For Earth Month, let's pay a tribute to natural methods of pest and weed control in the garden. We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce and eliminate the need for pesticides and herbicides. Not only are natural methods better for the environment, they are safer for our craftsmen – just like you want to minimize chemicals around your family and pets. Here are some tips that home gardeners can incorporate.

Tip #1 – Attract predators that will eat bugs. You probably know that ladybugs are very effective against aphids. But did you know they'll devour mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, scale and thrips, too? Green Lacewings feed on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew. Their offspring, often called "Aphid Lions", emerge with a huge appetite for aphids, spider-mites, thrips, white-flies, leafhoppers and even mealy-bugs, eating their fill before repeating the lifecycle.

Hover Flies, also called Syrphids, look like tiny bees but are easily distinguished by their huge eyes and single pair of fly-like wings. They will visit and multiply wherever there is an abundance of flowering plants, and their larvae can devour an entire aphid population!

HEALTHIER & HARDIER

Plant Yarrow Tomorrow

Tip #2 – Have a good variety of flowering plants to attract beneficial insects to the garden. Yarrow, Hyssop, Willow, Catmint and clump forming ornamental grasses are good choices. And they attract other predators…like birds that come for the nectar, and will gladly dine on your pests as well. The plants provide shade and shelter for lizards and their hearty bug appetites. Night bloomers like Yucca, Evening Primrose, and those with intoxicating fragrance like Night-blooming Jasmine, and Japanese Honeysuckle will attract bats, which eat all sorts of unwanted bugs.

What's in Your Soil?

HEALTHY SOIL TEEMING WITH BENEFICIALS

Tip #3 – Healthy soil. Pesticides not only kill bugs on the surface (both good and bad ones), but they soak into the soil and harm earthworms and other beneficial creatures…like the soil-dwelling predatory mites that help control thrips, soil pests and fungus gnats. Some research is showing that these mighty mites will attack the very destructive varroa mite in honey bee hives – great news for our fragile bee population. Good compost is one of the best, natural methods to suppress disease. Mycorrhizae, a group of beneficial organisms, are added to all our soil mixes to increase soil health and help root development for a more robust plant.

Here's a Nutty Idea

MULCH IS BENEFICIAL AND BEAUTIFUL

Tip #4 – To suppress weeds, forget the herbicides; keep them at bay with mulch. Make your own, or look for packaged organic mulches and regional alternatives such as rice hulls or shells from walnuts, pecans and pistachios. Pecan shells are especially effective at eliminating Liverworts, a troublesome weed. Do you have weeds that sprout up in cracks in your driveway or sidewalk? Get a kettle of boiling water and pour directly on the weed to kill it. (Just don't do this near plants you want to keep alive!).