It’s hot! The sun seems stronger, the air feels dryer and your plants are feeling the hot summer heat. Although plants may not like the heat, insects do! That means, keeping bad bugs out of your garden can be a battle. This is also the time that most gardens are at the peak of their yield. Flowers, fruits, and veggies are coming into their own, so it makes wilting and chewed-up leaves harder to tolerate. The good news is there are many tricks to keep a garden devoid of insects.

Feed your soil!

Organic fertilizers improve soil structure by helping sustain a healthy microbe population in the soil, which in turn, creates soil that resists drought-stress much better. G&B Organic granular fertilizers contain mycorrhizae which provide a critical head start in our poor soils. Granular fertilizers also release nutrients over a period of time, this can help prevent fertilizer burn.

In addition to our dry heat, another enemy of foliage right now is the earwig or pincher bug. Although they spend the earlier part of the season eating aphids, they may be extraordinarily prolific (and damaging) right now in much of your garden. Use an environmentally safe product like Bonide Bug & Slug Killer to control them. Avoid indiscriminate use of chemical insecticides to keep your garden in better balance. This allows the good bugs, like ladybugs and praying mantises, to keep away the bad bugs. Think of them as your own mini garden protectors!

Using organic methods to maintain and protect your garden can, actually reduce the amount of effort you need to put into your garden in the future, allowing you to relax and enjoy your yard more!

For more natural and organic pest solutions check out our online store here or come see us in any of our three locations!