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[P266]Pests In The Garden

by Jamey Sackville, Jam

The main purpose of growing vegetables organically will be defeated if they become tainted with pest control chemicals.

Here are a few long-term maintenance tips to make pest control less damaging and more environmentally friendly.

1. Use the physical pest control process. This may be accomplished through picking grubs off by hand, creating barriers and traps and plugging holes. Snails can be found hiding in damp places under rocks and towrds the base of those plants with straplike foliage.

2. Apply biological pest control.

Encourage predatory insects such as green lacewings and dragonflies to feed on aphids and other pests that attack your plants. You can do this by placing a shallow bowl of water in the garden. Dragonflies especially will hover around water. Bacterial insecticides such as B. thuringiensis could also be used against caterpillars.

3. Only as a last resort should we turn to chemical pest control.

Organic pest control methods can be successful and the ingredients for many of the recipes can be found in the kitchen cupboards. If chemical sprays are really necessary, try and find the least-toxic. These include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, dehydrating dusts, etc.

4. Consider the use of safer pest control substitutes.

Recipes for alternative pest control include the following:

Against Green Aphids and Mites - Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a cup of vegetable oil. Dilute a teaspoon of this solution in a cup of water and spray on aphids and mites.

Against Cockroaches - Dusts of boric acid can be applied to cracks or entry points of these insects. Bay leaves on pantry shelves could also help in warding off these critters.

Make sure that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the insects you are targeting.

Obviously if you have a pest in your garden you have to make a choice whether you are going to take action or not. To kill the pest would seem to go against “non harming” which is basic to many Eastern religions and philosophies. Not hurting others by thought word or deed is known as Ahimsa, and it is an important value in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and other faiths.

The Jains took ahimsa to its limits and some of them said that any kind of agriculture is forbidden because when you plow the soil worms and other small creatures are bound to be killed. So what did they do about this dilemma? I think in most cases they hired other people to plow the soil for them!

Clearly this is no solution to the problem. The solution is to have a more practical interpretation of ahimsa. Life feeds on life. Whenever we want to sustain ourselves we have to take some life, whether it be an animal or a plant. Yogis say that it is best to avoid killing animals or living beings where consciousness is developed, and that is one of the reasons why they are vegetarians.

Furthermore, Ahimsa doesn't mean living a passive life and letting others attack you without any defense. If a person comes to take your land, burn your house or poison you, you will have to defend yourself if you wish to continue living. The person who comes to attack you is surely an enemy, and if you defend yourself it is not against ahimsa.

Similarly, if your food supply depends on a field of grain and vegetables, an animal or insect that comes to eat and destroy that field is also your enemy, just as surely as a person who comes to pillage your land. If you take forceful action to defend your food, and thereby kill some of the pests it is not against the true spirit of Ahimsa. You have used force to continue your own life, not to inflict harm for no reason at all. A strict interpretation of ahimsa, not allowing you to kill mosquitoes that spread malaria or to kill pests that eat your food, would be a folly at best and hypocrisy at worst.

So, if that Buddhist monk is truly depending on his garden to provide his livelihood, he could kill the pests in the garden. If the garden is only ornamental or done for a hobby, he might just let the worm or insect enjoy a share of the fruits and veggies and not worry too much about it. But if you are really curious about it, the next time you should ask a Buddhist monk.

Article Source : Pg. 72

About Author

Both Jamey Sackville & Dada Vedaprajinananda are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jamey Sackville has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Massage and Nutrition. To learn about and. Jamey Sackville's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.

Dada Vedaprajinananda has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Food Enzymes and Vegetarian Diet. Dada is a yoga-meditation teacher with over 37 years of experience. He is the author of and an editor at the. Dada Vedaprajinananda's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.