Controlling Weeds and Pests

The use of synthetic chemical herbicides and pesticides has dominated the landscape and gardening industry for many years. If you go to the garden section of a department store chances are there is a large selection of chemicals to meet a variety of needs. But what causes the situation to occur that requires chemical intervention? These chemicals are treating the symptoms and not the cause. If you have a plant that is constantly under attack by pests this is a sign that the plant is struggling. What is causing the plant to struggle? Is the plant growing in the right conditions? Is the plant hardy to our region? Is the plant a favorite of a certain pest and if so do you really need it in your garden? Often the problem can be solved by making sure the plant is having its needs met by the environment and by choosing hardy plant material.

Pesticides do not discriminate between beneficial and harmful bugs. Beneficial bugs are often predators and will have a longer gestation time than pest populations they feed on. This is nature's way of keeping things in balance. When pesticides are used, they can actually create a situation that favors the pest you are trying to get rid of. The pest population will quickly rebound and multiply because the number of natural predators has been greatly reduced and will take longer to recover in numbers. This concept also applies to herbicides. Weedy plants are quick to grow, flower and go to seed where most desirable plant material takes much longer to go through that cycle. Constant use of herbicide in an area will create a situation that favors weeds.

We use more herbicides and pesticides now than we did 50 years ago and strangely enough we still have the pests and the weeds, so what are we gaining? We have been brainwashed into thinking that chemicals are the easiest way to deal with these problems but this is not really the case. What we get is short term gain for long term pain as these chemicals do not just disappear from our environment and we are poisoning ourselves along with everything else. Create a balanced healthy landscape and you will find your pest problems disappearing.

The food chain is a great source of pest control. Invite pest predators into your yard and let them go to work. Birds and Beetles will eat slugs, caterpillars and a wide variety of insects like aphids. Spiders are voracious insect hunters. Bats eat mosquitoes and Ladybugs will eat over 5000 insects in a lifetime. Here are some suggestions for controlling pests without chemicals:

• Make sure you have healthy soil to support your plants. Ensure that the plant material is well suited to the site. Consider exposure requirements, amount of water needed, and also good airflow between plants to prevent mildew.
• Choose hardy plants. Use native plants that are naturally pest and disease resistant.
• Invite natural predators into your yard by creating habitat for them. The birds will come especially if you provide bird houses, feeders and water.
• Other easy ideas include piles of twigs, logs or rocks that offer shelter for Beetles, Ladybugs and Spiders. For more information about creating habitat for wildlife check out NatureScape Alberta, a great book by Myrna Pearman & Ted Pike. Get your kids involved!
• Use natural pesticides created from household ingredients. The internet, library and gardening magazines are all good sources of information. Join your local garden club and gain access to a wealth of knowledge there for the asking.
• Seek out other natural or organic remedies that are becoming more available to the consumer.

Weeding is like housework, if you don't keep up on it you're going to find one day that you have a lot of work to do. Weeds left unchecked will spread with amazing speed and the problem will multiply. The soil is full of weed seed and every time you disturb it you bring new weed seed to the surface where it will germinate. Weeds are never going away and so we must learn to make it difficult for them to prosper if we want to keep them down. There are two kinds of weeds, annual and perennial and it pays to learn the difference. Like with any battle, it pays to learn about your opponent so you can adopt a game plan.

Here are some suggestions for controlling weeds without chemicals:

• Learn about the weeds you have in your yard so you will know which are the most aggressive and how to deal with them.
• Hand digging perennial weeds to remove the root is the easiest way to get rid of them for good. Learn what they look like when small to make the job easier.
• Annual weeds are easy to control with a hoe before they set seed.
• Make sure to deal with the weeds before they go to seed.
• Hand-pull weeds after a good rain, even in gravel you will find most will easily pull right out, root and all.
• When pulling weeds, grab hold of the very base of the plant and pull. If you pull higher on the stem it will break off easier leaving the root in the ground to grow again.
• When dealing with a thorny weed dig down below the soil where there are no prickles and you will be able to get a good hold on it. If you can't get the roots out keep pulling off the vegetation until the plant dies.
• If you have an area overrun with weeds, the most eco-friendly and least labour intensive solution is smothering. This can be done with old carpet, cardboard, black plastic and even mulch laid on thickly enough. It can take an entire season to clear an area heavily infested with perennial weeds and aggressive grasses.
• If you don't want plants growing in an area remove the soil to the clay and replace it with gravel, road crush, pavers etc. Where there is soil there will be plants. Weeds may still grow in but they will not be nearly as vigorous.
• Fill the space with desirable plants that will provide competition for the weeds and eventually choke them out.
• Look for natural herbicides and give them a try; if you find something that works tell your friends.