Bugs And Weeds

Green Guide To Green Pest Control And Pest Prevention

PEST PREVENTION INFORMATION ON THE WEB

Alternative Plants For Pest Prevention

Pest control alternatives, alternative plants for pest prevention

Just replacing chemical, commercial insecticides or herbicides with "non commercial" substitutes is not enough to solve a bug or weed problem, in fact it goes back to the root of why they are needed in the first place. Often we use plants for landscaping without regard for the problems they will introduce, and then attempt to deal with them with less than practical methods.

Anything used with the intention of killing an unwanted pest is starting in the wrong place. We may have to use them, and in some cases they may be the most sound environmental solution to our pest problem at this time, but it is still starting in the wrong place.

What should we be doing instead? Well, prevention is the place to start.

Weeds should be removed, by whatever mean is necessary. In order to keep them from coming back if the area is a lawn, it should be mowed more often. This is the best practice for weed prevention.

Alternative plants for pest prevention

If the situation warrants, some sort of replacement plant may be added. Most weeds do not like competition. If you plant something that will compete in the conditions that the weed is growing in, you can often defeat it. If soil conditions are the problem, then these conditions should be changed to meet the new need.

In the case of sand-burrs, this is the best means of control. Sand burrs will not stand competition of any kind. If anything else can grow there, sand-burrs will not compete, but will fade away. Soil conditions such as waterlogged clay soils are the favorite home of sedges, changing the condition, and getting rid of the nut-lets, will usually relieve the problem.

Alternative plants like sweet potatoes are another avenue. The vines are attractive, most types are pest resistant, the foliage is thick and will shade out many weeds, and they have natural properties that help to discourage many other plants and insects.

Plants such as lantana do well in our area, and have many of the same properties. Lantana loves heat, can thrive with little water and discourages many pests.

The best cure for plants that attract insects, is to get rid of them and plant types that discourage pests. Your landscape is a magnet for pests, and it will either attract them or repel them. The plants you choose have a lot to do with this.

Conventional Pest Control Service: IPM based

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