Garden Pest Control - How to Stop Pests In Their Tracks

Try as we might to keep our gardens in tip-top condition, our gardens are open to the elements - and everything that brings! Including pesky bugs, unfortunate diseases, and extreme weather.

Wondering how to stop these afflictions from ruining your hard work? Here are some top tips for garden pest control that bug us all! (Excuse the pun).

Slugs and snails

Slugs and snails are a gardener's arch enemy. They get into places they’re not wanted, even inside (anyone else had a tumble-dryer malfunction because of a rogue slug?). These garden pests love to munch on your leaves, stems, and flower heads, damaging the plant beyond repair.

Although they appear throughout the year, slugs and snails are particularly rife around spring. So, how do you get rid of them? There are a few ways to get rid of snails, and ways to stop them before they reach your plants.

Both molluscs can be a nuisance, especially to potted plants. To stop slugs and snails from reaching your precious plants, try using a pot that isn’t smooth or glazed, like a terracotta material. Adding gritty materials on top of the soil can also stop them from reaching their goal. Shingles, grit, or broken-up shells are all great examples of stuff to pop on top of soil.

If you’ve seen snail and slug damage on your plants already, then it’s time for action. Slugs and snails feed overnight. Going outside and picking them off at that time of day can be a quick deterrent, although there’s no guarantee that they won’t return. You can also use homemade traps to capture them and set them free. For example, filling a small jar halfway with beer. Bury the jar into the soil, catching curious slugs in the act.

Aphids

Also known as green and black flies, aphids can be a real nuisance to plants. If you have a large infestation, they can weaken them and make them wilt (or worse).

Often, if you’ve found an infestation, it’s likely that their predators have too. Ladybirds, wasps, and hover flies love a good munch on aphids. It’s often said that the average ladybird will eat several hundred aphids in its lifetime. Birds can also swoop in and pick them off, feeding them to their babies.

However, if you find aphids are still feasting on your favourite flowers, then you can pick them off yourself, wash them off with a hose, or introduce natural predators.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew affects a wide range of plants.This fungus leaves a powdery white substance on leaves, stunting a plant’s growth as well as infecting other plants if left to fester. Powdery mildew can be caused by any number of reasons. The wrong planting location, exposure to extreme weather, or poor soil can all be contributing factors, depending on the plant.

There are a few ways of getting rid of powdery mildew. Allowing space between plants is one. You can even create a natural solution with baking powder, mixing one teaspoon of it with water and spraying the leaves liberally. Failing that, simply remove the affected leaves and chuck them in your garden bin to avoid the fungus spreading.

Protecting Plants from the Elements

Strong wind

Sometimes the UK sees some blustering winds. Nothing damages a plant faster than a huge gust of unexpected wind, especially to tall varieties. However, giving plants some assistance with a stake, or hiding them against the house if they’re in pots, can save them from this horrible fate.

Extreme heat

Water plants regularly in droughts, especially in the early morning and late evening. Move pots into the shade or create shade for plants in flower beds. Although they’re great at deterring slugs, terracotta pots can dry soil out faster than any other pot material. You might want to consider growing summer plants in a glazed or plastic pot instead before the season starts.

Cold weather

As much as the heat can damage a plant, the cold can too. Sudden frosts and snow can kill a plant as easily as a heat wave can. Add extra mulch to the base of the plant to keep the roots warm. Lift frost tender plants before winter, storing them somewhere dry until spring. Add a horticultural fleece to tender plants in autumn to protect them.