Soil pest control has been a hot topic for decades. Farmers and agriculturists have been searching for the perfect formula for healthy soil and pest management for a long time. These are some truths about soil pest control and some tips for improving it.
Why It Is Important To Control Soil Pests
Soil pest control is crucial to producing healthy foods for the masses. Healthy soil with low to no pests can help to provide gorgeous and delicious food crops that are safe for consumers to digest. However, those same crops can become tainted and destroyed without proper soil pest control because of high pathogen content. At the very least, their quality will decrease, rendering them less suitable for human consumption.
How Do You Control Soil Pests?
There are various ways to control soil pests. These are some of the top methods used and considered these days:
Solarization
The solarization method generates heat, which reduces the pathogens in the soil. To generate this heat, the person typically applies mulch to the soil in a certain way and then places a plastic cover on the mulch during an extremely hot and humid day. That process generates much more heat, which changes the soil’s biological makeup.
Biofumigation
Biofumigation is a common process that involves using organic matter, such as animal manure, to facilitate the release of certain gases. Those gases control the soil’s pathogens. A reliable outside provider like Custom Orchard Fumigation can assist with this process.
Biosolarization
Biosolatrization is a mixed method that combines polarization and biofumigation. Mixing these processes produces even higher temperatures and a more successful reduction in harmful pathogens and pests.
Those are three commonly used methods of controlling soil pests. Other methods can add to their effectiveness.
Tips for Improving Soil Health
These are some additional practices you can take if you want to improve soil health:
Rotate the crops regularly.
One way to reduce the number of pests is to confuse them. Rotating the crops will confuse the pests’ devious minds. Therefore, you’ll need to practice it regularly.
Plant pest repellants nearby.
Another idea for reducing soil pests is to plant natural pest repellants close to your other crops. For example, thyme and chives tend to drive pests away. Hence, you should have those items in your garden area.
Take notes about pest activity.
It would be wise to take notes about the pest infiltrations and infestations you see. Keep daily notes, and be sure to write about the prevention methods you use so that you can track what works and what doesn’t.
Use a pesticide.
You can also use a pesticide that you can apply directly to the soil to eliminate pests. An example of a type of pesticide to use is Diatomaceous Earth. It’s easy to use and eliminates numerous pests, including ticks and ants.
You should now know the benefits of soil pest control and what you can do to improve your efforts. Use some of the tactics and reach out to professionals if you need help.