You have planted your own eco garden?

Do you want healthy plants and rich harvest but you wish to avoid using harmful chemical substances?

Are you trying to find a way to protect your plants in a natural way?

You can protect and even heal your plants using biological substances.

Pesticides – a danger to health and environment

We are fully aware of the fact that chemical substances pollute environment, surface and underground waters and that they are harmful for humans, plants and animals.

By using chemical substances, we interrupt natural chain and meddle into the laws of nature. We send a message to a plant that it does not have to fight itself, that we will do the fighting for it.

After a while, the plant gives up and stops fighting and we are forced to use chemical substances if we wish to have any yield at all.

Protection against pests and diseases using natural methods is not always as efficient and as fast as chemical treatments, but it is a far safer method for humans, nature, plants and animals.

But, that does not mean we have to eliminate all pests, since they are also a part of a natural balance.

Ecological plant protection

In ecological production we feed plants with organic manure and quality compost, we remove weeds mechanically and use herbal mixture for plant treatments and we regularly remove infected plants and sampling from our garden.

That way we make healthier and more resistant plants that are ready to give healthy fruits. 

In the fight against pests we can use natural coexistence of some plants – if we plant such plants near each other, their strength and yield increase and such plants are better at protecting themselves against pests and diseases. 

For example, planting carrots near onions protects both plants against onion/carrot flies. If we stick elderberry branches into the ground we can protect our plants against moles.

Since plants have healing effect on human health, they can also have positive effects on each other.

Studies have shown that there are 3 plant types that can be used for the protection of our gardens.

Plants that enhance growth and enrich and fertilize the soil:

• nettle
• comfrey
• fennel seeds and flowers
• borage
• tomato leaves and sprouts
• beetroot leaves

Plants effective against pests:

• nettle
• oak leaves – gathered in autumn
• rhubarb leaves
• tansy
• neem
• elderberry leaf
• lovage
• wormwood
• chamomile 
• all plants that are rich in tannins (oak bark, walnut tree leaves etc.)

Plants that prevent diseases:

• distaff
• birch leaves – gathered in autumn
• fern
• eagle fern
• garlic
• leek
• -onion

All of the aforementioned plants can be used fresh or dried. Pick them rich before they blossom on sunny locations and in sunny weather.

Chop them and dry them on clean, aired and shaded place.

It is best to thinly spread them over the galvanized mesh and turn them occasionally. 

Dried plants should be kept in linen bags or wooden crates.

1. Activate the soil

Use plants from the first group as liquid fuel for activating life in the soil.

Chop those plants and place them in wooden or clap containers, you can even use plastic ones, but never metallic containers.

Fill half of the container and pour rain water or water from a river or a lake into the rest of the container. It is not good to use tap water because of the presence of chlorine. 

Expose the container to sunlight and cover it with mesh or wooden sticks and stir the mixture two times a day. 

When the mixture starts to foam, add a handful of stone flour (one handful on every 10 liters of the mixture) in order to prevent unpleasant odors. 

After 3-4 days of sun exposure, your fertilizer is ready (after it stops foaming).

Use this mixture for drenching the soil around plants. Use diluted mixture: 1:10 for leafy vegetables and 1:2 for fruit vegetables.

2. Prevent pests

Chop plants from the second group and soak them in rainwater for 1-3 days, filtrate the mixture and spray it on fruits and vegetables.

This mixture has to be used before fermentation begins, i.e. before foam is formed on the mixture surface.

3. Disease protection

Soak plants from the third group in rainwater and then cook them in that water for 30 minutes. Leave the lid on until it cools, filtrate the mixture and spray it over the plants.

Do not forget!

The foundation for healthy and resistant plant is healthy soil in which it grows and from which it takes food. It has been proven that healthy soils produce fewer weeds. 

If your garden is not in natural balance, various pests and disease can occur that can destroy your crops.

Several natural substances for suppressing diseases

A mixture against plant lies

The basic ingredient of this mixture is nettle. 

In 10 l of water, it is best to use rainwater, soak 1 kg of fresh, chopped nettle leaves or 100-200 g of dried ones. 

Leave it covered for 24 hours, but no longer since mixture's efficiency can be diminished. 

Filtrate the mixture and sprinkle the liquid over infected plants every 3-5 days.

Such mixture can also be used for plant fertilization. Nettle is picked just before it blossoms, while it is still young, since that is the period during which nettle is the strongest.

Distaff remedy against blight, powdery mildew, mites and red spiders

Distaff grows on moist locations, so it can be found near rivers and streams. It is used against blight, powdery mildew, mites and red spiders.

Soak 1 kg of fresh distaff in 10 liters of water and leave it for 24 hours. Then cook it for 30 minutes over a mild fire.

When the liquid cools off, dilute it with water in 1:5 ratio and spray the mixture on the plants.

You can also mix this remedy with nettle remedy in 1:1 ratio and use it on plants. That way you will increase the efficiency of plants in their fight against pests and feed your plant at the same time.

Black and white onion remedy

This remedy is used against mites and molds and in cases when plant leaves turn brown.

Soak 500 g of chopped black and white onion in 10 liters of water. When the mixture stops foaming, dilute it with ten times more water and use it for sprinkling the soil in order to prevent molds.

You can also use black onion peel for making remedy against insects.

Remedy against leaf lice and fungal diseases

Leaf lice can really be troubling. The easiest method of repelling them is to plant lavender or savory near infected plants.

Leaf lice can be removed from the plant with water streams. You should perform this procedure in the morning so that plants can dry in the sun.

If that does not help, there are several natural substances you can use.

Against leaf lice, blight, mites, caterpillars and ants, use the following remedy – soak 300 g of fresh wormwood leaves and flowers and 30 g of dried wormwood in 10 liters of water.

Leave the wormwood to soak for 2-3 days, after which the liquid is ready for spraying.

Liquid nettle fertilizer

Half-fill plastic or wooden container with nettle and pour the water into the rest of the container.

Cover it with a mesh and shake the mixture two times a day.

When the liquid starts to foam, add a handful of stone flour in order to neutralize unpleasant odor.

When the mixture stops foaming, the fertilizer is ready. Use it for watering in 1:10 ratio.

Liquid comfrey leaf fertilizer

Comfrey contains iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and manganese. All of these are microelements needed for normal growth and development of plants.

Comfrey fertilizer strengthens plants and enriches them with minerals. Its preparation follows the same procedure as liquid nettle fertilizer.

After several days, when the mixture stops foaming, it turns brown and has unpleasant odor that is similar to manure. 

Dilute it with water in 1:10 ratio.

Quality fertilizer can be made by mixing nettle and comfrey fertilizer in 1:1 ratio.

Other useful substances

Marigold is famous for its healing properties; it excretes a juice that helps the soil to get rid of harmful compounds.

African marigold root excretes phytotoxins which are poisonous for parasitic fungi and worms that destroy the roots. 

In locations where marigold and African marigold are planted, we find no ground pests or fungi.

Cabbage butterfly can be chased out from cabbage in tomatoes are planted among cabbage sprouts. These butterflies do not like the scent of tomatoes.

Useful animals in our fight against pests and diseases

In order to apply biological protection in our gardens, we do not need to chase away all animals from our garden. Not all animals are our enemies. 

It is important to keep useful animals because they help us in our fight against pests.

Animals that feed on pests are our perfect allies.

The best allies are birds, hedgehogs and frogs that eat snails, but also some bugs such as ladybug, mantis and the common green lacewing, which are natural enemies of leaf lice. 

Ladybugs and their larvae eat up to 400 leaf lice a day.

In order for ladybugs have something to eat, you do not have to destroy the first leaf lice you find in the spring, since that will reduce the number of ladybugs, which is low as it is.

If you are able, it is good to make a small pond for frogs in the garden and plant aquatic plants. Frogs will inhabit the pond and thus reduce the threat of snails.

Did you know that birds collect as much as 30 kg of caterpillars and other pests every day?

In order to attract birds to your garden, build a small house for them. Locate the entrance towards the southeast.

During summer, ensure sufficient quantities of water to birds and food during winter. 

Birds will get rid of pests in garden and bring you joy with their song.

Also, in the gardens we find spiders that are natural enemies to flies and mosquitoes. Predatory mites are natural enemies to red spider and to some other species of pests and mites.

The most common pests and how to get rid of them

Leaf lice

These are small bugs that can have wings or be without them. Their color depends on their development stage and the plant they feed on so they range from light yellow and green to black color.

They feed by sucking plant juices on the softest plant parts - leaf and flower buds.

They stop plants from growing, prevent leaf curling and leave honey-like dew behind them than trickles to lower leaves and makes them sticky and black, since powdery mildew mushrooms start developing on them.

They attach a wide variety of cultures. They appear in spring and autumn, during warm and dry weather and after torrential rains.

If leaf lice attack only one plant, that is the sign that that plant has disordered circulation. Sometimes it is sufficient to cover up the plant or fertilize the soil around it.

Some plants are especially favored by lice. Plant such plants among other plants in order to protect them.

For example, plant lettuce and beans among strawberries. Lice will move to lettuce and beans and leave strawberries intact.

Snails

Snails are common unwanted guests in our gardens and their natural enemies, hedgehogs and frogs, are fewer in numbers. 

Snails most often target green leafy vegetables.

Although slow, they can cause great damages.

They feed during the night since they do not like the sun, so it is easiest to find them at night using a flashlight.

You can use coffee residue to get rid of them. Snails do not like coffee residue, since it is poisonous in larger concentrations.

Affected plants can be sprinkled with coffee residue, which will not only chase the snails away, but will fertilize the ground and keep lice away. 

Be moderate in using coffee residue, since it raises soil acidity.

The soil around plants attacked by snails can be covered with ashes or stone flour. In order to prevent snails from attacking your garden, repeat that process after every rainfall. 

Snails are repelled by some plants also, such as nasturtium, sage, thyme and castor. If you plant some of these plants in your garden, you will keep snails away.

Mole crickets

Mole crickets are one of the most common vermin. They feed on roots and bulbs.

They are nocturnal animals and they appear on the surface only during the night.

They do not burrow deep into the ground, so the easiest way to catch them is to bury a container with water into the ground and place small planks on its side in order to direct mole crickets into it.

Mole

Mole is a useful animal since it destroys mole crickets and other caterpillars and worms, but at the same it makes molehills that ruin the esthetics of your garden. 

The easiest way to chase moles away is to bury an empty bottle into the ground, inserting the bottle neck into the molehill entrance. Make sure that bottle top is not covered with soil.

The noise produced by the wind blowing trough an empty bottle will force moles to leave.

 

Now you know how to protect your plants using natural methods. Natural protection will not always be as effective as chemical one.

The procedure has to be repeated, sometimes several times, but stay patient and full of love for your plants. Have in mind that such methods are your contribution to the preservation of our environment and, most of all, your health.

Liked the article?
Share it with your friends!