How to Fight Garden Weeds, Pests, and Diseases

How to Fight Weeds

• Mulch: A layer of mulch stops weeds from growing by acting as a barrier to light. Applying mulch to your garden can significantly reduce the amount of time you need to spend weeding.
• Pull weeds up when they’re young: If weeds do sprout in your garden, it will save you time to pull them up when they’re young. Young weeds won’t have established root systems, and it’s crucial to pull up the roots along with the rest of the weed.
• Overheat weeds: It’s possible to kill weeds by cov­ering them with clear plastic that’s anchored at the edges. Heat will build up beneath the plastic, killing both the weeds and their seeds.
• Herbicides: Though herbicides are effective, it’s generally best to use them only as a last resort because they contain chemicals that are released into the environment. If you do use an herbicide, make sure to follow the directions carefully. You can find herbicides at garden centers and home improvement stores.

How to Fight Insects

• Animal predators: Bats, birds, and toads all eat the insects that harm your garden. Putting up birdhouses or birdbaths or adding a backyard pond can encourage these beneficial animals to hang around your garden.
• Beneficial insects: Some garden centers, mail-order catalogs, and online retailers sell insects that prey on the harmful insects in your garden. Lady beetles, or ladybugs, eat aphids and are particularly popular.
• Copper: This metal repels snails and slugs, which tend to feed on plant leaves. To stop these animals, pick up some copper sheeting or paper with a copper backing from a garden store, and use the copper to ring your garden beds or apply it to the sides of raised beds.
• Plant stem collars: If the stems of your plants are getting eaten, protect them by covering them with “collars” made from rolled-up strips of newspapers or cardboard toilet paper rolls. The collars should extend a few inches up the stem of each plant and about an inch into the ground.
• Pesticides: If all else fails, you can turn to pesticides. These should be a last resort, though, because they kill beneficial as well as harmful insects. If you do use pesticides, it’s best to use organic varieties such as BT. Synthetic pesticides build up through the animal food chain and can even pose health risks to humans.

How to Fight Animal Pests

• Burrowing animals: To stop burrowing animals, get wire barriers and place them around individual plants, use raised garden beds with wire spanning the entire bottom of the frame.
• Above-ground animals: Fences are good at dis­couraging deer, rabbits, and other above-ground animals. The fence should be at least 4' high. It will work best if angled outward, which makes it harder for animals to jump or climb over it.

How to Fight Plant Diseases