Some of the first words that come to our minds when we talk about our flower and vegetable gardens - built and cared for with a lot of money, time and effort - include pest control, as no matter the extensive maintenance and nurturing we perform, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the number and variety of pests that menace our gardens and ruin our cultures. Of course, prevention methods are wide and popular and experts are ready to take care of our problems, but what can we do when too many insecticides and chemical substances become too many and we face the risk of damaging the plants we cultivated with so much concern and love?
Introducing a new friend
Living in your own house and owning your own garden is a privilege not many people have, but those who feel the relief of not living in a crowded city, but in a residence provided with a patch of land, are more likely to pay attention not only to the interior decoration style, but also to the outdoor one. Spectacular designer gardens, pools that look like taken out from Hollywood movies, artificial ponds, exotic plants, they all come in a wide variety of arrangements and styles. However, some people like to also own their small patch of healthy fresh nature and cultivate vegetables. Salads, legumes, spice plants, remedial herbs, according to one’s needs and preferences, gardens are more and more adorned with their own fresh market. And because people want to eat these vegetables and stay free from various substances, they asked the experts on how to keep the vegetables free from pests. And the experts said to adopt as many ladybugs as possible.
Ladybugs and pest control
This colored beautiful insect is not just cute, but also very efficient in hunting and feeding on your garden pests such aphids. Attracted by flower pollen and a variety of plants, the ladybug can become a permanent resident of your garden if you start growing the herbs it is very fond of. If you want to have your legumes free from annoying pests, these are the main plants you should consider growing in order to offer your ladybug a new home:
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Marigold
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Shallot
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Dill
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Coriander
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Dandelion
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Mustard
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Cosmos flowers
These plants represent an excellent food source for ladybugs, as they tend to stay longer in the places providing them with the pollen they want. Being considered beneficial insects, using chemical substances is dangerous because they can die too, leaving your garden at the mercy of pests. So in order to have healthy vegetables and happy ladybugs craving for aphids and other damaging pests, here’s what you have to do:
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Limit your insecticide usage so you can keep the ladybugs safe. It is impossible for them to drive away all the pests, but being beneficial to your vegetables, keeping a damage control to the minimum is the safest way
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Water the plants carefully and constantly, as the ladybugs love moist.
Ladybugs can become your garden’s best friends if you know how to welcome and keep them. And what can be more beautiful than small patches of colored flowers and plants among healthy, strong vegetable rows?
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