Tips on Pest Control

By Nathan Jackson

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure, but how does this relate to gardening? Is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of tomatoes or a head of lettuce? Just how many pounds of peppers will one ounce of prevention yield? Like most things in life there are no easy answers. One thing we do know for sure is small steps now can help avoid big headaches in the future. Simple measures in cleanliness and preparedness can help keep bugs at bay and plants fat and happy.

Winter is here for a few more months, and it is a good time to look over your greenhouses and grow rooms and plan for the next crop. Are there still piles of leaves from the last crop sitting in the corner? Get them out and dispose of them away from the greenhouse or grow room. Start a compost pile, or take them to a bio-mass recycling center that will burn them to generate electricity. Leaves and other plant material left sitting around the grow-site can harbor all kinds of nasty fungus and diseases that could potentially attack your new healthy plants. Part of your regular maintenance should include removing dead leaves from around pots and benches and disposing them away from your plants. In between crops you should wipe down everything with bleach-water. Walls, benches, pots, and anything else that will be re-used should be sterilized. This will also help control insects pests that might be lurking around waiting for new plants to infest.

Physical barriers are a good way to prevent a pest infestation. If you can keep them from coming inside, the battle has already been won!  Inspect your grow room or greenhouse for tiny cracks or openings. Any little space can be an open door to insects who want to come in and make a meal out of your plants. Use caulk to fill the gaps around window frames, door frames, and where walls come together and meet the floor. Ventilation systems are another entry point for pests. Insect screen or netting can be stretched over ventilation intakes to allow air to pass through while stopping mites, thrips, or other pests traveling through the air current.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a non-toxic powder made from the crushed skeletons of tiny sea creatures. When insects crawl through DE, it makes tiny scratches in their body causing them to dehydrate and die. DE works as long as it stays dry, so it isn’t recommended in areas that are going to be continuously wet. During new construction of grow rooms, spread DE inside the walls and under floors for years of protection against many crawling insects, including ants. It can also be spread around the perimeter of greenhouses, gardens, grow rooms, or even your house!

Plant pests have been here for thousands of years, but with a little effort on your part you can limit their exposure to your plants. Keep your room clean and limit the number of entry points where pests can come in, and of course don’t bring in any plants with bug, disease, or fungus problems. With a little preparation your grow room or greenhouse will be ready to do what you intended - grow big lush healthy plants. GG

Nathan Jackson is the owner of Nature’s Control and Ladybug Indoor Gardens. You can send your specific bug questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more information, to request a catalog, or to find a local distributor, check out www.naturescontrol.com or call (541) 245-6033.