Week 4, Lesson 2
Today, we’re getting up close and personal with our plants! We will be continuing in our lesson all about the pests that can harm our garden. Pests naturally occur in your garden’s ecosystem, but can hurt our plants if we do not manage them.
SMALL PESTS
- Small pests that are most common for vegetables and herbs are: Aphids, Spider Mites, Cutworms, and Slugs. These pests can take over your plants slowly by making them weak or causing leaves to yellow. If you find aphids in your garden, they will look like little green bugs. Aphids are called insects. Do you remember what insects are from our worm lesson?
INSECTS
- Insects are small animals that have exoskeletons. Most insects are small, and insects can have wings or not have wings. They typically like to hide underneath the leaves of your plant and they eat the nutrients from your leaves. Look on the leaves of your basil plants especially for aphids.
Aphids and Spider Mites multiply quickly. Use a pest control product or a homemade insecticidal soap mixture to spray onto your plants to manage the eggs and insects. Spray the product directly onto your plants or wipe it directly on the leaves to prevent infestations.
PEST CONTROL
- This DIY pest control recipe only needs three things:
Spray bottle
1 quart Water
1 ¼ teaspoon Dish soap
To make your own insecticide spray, measure out 1 and ¼ teaspoons of dish soap into 1 quart of water. Mix together gentle, and spray this mixture on the leaves of your plants.
LARGE PESTS
- Large pests are bigger than insect pests, and even though they can be cute, they can eat your entire garden in a single visit. These pests in your garden will change depending on where you live. Large pests can be: Squirrels, Deer, Mice, and Rabbits. Many large pests are mammals. Do you know what a mammal is?
MAMMALS
- Mammals are animals that have bones and are nursed by their female mother. Most mammals are born from a live birth (not eggs). Examples of mammals are: Deer, rabbits, and mice.
PEST CONTROL
- Garden netting is an easy, affordable, and effective way to defend your herbs. Netting is small enough to stop most animals from eating your garden, but will still allow your plants to receive their necessary sunshine and water. If you are experiencing issues with birds, hanging wind chimes or placing a fake owl near your plants will deter them from your pots.