GREEN THUMB GARDENING
How to be
Squeaky Clean
in Your
Keeping your garden clean is the
easiest way to avoid the use of
harsh pesticides on your plants.
Here’s how to be squeaky clean
in your growroom.
M
aintaining a neat and tidy
garden is essential for keeping
out tiny pests that can get into your
garden when it is not kept clean.
Tiny pests like root aphids, earwigs,
lacewings and thrips, which all have
their sources in the soil, can cause
big problems once an infestation
occurs. Most of them lay eggs that
hatch into larvae that feed on plant
roots. When the larvae emerge
as adults, they eat the foliage and
start all over again. This is a very
destructive problem that is hard to
prevent once it begins.
Fortunately, there are certain steps
you can take to help keep your
garden clean. These are not only
simple steps, but they work! There
are many chemical-based pesticides
on the market today, but they
are viewed as last resorts by many
gardeners who tend to stay focused
on more organic types of control.
Keeping your garden clean is just
another way that helps you avoid
the use of harsh pesticides on their
plants. So, let’s look at some ways you
can keep your garden squeaky clean
to help keep pests away:
116
Maximum Yield USA | June 2016
Indoor Garden
by Jeff Walters
• Wash your hands, wipe your feet,
and don’t track in mud or dust. All
of these little steps help keep your
garden clean and pest-free. I simply
change my shoes before entering
my garden. I even use a small
cordless vacuum to help capture
any tiny pests.
• Airflow is important for plants. A
good source of airflow not only
helps plants become stronger,
it also helps stop most of the
smaller pests that either
hop or fly from plant to
plant. Indoor fans do the
trick, and so do open
vents in a greenhouse
or shade cloth on outdoor plants.
• Starting with clean
containers is a must
before any plants
are transplanted.
Scrubbing them
with a good organic
soap works great.
Old containers
can be housing
dormant eggs or
viruses that can be
transplanted to your
new plants, so give
your containers a nice
bath before you use
them again to help keep
your garden clean.