps, horticultural oils, dehydrating dust, etc.

Make It Yourself

Against Green Aphids and Mites - Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a cup of vegetable oil. Dilute a teaspoon of this liquid in a cup of water and spray on aphids and mites.

Against Cockroaches - Dusts of boric acid can be placed on cracks or entry points around your home. Bay leaves on pantry shelves can also help in deterring these critters.

Make sure that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the insects you are targeting.

When researching how to kill or prevent garden pests, there is a world of information on the internet. Organic pest control may seem more challenging at first, but once you spend a little time creating a beneficial environment, you will be happier living in a safe, natural garden where you and your plants can flourish without the risks of unsafe chemicals and pesticides.



About the Author:

For more info, check out the articles at Grow Roses Now or Landscape Now. Ron King is a web developer; visit his website Authoring Articles.

Copyright 2008 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.