To prevent pest damage, keep your plants healthy because pests like to target unhealthy crops. Crops are kept healthy by growing them in fertile soils, applying the right fertilizer, and irrigating them to reduce stress.
Organic pest control
Plant your crops at the right time of the year because crops grown in the off-season don’t look good and are targeted by pests.
Harvest your crops early before the pests attack.
Grow more so that even when the pests eat a few, the remaining will be enough for the farmer.
Manually remove the pests as you walk through the garden as this slows down the rate of population growth of the pests.
Beneficial organisms like chickens and ducks can help in eating up pests like bugs and pupating fruit flies.
Consider intercropping of the crops as monocultures are more vulnerable to pest infestation than intercrops.
Organic sprays are recommended when the pest population is a little high and difficult to control using manual methods. Organic sprays can be made by mixing cooking oil and dishwashing soap.
Exclusion using nets or bags helps prevent the insect pests from reaching the targeted crop or fruit and hence cant make damage.
