How To Best Protect Your Garden From Insects

Steps to protect the garden from insects

Inspect gardens for damage every day.
Water in the morning.
If you see a bug, wash them off, use a high-pressure setting on the hose.
Or pick them up and squish, old fashioned method.
After you have gotten rid of the bugs, identify and find a long-term solution. This might be from an insecticidal soap. If you are using an insecticidal product, always spray in the evening hours so that foliage does not burn.

Common bugs to look out for

Aphids

Aphids are the most common garden bug. Aphids and ants are very closely linked, if you ever see an ant on your plants you most likely have aphids as well. As the aphids eat away at plants, it secretes a honeydew which draws in the ants. To create a DIY aphid insecticidal soap, combine liquid dish soap with water and canola oil.

Via: Gardeners

Ants

Ants are one of the most common garden pests, they cause problems with the lawn and even get inside the house. There are many different methods to getting rid of ants that revolve around baiting and trapping. You can either purchase a trap, or make your own DIY Ant bait! Here’s how to make it:

Mix equal parts sugar and Borax and place it out in a small mound. The ant thinks that this sugar is food for it’s colony and will then bring it back, which will eventually exterminate the whole kingdom.

Slugs

To prevent slugs, make sure to water in the morning. Watering at night/evening time leads to a wet garden overnight aka perfect slug habitat! Another option, if you spot slugs in your garden take regular table salt and throw a little dash of salt on them. This eliminates a slug’s moisture which will eventual kill them.

Via: Family Handy Man

Scale

Scale is a small bug that appears as bumps on the side of a plant’s stem. To get rid of these, take a swab of rubbing alcohol.

Diseases that can harm plants

Powdery Mildew

When it comes to Zucchini type of plants, powdery mildew is very common. Be sure to water in the morning to help prevent this. If you are having powdery mildew or any other type of disease, look for a fungicide. Remember, fungicide is for disease insecticide is for insects.