Looking for some simple, safe, and effective ways to keep your tomato plants pest free all summer long?
There’s nothing more frustrating than having your tomato plants get overtaken by pests and insects. One minute the plants are growing healthy and strong – and the next the foliage is riddled with holes and damage.
Unfortunately, without quick intervention, you can lose an entire crop to something that’s often smaller than a pencil eraser! Just allowing a few days to pass from the time a pest is first introduced to your tomato plants can allow them to get out of control due to their quick ways of reproducing and multiplying.
The good news? There are actually some simple ways to control the pests that attack tomato plants – all without resorting to using harsh chemicals and sprays. Sadly, synthetic products often cause more issues than they do help. Not to mention they leave consuming the fruit questionable as well.
How To Keep Your Tomato Plants Pest Free – Naturally!
#1 Walk The Garden Daily
It can be devastating to see your once-healthy tomato plants thriving one day and then completely obliterated just a few days later. Believe it or not, it really can happen that quickly! In fact, there are several pests that are capable of ruining tomato plants in a matter of just a couple of days.
One of the worst of those garden pests is tomato hornworms. These huge caterpillars can completely defoliate tomato plants in as little as two to three days. In addition, they also chow down on the tomatoes themselves, making the fruit worthless. See, “How To Keep Tomato Hornworms Off Your Tomato Plants!”
But no matter the pest, the best way of all to stay on top of pest damage and issues is to walk your garden daily. Taking just a few quick minutes to check plants daily is a great way to prevent any small problems from turning into big ones.
All you need is a couple of minutes each day to look over your tomato plants. Be sure to check the bottom of the leaves as well as the top. Many pests tend to hang out on the underside of leaves. Once you identify any damage or see any pests, you can handle it quickly and easily.
#2 Prune Under Your Plants – How To Keep Your Tomato Plants Pest Free
Another simple way to help stop tomato plant pest damage is by preventing them from having easy access to your tomato plants. You can do this by pruning under your plants.
By removing the bottom several inches of stems from your plants, you eliminate any foliage that might be bending low and touching the soil. Any touching foliage gives soil-dwelling pests an easy “ladder” to climb up and stake their claim.
In addition, pruning under tomato plants also helps to open up the plants and allow for better airflow and circulation. This gives the pests fewer places to hide and multiply – all while giving your tomato plants the air they need for pollination and growth.
Simply cut off or remove the bottom several stems using a clean pair of garden pruners. For determinate plants, prune up about 12 inches from the soil line. For indeterminate plants, prune around 12 to 18 inches from the bottom. Product Link: Fiskars Micro-Tip Pruning Snips
Check plants weekly for any new growth. Some tomato varieties will continue to push out new growth all along the stem. Because of this, you may need to prune under plants a few times throughout the growing season.
What To Do When Pests Arrive – How To Keep Your Tomato Plants Pest Free
Despite taking all the precautions possible, you still might end up with insects and pests on your tomato plants. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to immediately run to your local store and pick up commercial sprays and chemicals.
Often, those types of pesticides and insecticides cause way more issues than help. While the products might work to kill and eliminate the pest in question, they will also kill the beneficial insects and pollinators as well.
In addition, many chemicals can be questionable as to being safe to use around you, your kids, and your pets. So why take the chance when there are several excellent and more natural methods to try when eliminating pests on your tomato plants?
#3 Soapy Water – How To Keep Your Tomato Plants Pest Free
One of the easiest ways to remove pests from your tomato plants is to hand-pick them off and drop them into a bowl of soapy water. If you are checking plants daily, it doesn’t take that long to eliminate the few pests that do find their way onto your plants using this method.
Hand-picking insects, beetles, worms, and other pests is a simple way to keep their numbers in check. And, best of all, it is completely safe and chemical-free!
Just mix a few drops of liquid dish soap into a bowl or bucket of warm water. If you are concerned about the soap, use a biodegradable liquid dish soap that can be tossed without worrying about its effects on the environment. Product Link: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap
Even better, spraying the soapy water mix onto plants will help to stop many insects like aphids and whiteflies. Again, being far safer than resorting to harsh chemicals.
#4 Neem Oil – How To Keep Your Tomato Plants Pest Free
If your pest issue is starting to go beyond hand-picking or soapy water spray, then it’s time to try all-natural neem oil! Neem oil is made from the oil from the seed of a neem tree. Affiliate Product Link: Neem Bliss (32 Fl Oz) – Pure Neem Oil Concentrate
Neem oil is a 100% safe, organic spray. It has been used for years to treat and prevent all sorts of different plant pests and diseases. Unlike many man-made sprays and dusts, it doesn’t pose a threat to pollinators when used correctly.
Pests like beetles, aphids, mites, whiteflies, leafhoppers, and more can all be controlled using neem oil. It works to disrupt all stages of an insect – from eggs to larvae to adults. Yet it doesn’t affect pollinators because only the pests that feed on the plant tissue are killed.
You can purchase ready-to-use sprays or concentrated neem oil in most garden centers and even big box stores. Simply mix 1 ounce of neem oil for every gallon of water. Add in a few drops of liquid dish soap and combine well.
Spray this mixture on the tops and bottom foliage of your tomato plants to help eliminate pests of all kinds. As an added bonus, the neem oil spray will help to protect against many different plant diseases like powdery mildew, too.
Here’s to keeping your tomato plants safe from all sorts of different pests and insects by using safe and natural methods!
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