Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 172 5/24/17 12:17 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 173 6/5/17 3:07 PM

172 chapter 4

PEST PROBLEMS

Don’t assume every insect is a bad, leaf-munching

enemy. In fact, less than 1% of the world’s

identified insect species are classified as pests,

while the vast majority are either benign or

beneficial. There are tens of thousands of species

of pollinators and pest-eating beneficial insects

found in a healthy garden, and they should be

encouraged and left unharmed.

Because we don’t want to harm good

insects while managing the bad, all the control

techniques and products discussed in this section

are highly effective and nature-safe when used

according to label instructions. They’re derived

from naturally occurring compounds that target

the pest while causing little if any collateral

damage when used correctly. But before you

apply anything to your plants, be sure to use any

physical controls as your first line of defense. If

it does become necessary to turn to a product

for control, always follow the label instructions

exactly when applying it, even if it’s natural or

organic. Protect yourself, and pay attention to

application directions for optimum results and

to best preserve beneficial insect species. Though

this is not an insect-focused book, it’s impossible

to talk about container gardens and not talk about

insect pests. Some bugs eat plants, and these

herbivorous insects are just doing what nature

intended. The truth is, you’ll have to tolerate some

amount of pest insects in your container garden.

After all, without a few pests here and there,

you won’t have a good population of beneficial

insects hanging around to manage larger pest

outbreaks down the line. A less-than-perfect head

of cabbage, a bit of pock-marked foliage, and

the occasional slug-nibbled petunia are small

prices to pay for an overall healthy container

garden. It’s only when pest insect numbers grow

overwhelmingly large and the damage they cause

becomes too extensive that we need to find a way

to safely reduce their numbers to a tolerable level.

Proper identification is by far the most

important facet of pest control. Take your time

identifying any insect you find in your container

garden. Use all the resources available to you,

and don’t jump to conclusions about the insect

without careful investigation.

Beneficial insects, such as this ladybug larva, are

great at helping you control pests. Learn to identify

them so you don’t mistakenly eradicate them.

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Troubleshooting 173

Physical controls, such as hand-picking and covering

plants with a layer of floating row cover, are always

your first line of defense against pests.

It’s good to have some pest insects in your garden,

because without them, you won’t have beneficial

insects hanging around to bring balance. Here, a

spined soldier bug nymph is feasting on a young tent

caterpillar on a container-grown blueberry.

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