Organic Pesticides 101

If you have a garden, you are certainly familiar with all the annoying friends your garden tends to attract. Destructively hungry bugs, weeds and even diseases constantly threaten the life of your garden.

It’s easy to want to pick up the standard insecticide to cure all your gardening problems. When they advertise luscious gardens that are invincible, this is a really attractive option. Unfortunately, they lie. Conventional insecticides contain harsh chemicals that can actually do a lot more damage than good. That’s why organic pesticides are recommended over the rest. You can make many of them from home, and you avoid the risk of poisoning your family.

What are organic pesticides?

Organic pesticides are insecticides that are made from natural sources. They can come from bacteria, fungi or plants. If they are truly organic, you will be able to find a label on container that says OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute). If you don’t see this label, that means that particular pesticide is not in line with national standards for organic products. If you’re truly usure, you can always contact one of the landscape companies in Las Vegas to give you a hand.

Since other insects can get rid of your pest problem, you can consider them organic pesticides too. Predator bugs like lacewigs, ladybugs and parasitic nematodes all have appetites as big as the bugs they target. Having them around can be a big benefit without using poison.

Types of organic pesticides

There are many organic pesticides to choose from. You can choose the ones made from fungi, bacteria or plants. You can also choose horticultural oil. It is a type of organic pesticide that kills larvae and eggs by suffocating them. There are different types made for the different seasons so make sure you get the right one.

Boric acid is an organic pesticide but it can be dangerous to humans in large doses. Diatomaceous earth is a good alternative that doesn’t harm people. There are even floating devices that cover the plants and protect them from infestation.

For annoying weeds, there are many organic options to stop them. Naturally, you can pull them out of the ground. You can also use herbicidal soap, horticultural vinegar, citrus oil or clove oil. They work on the part of the weed that is above ground. You then want to put corn gluten meal down to kill the part of the weed under the ground.

Why use organic?

As mentioned before, conventional pesticides can be dangerous. Essentially, they’re poisons. Can you imagine how regularly spraying poison onto your garden will affect the long term health of you and your family?

With that in mind, you may be thinking you want to avoid pesticides altogether. Sometimes that’s just not possible. A surprise infestation of tobacco hornworms or squash bugs will destroy your harvest if you don’t handle the problem head on.

This is why organic pesticides are so great. They allow you to address this pesky problem without all the dangers of conventional pesticides. Regardless of what you choose, it is important to be safe. In large doses, anything can be dangerous.

If the thought of choosing between organic and conventional is overwhelming, don’t worry. Showcase Land Care are experts that can care for your home garden. With years of experience and affordable pricing, they are the right choice. For more information about landscape companies in Las Vegas contact 702.531.6789.