Monday, September 26, 2011

The Use Of Organic Pesticides

By David Lambert


When you bring about the stunning landscape of your dreams, or grow a garden full of nature's bountiful food, nobody is going to love and relish it more than you and your family.

Unfortunately there are hundreds and thousands of all types of insects and other critters of all sizes that have their eyes on your garden crop as well. The insects and other critters will also look at your garden that you have spent so many hours slaving over all season long and hear the dinner bell ringing.

If you have been into gardening for any time at all, you know that controlling these scavengers of your harvest as one of the greatest challenges of your gardening tasks.

You can go to your local garden center and easily pick out dozens of inorganic products that will easily control any number of pests, but unfortunately, it often comes at a cost to the health of the environment or even your families health.

What Defines A Pesticide?

Any substance that kills or disrupts anything we consider to be a pest, such as insects or microbes, is a pesticide. Just say pesticide and most of us right away think of man-created inorganic chemicals or poisons. Even though these chemicals do their job very well they are frequently harmful as well.

With the whole Eco-friendly movement, and more issues expressed toward family health and protection of our fragile environment, there has been a big movement toward the natural pesticides as an substitute to their inorganic counterparts.

An organic, also known as natural pesticide, is one that is made from naturally occurring plants and utilizes their natural defense, or one that is sourced directly from other naturally occurring substances, such as minerals.

Organic Pesticides - Are They really Safer?

It is widely known that the use of organic controls is much safer than inorganic chemicals. However note that even if derived from natural sources organic substances can still be very toxic if ingested. Inorganic chemicals used for pests can be very harmful and even fatal to wildlife and humans. Also, overusing inorganic chemicals can result in contamination problems for both the water-table and our natural waterways. It has been proven that long term exposure to some of these chemical pesticides can outcome in increased risk of cancer and birth defects.

For these very reasons, many gardeners and homeowners are beginning to move away from inorganic pest controls and to the safer, more environmentally friendly organic controls. Organic forms of pesticide compounds are usually just as effective in the control of pests as are their inorganic counterparts, and in some cases even more effective.

Advantages of Organic Pesticides

Just keep in mind that the organic versions of these pesticides are more environmentally friendly for both the family and the environment. There are some other virtues that make the use of organic compounds very attractive. They very rarely cause any contamination due to the fact that they break down naturally. When applied correctly, they can be very effective.

Disadvantages of Organic Pesticides

As good as they are in doing their job very organically, these natural pesticides are not the end all and be all. One notable concern is that they don't last nearly as long after their application, which is also known as their residual activity. They're frequently more pricey than conventional pesticides, and for serious problems, they may not be 100% effective.

Organic Pesticides - A Sampling

If you're looking for some Eco-friendly options for your pest control issues, there are several time-tested natural pesticides. Be sure to visit our article for these options, and much more. You can easily purchase all of them at a local garden center, or you can order them online from Amazon.




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