Pest control in Mini Greenhouses

There’s no doubt about it that gardening is one of life’s simple pleasures; it allows us to connect with nature and can even provide us with our own source of food if we desire. While growing healthy plants is certainly enjoyable, doing so isn’t always easy. The fact is that there are a variety of common and not so common pests waiting to invade our gardens, destroy our yields and damage our flowers. I’m sure you’ve experienced it before – you’ve recently planted your garden and you’re enjoying the fruits of your labor when you suddenly notice your plants behaving strangely. Maybe your flowers have started to discolor or perhaps the leaves on your favorite shrub or vegetable have started to curl. Maybe some of your plants have died outright. Whatever the symptoms, the only thing you’re concerned about is correcting the problem.

Fortunately, there are a number of tools you can use to grow healthy plants that are free from pests and diseases. Although most people automatically think of toxic pesticides when they hear the term “pest control,” the fact is that there are things you can do that don’t involve any chemicals whatsoever. The following article will offer some basic advice about preventing pests whether you grow your plants in a garden, in your home or even inside of mini greenhouses.

While it may seem obvious, the easiest thing you can do to prevent an outbreak of pests is to visually inspect your plants regularly. I don’t mean that you should get out a magnifying glass; rather, you should take a quick glance at your flowers and foliage at least once a week during routine maintenance. A great time to perform your visual inspection is when you water, since you will likely need to apply water at least once per week.

Don’t be afraid to use tools to make your inspections easier. Things like yellow sticky traps can be really useful for tracking flying insects like aphids, thrips and whiteflies. The traps themselves are relatively inexpensive and can be extremely useful when replaced every 1-2 weeks. The great thing about catching a problem early on is that you can normally take care of it rather easily. For example, if you find a plant that has become infested with aphids, you can simple toss the plant in the trash before the problem spreads to adjacent pots. Of course, you can also treat the pot if you so desire.

If you grow your plants inside of a mini greenhouse then it’s critical that you provide the most consistent environment possible. Plants thrive when provided with even temperature and humidity levels and will tend to suffer when conditions are allowed to reach extremes. When the humidity levels are high you will find that disease pressure is exacerbated, so it’s critical that you have the means for keeping humidity at bay. Although most hobby greenhouses tend not to provide a great deal of control to the user, it is possible to upgrade your house with basic climate control like vents and heaters.

If you’ve done your due diligence in terms of routine visual inspections and you’ve provided your plants with the ideal environment, and you still experience pest or disease issues then perhaps it’s time to consider chemical control. Although most people tend to shy away from chemicals due to concerns over exposure or residue, chemicals can be particularly useful and effective when used properly. Plus, assuming you don’t let things get out of hand to begin with, you won’t be required to put on large doses of chemical.

Ultimately, using chemicals for pest control is a matter of personal preference and is a decision best left to each individual gardener.

The following video will explain the basics of pest control, including the use of chemicals.