Preparation is an important part of growing organic tomatoes in your garden. It is best to have an emergency plan for pest attacks through awareness of healthy and safe methods that you can use. It is vital to understand the theory of disease and pest prevention prior to their attacks.
Master gardeners assert that pests and diseases are indications of unhealthy tomato plants. So the best technique is to grow organic tomatoes that naturally-resistant to pests and diseases. It is important that you secure the crucial factors – such as appropriate soils management and moisture, and nutrients for the plants – even before planting your first seedling.
Even if you have highly-resistant plants, it is still best to have a natural organic tomato pesticide available anytime. Always remember that you should only resort to chemical-based pesticides if your organic tomato pesticide and other natural techniques have all failed.
Initially, you should use farmscaping. This is an old-school method of breaking the life cycle of insects and alleviating diseases. You can incorporate flowering crops that can attract natural enemies of pests such as beneficial insects and birds. It is also advisable to plant a strip of sweet corn nearby your organic tomatoes to help attract tomato fruit worms.
A true-blue, home-made organic tomato pesticide is the garlic and chilli pepper spray. However, you need to prepare this concoction in advance. Use a food processor in pulverizing 6 cloves of garlic, 1 minced onion, 1 tablespoon of dried or fresh chopped chilli peppers, and 1 gallon of hot water. Make sure that you only use organic ingredients for this. You may also use the juice of organic citrus, organic vinegar and other ingredients that are recommendable by master gardeners. You can check the net for more information regarding other alternatives.
Scoop out the mixture from the food processor and allow it so sit in a container for 2 days. Using cheesecloth, strain the liquid from the mixture and into a spray bottle. This spray mixture is effective in repelling various insects and pests such as horn worms, fruit worms, caterpillars, aphids and flea beetles.
After applying these techniques, make sure that you keep an eye on your crops. It is best to re-apply your organic tomato pesticide within a few days or at least once per week to make sure that the pests are eradicated.
