GardenGarden pests without poison
In a kitchen garden you will eat what you grow, often the same day, so strong chemicals have no place. Most pest problems can be kept small with sharp eyes and a few simple methods.
Prevention does most of the work
- Right season: a plant grown in its season resists pests. Out-of-season plants are weak and attract trouble.
- Space and air: crowded plants stay damp and invite fungus.
- Water at the base in the morning, and keep leaves dry.
- Look under the leaves twice a week. Pests found early are removed in a minute.
- Change places: do not grow the same family in the same pot or bed season after season.
- Mix flowers with vegetables: marigold and other flowers bring bees and the small insects that eat pests.
The common pests
| Pest | What you see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Aphids | Clusters of tiny green or black insects on shoot tips; sticky leaves; ants running up the stem | Wash off with a strong jet of water, or spray soap solution. Repeat after three days. |
| Whitefly | Tiny white insects fly up when the plant is shaken | Hang yellow sticky traps. Spray neem oil solution under the leaves in the evening. |
| Mealybugs | White cottony lumps on stems and leaf joints | Wipe off with a cloth or cotton bud dipped in soap solution. Cut away badly covered shoots. |
| Caterpillars | Holes in leaves, dark droppings, bored fruit | Pick by hand in the evening or early morning. Remove bored fruit and shoots. |
| Fruit flies | Gourds and melons rot from a small sting mark | Cover young fruits with paper or cloth bags. Collect and destroy fallen fruit. |
| Powdery mildew | White powder on leaves of peas and gourds | Remove the worst leaves, give more air, avoid wetting leaves. |
| Snails and slugs | Ragged holes and silvery trails, mostly in the monsoon | Collect by torchlight after dark. Remove the boards and pots they hide under. |
Two sprays made at home
- Soap solution: about one teaspoon (5 ml) of mild liquid soap in a litre of water. It works only on the insects it touches, so wet them well.
- Neem oil solution: about one teaspoon (5 ml) of neem oil and a few drops of liquid soap, shaken well into a litre of water. Use it the same day.
Spray in the evening, never in hot sun, and test on a few leaves first. Wash vegetables before eating, as always. If you buy a ready product, follow its label exactly.
When to let go
A plant badly hit by a virus, with curled, mottled and stunted leaves, will not recover and spreads the problem. Pull it out, put it in the dustbin, not the compost, and plant something from a different family in its place.
More garden help
- Gardening seasons in IndiaKharif, rabi and zaid explained for the home gardener.
- Balcony and terrace gardenPots, potting mix, sun and water for growing in containers.
- How to sow seedsDepth, trays, transplanting and why seeds fail.
- Compost at homeTurn kitchen waste into plant food in a bucket or a pot.
- Flower calendarWhen to sow 20 garden flowers in each region.
- Kitchen herbsTulsi, mint, coriander, curry leaf and six more.