While earthworms are essential for keeping your lawn and soil in optimum health, there are other pests that can cause damage to your plants. This brings about a dilemma to many gardeners, as most mainstream pesticides contain chemicals that successfully kill common garden pests, but also do damage to earthworms in the soil, affecting their lifespan, reproduction, and overall health.
The good news is, there are natural alternatives that can help you to keep pests away, while making sure worms continue to thrive, and do what they were meant to do – aerate and fertilise your soil. In this post, we’ve listed a few of these gentler pesticides that you can start using today.
Essential Oils
The great thing about essential oils is that there are so many types that make an effective pesticide. Some of the most popular ones include:
– Rosemary
– Citronella
– Sage
– Peppermint
– Lemon
– Orange
As well as having insectidal properties, essential oils can be antifungal and antiviral too. Plus, it has the bonus effect of making your garden smell lovely and fresh!
Garlic Spray
The strong smell of garlic acts as a repellent to most common pests like aphids and slugs. Being a natural herb, it does no harm to the natural balance of your soil. Making a simple garlic spray doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. To get started, you will need two bulbs of garlic, pureed in a blender with a splash of water from your tap.
To let it infuse, let it sit overnight (tightly sealed, so it doesn’t make your kitchen stink!). The next morning, strain your mixture into a jar and add half a cup of standard vegetable oil, some liquid soap, and top it up with enough water to fill the jar to capacity. Then, simply place it in a spray bottle, and spray generously on your plants.
Diatomaceous Earth
This white dust-like material is derived from fossilised algae harvested from sedimentary rock, which scientists believe makes up around 26% of the earth’s crust. With lots of uses, this nutrient-rich substance is commonly used as a natural insecticide, which works by dehydrating insects from the outside. You can find it at your local garden centre, typically in large bags which will last a long time.
To use, all you need to do is sprinkle it over the soil, and over the foliage. It can keep away snails and slugs, as well as other creepy crawlies.
Neem Oil
Extracted from the neem tree, this natural oil is renowned for its insect repellant properties and is used by gardeners across the UK. To make a neem oil solution for your plants that is also safe for the soil and earthworms, mix with a teaspoon of liquid soap with a few drops of neem oil, topping up with water. Add to a spray bottle, and spray liberally over plants and surrounding soil.
Take a look at our online store, for more items that can benefit worms in your garden and wormery.