Row by Row Episode 196: What Pest Control Should You Be Using In The Garden
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Last week we discussed fertilizers, this week it's time to talk about pest control. What is a pesticide, what are the benefits of using them, and are there different types of pest control? Tonight we discuss synthetic and organic methods of controlling those pests in your vegetable garden.
What is a Pesticide?
- Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.
- Any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. (epa.gov)
Types of Pest Control
- Insecticides (all insecticides are pesticides, but not all pesticides are insecticides)
- Herbicides (plants/weeds)
- Rodenticides (mice/rat)
- Fungicides (fungus)
- Bactericides (bacteria)
- Larvicides (larvae)
Alternatives to Pesticides
A good organic alternative to pesticides is the cultural methods: crop rotation, and interplant mixtures of plants. The biological control method is the use of naturally occurring disease organisms. You can also use pheromones to attract pests to traps. Hormones can cause insect metamorphosis change, if applied at the wrong time in the life cycle, insects can be killed off.
IPM: INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: a combination of pest control methods that keep pest population low without economic loss. Use conventional pesticides sparingly when other methods fail.
HOSS Pest Control
SPINOSAD Takedown garden spray Complete disease control
Neem oil Monterey Bt Liquid Copper Fungicide
Fruit Tree Spray Plus Fruit Tree Spray Plus Bug Buster O
Diatomaceous Earth Horticultural Oil Sluggo Plus
Fungi Max Garden Phos Ultra 90 Surfactant
Come and Get it II fire ant Vegetable and Ornamental weeder
Vegetable, flower, fruit, and Ornamental Fungicide