Zero Tolerance Isn’t a Good Idea in the Garden
Some gardeners go to one extreme or the other in dealing with plant pests. At one extreme there are gardeners who find every insect trespass intolerable and diligently spray with the goal of making every leaf, stem, flower and fruit perfect. At the other extreme are those who give their plants minimal care, perhaps nothing more than a bucketful of water sloshed onto the soil or an occasional handful of fertilizer.
Both extremes present problems. The first garden gets doused with too much pesticide. This is unhealthy for both the gardener and the environment, including beneficial insects, and sets the stage for outbreaks of pesticide-resistant pests. The second garden is unsatisfying because too many of the plants look sickly or yield poorly.
Consider steering a more middle course in your attitude toward pests. Tolerate a bit of pest damage on your plants. It does plants little harm and sometimes problems disappear on their own. For example, aphid insect populations often soar, then crash with equal speed, all by themselves.
At some point, of course, pest damage might become intolerable. Then something must be done. But even when caterpillars threaten to gobble up a whole plant there may be alternatives to getting out the measuring spoons and mixing up a toxic spray. Pests might be controlled by traps, physical barriers, variety choice or timing. For instance, butternut squashes are less susceptible to squash vine borers than buttercup squashes and late-planted carrots escape carrot fly damage.
When all else fails and sprays are needed, the ideal spray is one which kills only the problem pest. An example of such a spray is Dipel, also known as Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. It contains a bacteria that is toxic only to caterpillars such as cabbage worms. Sometimes soap or even water is an effective spray against pests.
Consider spraying anything toxic only as a last resort. This gives potential predators and parasites of the pest a chance to rally. Never discount the importance of “good bugs.” Cultivating a healthy degree of tolerance for pests demands that you keep a close eye on your plants. This is part of what makes gardening interesting.
