Plants really are one of life‘s simple pleasures. That‘s why it‘s so disappointing when we find our plants being damaged by pests.

Good pest control starts with really noticing what‘s going on in the garden. Take the time to look around - get up close and personal - really rummage around. Good pest control starts with knowing and understanding the enemy!

When we know what pests we‘re dealing with we can apply the ‘Pest Triangle‘ solution to dealing with them. The Pest Triangle is part of what is known as ‘Integrated Pest Management‘ or IPM for short. This is a method of dealing with any pest problem by using a range of methods that are least damaging to the environment.

To follow the Pest Triangle, we look at the relationship between three things: firstly, the pest (e.g. aphid, black spot, etc), secondly the host (plant) and, thirdly, the environment (the conditions of where the plant/pest is living). If the pest is present on a host and the environment is favourable to the pest, then it will thrive. By altering any one of the three we can help reduce the impact of the pest - and this three-pronged attack ensures that the pest never gets out of hand.

As an example, we know that roses (host) are quite likely to be attacked by aphids (pest) over the warmer months (environment.) To alter the host, we can apply a liquid seaweed extract to strengthen the cells of the foliage and flowers which will help them resist the aphid attack. We can alter the environment because we know that aphids love humid conditions so by watering the soil rather than the leaves we improve airflow around the plant which will reduce humidity. Another way of altering the environment is with companion planting - in this case garlic to repel the pests. We could also enlist the help of their natural predators such as ladybirds and their larvae.

You can find out more about pest control by visiting Growing Vitality - Feb 14th.

Edited article courtesy of Gardening Australia.