Gardening is an excellent hobby for people of all ages. It helps to improve your physical and mental health while ensuring that you get some much needed time outside.
That said, gardening takes a lot of work. Past watering and tending to your plants, you’ll need to protect them from a variety of threats, the most deadly of which being garden creatures.
Even if you don’t typically think of insects and other pests as a major problem, they can wreak absolute havoc on your garden.
If you want healthy plants, it’s best to avoid the use of pesticides, as they can harm your garden as well as the insects destroying it. However, that doesn’t mean garden maintenance has to be difficult.
Listed below are 3 of the most common garden critters and how to get rid of them without harsh chemicals.
1. Slugs
These slow-moving mollusks are only about an inch long but can do some serious damage to your foliage. They’re most common in humid climates and will eat virtually any garden plant.
If you notice slugs creeping around your garden after a rainstorm, there are a couple of options. The first is to fill empty cans with beer, slugs are attracted to the liquid and will fall in the can and drown.
For a more humane slug removal, sprinkle sharp sand or crushed seashells around the base of your plants to prevent slugs from crawling onto them.
2. Aphids
Aphids are quite small, only around 1/6-inch in length. The pear-shaped garden pests suck the sap from plant tissues, leaving them stunted, and even causing plant death.
To make matters worse, the substance secreted by aphids as they feast on your plants attracts ants. These ants protect the aphids, making it more difficult to rid your garden of the insects.
The best way to chase the aphids from your garden is to wash your plants with water in a strong spray and remove the affected areas. You can also use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, or even introduce lady beetles into your garden, which will eat the aphids.
3. Spider Mites
Getting rid of iguanas and other larger garden animals, such as deer, is relatively simple. Usually, all you have to do is put a barrier or protective cover around your plants and you’re good to go.
With tiny insects like spider mites, however, things get a little more complicated. These pests are so small that they don’t feed on the plants themselves but their juices, sucking the nutrients from your plants and killing them in the process.
To get rid of them, introduce insects that will feed on the mites but not your plants, such as praying mantises or assassin bugs.
Keep Your Plants Healthy By Ridding Them of These Garden Creatures
Now that you know about some of the garden creatures you need to be on the lookout for, as well as how to get rid of them, you’re ready to start gardening!
By tending to your plants with the time and care they need, and keeping critters and garden pests at bay, you’ll have a gorgeous garden in no time.
Interested in learning more about caring for your home, both inside and out? Take a look at our blog!
