Even when insects cause plant damage, they play important roles in the ecosystem like providing food for birds, aiding in pollination and also help break down organic mater into important nutrients that are used by plants.
Advantages of compost
The first method of keeping pests away from plants is keeping the plants healthy. This can be by adding compost to the garden which acts as a perfect soil amendment. Stressed plants attract pests hence making them vulnerable to pest attack.
Over fertilization with especially nitrogen also makes the plans susceptible to pests like aphids.
Compost has a balance of nutrients which aid the plants to have their defense mechanism active and this aids them in fighting back against pests.
Compost acts as a source of beneficial fungi which helps keep plants healthy by out competing disease causing organisms.
Organic pest control
Trap cropping. Trap crops are sacrificial plants that are grown in order to divert pests from the main crop and after the trap crops are affected with pests, the trap crops are removed together with the pests. These are mainly grown on the boarders of the main crop. Examples of trap crops include nasturtiums for aphids. Radishes are also traps for almost all crops.
Predatory insects like lady birds helps control aphids hence growing herbs like basil which attract the beneficial insects will help control the pests.
Large pests like caterpillars are controlled by attracting their natural predators like birds.
