Grow Plant Species Varieties That Are Relatively Pest Free

With organic insecticides, you may have to spray more often than if using conventional insecticides, you may sustain more damage on certain plants and there may be some insect problems you just can’t control. But organic insecticides also have one important advantage; they are usually less detrimental to nontarget beneficial insects than conventional insecticides.

The key to successful organic gardening in the South is to grow plant species and/or varieties that are relatively pest free, to keep these plants healthy and vigorous, and to be willing to tolerate low-to- moderate levels of insect infestation. Organic insecticides tend to be less effective than ‘conventional insecticides,’ but there are exceptions. For example, spinosad is a biopesticide that is highly effective against thrips, caterpillar pests and leaf miners. One of the challenges with organic insect control is that, while there are quite a few effective organic products for control of caterpillars and soft-bodied insects, there aren’t many organic insecticides that work well against beetles and ‘true bugs’ like stink bugs, lace bugs and plant bugs.

Products containing Pyrethrin are gaining popularity among organic gardeners. Pyrethrin is a natural extract from the pyrethrum daisy and it will affect most insect pests through contact activity. It is very short-lived, however, and many pests may be ‘knocked down’ only to recover later. Naturally occurring soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringienisis (Bt) works pretty well on small caterpillar pests.

Bts are slow-acting and must be eaten by the caterpillar to work. A couple of products come from the neem tree – Azadirachtin and neem oil. While they are technically different compounds, both are useful in controlling whiteflies and aphids.

Petroleum based horticultural oils, plant oils and fish oils are also good.

Some insecticidal soaps are available for insect control, but be aware that they are much different than dish soaps or hand soaps, which can actually damage plants. Rotenone – a plant root extract – is considered an organic product, which is somewhat effective on beetles, stink bugs and plant bugs.

Source: John Coccaro, The Hicksburg Post