In gardening, there are good bugs, and there are bad bugs. The bad bugs can eat our crops and hurt the overall health of a garden. Common gardening tips will tell you to use chemical insecticides to combat the bad bugs, but they contain nasty toxins to be wary of.
Luckily one Instagrammer, Powers Plants (@powers_plants), has a clever work-around to keep pests and insecticides away from your garden.
The scoop
Powers Plants shared her tip to keep bad bugs away: Bring in the good bugs! There are plenty of good spiders, insects, and other critters who hunt the bad bugs in your garden. To keep your garden free of pests, all you have to do is welcome the good bugs with open arms.
Fall is the best time to build a healthy home for good bugs in your garden. The key is to leave decaying plant matter like leaves, stems, and branches in your garden, untouched if possible. The plants may be dead or dormant through winter, but good insects lay their eggs on those plants. We don't want to destroy your garden's future saviors!
Make sure to leave all these plants until the weather warms back up to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is when the baby bugs hatch and go off to live on their own.
The experienced gardener noted, "decaying branches are a perfect habitat for insects." She then shows what appears to be a beneficial wasp attacking a plant pest. "This tobacco hornworm didn't stand a chance," she says, before singing, "It's the circle of life."
How it's helping
Pests are a nuisance to any gardener. They eat away at your plants and can even cause irreparable damage. These bugs aren't doing anything to help your garden, so it's no wonder everyone's looking for the best way to get rid of them.
Holistic gardening techniques, like planting mosquito-repelling plants and pollinator-friendly plants, focus on creating a rich environment where everything can thrive, not just your plants.
Your garden can do so much more than offer you pretty flowers and fresh produce. It can also reinvigorate your community's wildlife. In addition to creating a safe and cozy home for these tiny helpers, you can also reduce the need for nasty chemical pesticides.
With this tip you can save money on bug-killing sprays while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. You'll also help reintroduce beneficial insects into your garden, which are often harmed by intensive lawn maintenance and loss of habitat.
What everyone's saying
The commenters are loving this useful tip, saying, "this is giving me life." The tip is almost too good to be true; one of the best things you can do for your garden this fall is to leave it alone!
However, some commenters worry about the unkempt look of decaying plants, but Powers Plants' tip serves as a great reminder to let nature do its thing. One commenter admitted that they tend to be overly careful about cleaning up in the fall but that "this makes good sense and I'm gonna try it!"
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
