Are you cursing at those pesky bugs and disease that continue to affect your harvest? You’re certainly not alone! Whether you grow in soil or hydroponically, pests and disease can be a limiting factor that cannot be ignored. There are a few simple steps to take in order to prevent infestation and infection:

1) Maintain a sanitary growing environment-even though cleaning is work and not fun, it is a necessary step conducive to growing healthy plants and yielding bountiful harvests

2) Choose disease- and pest- resistant plant varieties-there are a number of plants that naturally resist these enemies so do your research prior to choosing your plants

3) Properly ventilate and keep your growing area the proper temperature for your specific variety of plant-different varieties thrive under different conditions so be educated when setting up your grow area

4) Monitor your plants and growing area-at the first signs of pests or disease, treat and you will be more likely to stave off further intrusions.

There are many options, today, for treating these pests and diseases. A simple removal of obvious pests and a foliar spray, with a product like Serenade or Azamax, can greatly reduce, if not eliminate your problems. Serenade is an OMRI certified, broad spectrum, preventative biofungicide recommended for the control or suppression of many plant diseases. We’ve had many customers use this successfully to treat powdery mildew. Azamax, is derived from the neem seed, and is also OMRI certified. It is a botanical insecticide, miticide and nematicide which acts as an antifeedant, repellant and insect growth regulator that is not harmful to beneficial bugs.

The use of beneficial bugs is another effective means of eradicating pests without the use of harmful chemicals. We order our bugs through a company called Nature’s Control, located in Oregon. They provide lady bugs, praying mantis eggs, spider mite predators, housefly parasites, pirate bugs, predator nematodes and many other beneficial insects.

Whether you garden indoors or out, in soil or not, these are valid ways of reducing your pest and disease problems.

Before you pick up that non-organic apple…read this! “Did you know that if you consumed an average apple you would be eating over 30 pesticides, even after you have washed it?” Yuck! On average, any non-organic fruit contains over 20 pesticides! It’s true what they say, that you are what you eat! Unfortunately, farmers have resorted to heavy doses of pesticide to counter the infiltration of harmful bugs so they can keep up with consumer demand. Our food continues to diminish as farmers scramble to keep up quantity versus quality. How very sad for us consumers! But, if we buy organic and increase that demand, then the farmers have no choice but to change their ways. We have the power, as consumers, to change the way our food is grown and processed. The more people who opt out of buying non-organic foods, the less demand which will equal less production of those kinds of foods. Our health depends on the consumption of pure, untainted foods. Eating organic provides us with the vital, and proper, amounts of nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. We can help fight off disease and illnesses if we pay more attention to what we are putting in our bodies! Read more at http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/