Pest Control Continued
Controlling animals and pests is also best done through prevention. If you like to grow from bulbs, try growing types that rabbits and other rodents tend to leave alone. Install barriers and fences to protect your crops, and add moving, noise making elements to your plot to try and keep the birds away.
Restrict these methods to areas that need it the most, this will allow helpful birds, bats and toads to help by eating harmful insects.
Diseased plants should be cut back or removed completely. Prune dead, broken, diseased, or infested plant parts. Always use sharp, clean tools. Disinfect pruners with bleach in between cuts. Put pest-infested or diseased materials in the rubbish far from the plot or burn it, thus removing the chance of re-infecting your garden or plot.
Using crop rotation is a good method for stopping disease and infestation. By swapping the crops for another unrelated type, you will stop any infestation from getting worse and by removing what the bug needs, they should soon die out or move on. This is also true of disease that maybe in the soil. If possible it is best to run a rotation of 4years before a particular type of plant or vegetable is replanted in that area of the plot.