Organic Grasshopper Control for the Garden

Wherever there is a lot of grass and weeds, there are most likely grasshoppers hiding. There are hundreds of varieties of grasshoppers that can be found in North American and several of them will do damage to gardens. It’s illogical for a gardener to go around hand-picking them and it’s not wise to use chemicals around the garden, so what can a gardener do for grasshopper control that will not ruin his garden?

Use Birds and Predators for Grasshopper Control

Grasshoppers hatch in spring from eggs that have been hidden in the soil. The baby grasshoppers will hide out in areas that are thick with vegetation. Most of the bugs will be eaten by spiders, frogs, beetles and other larger predators that live in the same vegetation. Maintaining dense mixed herbs, grasses and flowers near the garden can serve as traps for baby grasshoppers so that they never develop into full-blown garden pests.

Gardeners can also control grasshoppers in the garden by providing perching structures near the garden for insect-eating birds. Insect-eating birds are one the biggest predators that these bugs have. Most of these birds like to hunt their prey by watching for any movements from high above on perches. Encourage these birds to eat the grasshoppers in the garden by supplying them with upright structures such as trellises and posts near the garden.

Plant Natural Barriers of the Bugs

There are certain plants that grasshoppers just don’t like. One of those plants include the herb cilantro. Planting this herb in the garden can help keep these bugs completely away from the entire area of the garden. Depending on the size of the garden, one to three plants of cilantro should be enough for grasshopper control.

Other plants that are known to be natural barriers include the herbs horehound and calendula. These herbs may be a little harder to find and grow depending on the region. Also, these insects don’t like pea plants because of the nitrogen, so peas can also be planted in a garden to help keep the pests away

Grow Tall Grass Away from the Garden

Grasshoppers would rather live in a patch of tall grass and weeds than in a clean garden. By allowing a patch of tall grass or weeds to grow in an area away from the garden, people can practice natural grasshopper control in the actual garden. If the garden is kept weeded and clean, like it should be, the bugs will naturally drift toward the patches of tall grass that are set up away from the garden, thus leaving the vegetables and fruits alone.

Row Covers Work Great for Grasshopper Control

One of the best ways to protect plants from these insects it to cover them with an obstacle such as a row cover or a lightweight fabric cloth. The covers should be held above the plants with posts or wooden stakes since the bugs are more likely to eat the plants if they can get the leaves that are pushing against the covers.

In some areas where grasshoppers are a real problem for gardeners, aluminum screening cones are made to keep the plants safe. This may be a drastic measure for some people but in states like Texas, where the bug infestations can ruin whole crops, it may be necessary.

Instead of using harmful pesticides and chemicals, these are effective options that people have for organic grasshopper control in the garden. Gardeners can employ, one, two or even all three of these techniques to make sure their plants stay safe from hungry grasshoppers.

Source:

Ghorganics.com “Grasshoppers” (accessed 6/18/2010)