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Natural Pest Controls

© Keith Muraoka

Since I reviewed natural and organic weed-control options last week, I thought I might cover similar control methods for garden pests in today's column. Philosophies and options have changed over the years as home gardeners realize haphazardly reaching for that chemical insecticide every time is not the way to do things.

For instance, except for long-time home gardeners -- such as my father, who has never met a chemical insecticide he doesn't like. Most people do not like to spray indiscriminately to kill garden insects. Less toxic alternatives are becoming more popular in today's green world we live in.

Some of my personal favorite methods involve spraying with plain water; mixing up a concoction of either a liquid soap spray, horticultural oil or Bt; or even luring insects with sticky traps.

PLAIN WATER: A jet of plain water from the garden hose will go a long way toward dislodging aphids and spider mites from roses and other infected landscape plants. Once knocked off the specimens, they won't be able to climb back aboard in most cases. Just make sure you don't soak your plants with overhead sprays during the heat of the day. Do it in the cool of the morning or at dusk.

INSECTICIDAL SOAPS: Insecticidal soaps, meanwhile, have become the mainstay pesticide spray for organic gardeners. You can mix your own using a few tablespoons of liquid soap per gallon of water, or you can buy already-mixed formulations at the nursery. The latter will include so-called stickers that will improve their effectiveness. Insecticidal soaps will kill or repel a wide variety of insects, including aphids, leafhoppers and spider mites.

HORTICULTURAL OILS: Horticultural oils have also come a long way compared to the dormant oil sprays of yesteryear. The latter oils could only be applied on dormant deciduous plants to smother insects and eggs. Today's new and refined petroleum-based formulations can be sprayed any time of the year as it won't harm leaves or delicate flower petals. Many times these horticultural oils are all you'll need to kill insects without the more powerful chemical insecticides. Again, make sure you spray during the cool of the day rather than in temperatures are 85 degrees and above.

BT: Also known as Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt, is the most familiar biological control. It utilizes different strains of bacteria and fungi to target specific pests, and are relatively nontoxic to beneficial insects, animals and humans. There are various Bt products at nurseries that will kill caterpillars, beetles and more.

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