Plant Protection – How To Protect Your Plants From Pests

I think that every year there are a few weeks where you go, “Maybe this year will be different.” But after you finish that thought, you’re proven wrong. Even if you think things will be different, you will still have to keep on top of pest prevention and do what you can to protect your plants.

It was only this morning that I told people about how I’ve only found two slugs this year. And a few weeks ago I marvelled over the fact that there were no aphids. And now, pest control has become a daily chore. Strong water pressure against the affected leaves and the tree trunks followed by squeezing the leaves, and then you end strong with a cayenne/vinegar spray. It works and the population of aphids is declining. But if you decide to skip the routine for a day or a few days in this heat? The aphids will take over.

The slugs are here

Tonight was the first night this season where I’ve had to go out looking for slugs and snails. I found a slug that looked like a snake in the greenhouse. It was so long. Each slug can and will make about 400 babies and they are self-fertile. They can reproduce on their own and with other slugs. The average garden tends to have between 20’000 and 40’000 slugs, a study in Great Britain determined last year. Our climates are quite similar, and as a gardener with a “regular garden” space to utilise, I can believe those numbers.

So, by going on this slug walk, we manage to protect the garden from thousands of slugs.

Prevention is key

There are multiple ways to prevent slugs, aphids and other pests from eating your plants. Prevention is the best method, of course. Companion planting is an excellent way to protect your plants and boost their growth. There are various herbs and flowers that you can plant around your fruit trees and berry bushes to protect them from pests.

For example, I plant mint and oregano next to my gooseberries. I have calendula and dill around my apple trees. My plum tree has a sage plant next to it. And a few of my fruit trees have chives growing around them as well. These plants do help, and I think the reason why there are so many aphids right now is because the protective plants that grow around the trees and bushes haven’t fully emerged yet.

There are other factors that can cause an increase in the aphid population in your garden. Dry weather, heat, and an abundance of ants. We’ve had all three.

Here are some things that you can do to protect your plants:

1. Companion plant and plant protective herbs and flowers around your most precious plants.
2. Look for slugs and remove them. You can set up beer traps, copper tape, sprinkle seashells around the plants or use natural slug-repellant pellets.
3. Strong water pressure against the leaves, squeeze the aphids you see and spray the trees with, for example, a cayenne/vinegar spray.
4. Introduce nematodes to your garden.
5. Make sure your plants don’t dry out and layer them with sawdust and coconut fibre to help them retain more moisture.

Natural protection methods

Today I learned it was a magpie that has been eating my squash plants and pulling leaves off of my baby corn plants. It pulled out an entire squash plant – roots and all – from the soil today. My sister managed to shoo it away and place the plant back in the soil, but I sowed some extra seeds just to be on the safe side. I also placed my tomato tower on top to deter the magpie from coming back. The tomato plants aren’t large enough to need the towers yet, so I can keep it there until the squash and corn plants are large enough that they don’t interest the magpie. The magpie also ruined a bean plant.

If there are birds in your garden and you want to protect your plants from them, installing a scarecrow or something with a similar effect is a good idea. A bamboo stick with some dark or colourful fabric attached that can flutter about in the wind should be enough to make birds steer clear. There are also fake owls that you can purchase and place around the garden.

Essentially, if the birds think there is a predator nearby, they won’t approach your plants.

I am all for protecting wildlife, so as a gardener, you need to have natural methods that will protect your garden without harming the wildlife or the soil.

The herbs and flowers that I have planted around the garden both because I love herbs and to protect the plants from pests, are doing really well. The seeds I sowed have germinated and soon I’ll have an abundance of herbs and various vegetables growing in the garden.

Leaving the garden for a short vacation

Around mid-June, I’ll be going away for anywhere between a week and a few weeks, and that makes me a bit nervous. It’s a crucial time for the garden and I do need to stay on top of pest control, watering and harvesting. Harvesting triggers the plants to produce more food, so if I don’t harvest, my harvests across the season won’t be as large.

I will have help watering the plants and I will fertilise well before I go, but it still worries me a bit. I’m looking into ways of protecting the garden, such as applying more sawdust to prevent weeds and retain moisture. I think not being able to harvest daily and apply pest control are my biggest concerns. I’ll keep researching and I’ll be sure to check my logs and photos from this time last year to get a rough estimate of what I can expect in terms of plant growth and berries maturing.

How is your garden doing?