Unfortunately that's the trade off. If a safe organic pesticide worked as well as chemicals it would be on the market. I use tobacco juices from a cigarette (soaked in water overnight), combined with lemon juice. Spray on with a hose container sprayer. Bugs hate these worse than the Surgeon General.
I always used Seven dust. It carries in the wind but can be used effectively. I have never encountered any toxic effects. For larger pests, human hair and urine works (it's always best to incorporate the urine at night, when the neighbors have all gone to bed)
A few years ago I had some aphids infest a lot of my garden / greenhouse area. I bought a bag of ladybugs from the nusrsey yard and turned them loose. Lady bugs eat aphids...having hundreds of new helpers the problem cleared up without the use of any soaps or chemicals.
Organic pest control is not the same as petrochemical pest control. Organic pest control is part of organic gardening, which is an entire approach to horticulture based on the management of planting, soil preparation and interaction with the surrounding ecosystem. A lot of pest control is achieved through your gardening practices. The use of pesticides (organic or otherwise) is discouraged, because a lot of time, beneficial critters are also killed, throwing the ecosystem even more out
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of whack. They are employed as a last resort, after all the management practices have been employed, therefore, they don't work as "good" as petrochemical pesticides. They aren't even developed to do so. The best and most widely know organic pesticides are soaps (eg. Safer), and BT. There are also sulfur-based pesticides for molds, mildews and some insects. These are available at any nursery. For more information, check out organicgardening.com. Here's also a good link:http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/VegFruit/organic.htm
This factsheet offers some good information on the science behind beneficial insects that eat pest insects. It also goes one step further, and recommends the best plants for attracting these beneficial bugs:
Yes, this is an effective way to control harmful insects. Some of the best insects to introduce (or leave alone) are: spiders , lacewings, ladybeetles, the multi-colored lady beetles, ground beetles, praying mantids, hover flies and predatory bugs.
Good idea. But, if a chain link is too expensive or laborious, a smaller wire fence, like chicken wire, around the garden may be in order. The posts don't have to be concreted in and can be easily removed after the growing season and used next year!
i built a garden for my grandparents last week i used a low grade chain link fence witch was very cheap to keep out ground hogs and rabbits and other animals.
There are many strategies. First, choose plants/vegetables that aren't appealing to pests, fungal, insect, or vertebrate. Next, promote organisms that consume pests, beneficial insects, birds, and other insect eaters. You can do this by planting plants that attract beneficial insects, or feeders to attract insect eating birds. There are organic pesticides, they include insecticidal soaps, and BT. These are readily available at nurseries. You can purchase ladybugs and preying mantises
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that you can place in your garden to eat pests.. If you have gophers or the like, consider getting a cat or small terrier. If you don't want to do this, you can go to the effort of digging out the planting area, lining it with chicken wire, and refilling it, also continue the fence above ground a foot or so. If your problem is deer, a big dog that stays in the yard can help. Again, if you don't want a dog, you can purchase predator urine (fox, coyote, wolf) products. Search for them online.
I use this netting you can purcase at Home Depot of lowes. You set out post I use thin wood and wrap the netting around the posts. I made a removable post with the netting attached so I can get in and out easily. Hope this is helpul.
Go to www.cleanairgardening.com. There is an organic insecticidal soap listed there
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/PHC/be...
For burrowing critters, if chain link is used "bury" six inches of it below grade.