11 Reasons Skipping Pest Control Could Save Your Garden

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It may seem like a risk to skip pest control in your garden, but for certain gardeners, it’s a more natural approach that can actually pay off. A growing trend is to go wild — using nature rather than chemicals and pesticides. This can be an appealing strategy for gardeners who want a more hands off, chemical free way to care for their outdoor space, and who are more interested in a holistic approach to gardening.

This mindset proposes that maybe pest existence isn’t that bad for the natural balance of the garden after all, and that maybe you don’t actually need to eradicate them. Many can skip pest control and get a deeper connection to their plants, the ecosystem and their local wildlife. So, let’s take a look at how sometimes less actually equals more for your garden.

Embracing Beneficial Insects

A major benefit of avoiding pest control is that you gain beneficial insects. Ladybugs, spiders and some types of wasps are naturally occurring helpful bugs that will help manage pest populations. By not using chemical pesticides you let your allies stay alive and create a balanced ecosystem in your garden. A ResearchGate study shows that garden with fewer pesticides had more beneficial insects, creating a more natural pest management system.

Boosting Plant Resilience

Green Plants on a Plant Box — Photo Credit: Ian Probets/Pexels

Pest control can also be skipped to result in stronger, more resilient plants. You would think that letting your plants experience pest pressure every now and then would be counterproductive, but it actually can help them become stronger. As with people, plants need to be challenged to thrive. Plants have natural defenses – stronger cell walls or chemical compounds that keep pests away.

Encouraging Biodiversity

butterflies — Photo Credit: Shutterstock

One of the major benefits of not doing pest control is the chance to have a dense diversity of life in your garden. A balanced ecosystem is an ecosystem where everything is related and reliant on one another, from insects, small mammals, birds and even reptiles all working together to maintain the health of the garden. Eliminating pesticides from the equation means more room for a greater variety of creatures to roam, which provides a healthier garden all around.

Improving Soil Health

Skipping pest control has one surprising benefit: it’s good for the soil. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, some pest control chemicals affect the soil in many negative ways, including killing the beneficial microbes that live there. Small as they are, these creatures are essential for nutrient cycling, soil structure and plant health generally. When you stay away from chemicals, you let the soil stay rich in these helpful microorganisms that will assist your plants in growing better.

Lower the Risk of Pest Resistance

Pest Repellent — Image Credit: Erik_Karits/Pixabay

Using pest control can have an often overlooked consequence: pest resistance. If you apply pesticides often, then the pests in your garden will soon become resistant and you’ll have to use increasingly stronger, toxic chemicals, to keep them under control. Skipping pest control decreases the probability that pests will adapt to these chemicals, saving the effectiveness of any future treatment should it be necessary.

Saving Time and Money

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Pest control can be yet another layer of effort and expense to a time consuming hobby such as gardening. You save time and money when you skip the regular need for pesticides. You don’t have to buy expensive chemicals to go out and spray them all over your garden for hours on end. Rather, you’ll be able to focus your energy elsewhere, like when planting, pruning, or just enjoying your space.

Supporting Natural Pest Control Methods

Marigolds — Image Credit: Ignartonosbg/Pixabay

You learn natural pest control methods that don’t involve chemicals. For instance, to repel specific pests, you can plant basil, lavender, or marigolds. Not only are these plants beautiful, but they also serve as natural deterrents to protect your garden in a way that’s effective, but not toxic.

Maintaining Plant Diversity

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Your garden tends to support a wider range of plants when pests are kept in check naturally. Pesticides tend to be broad spectrum, killing insects important to the health of certain plants. But without these chemicals, you are open to a wider plant palette, some of which may be less pest resistant but worth growing nonetheless. The diversity of that garden makes it more visually interesting — full of life and color.

Build a Stronger Garden Ecosystem

Pest control skipping allows for the development of a more self sustaining ecosystem. The more you let nature do its work, the more your garden will take care of itself. The result is a system where all parts of the garden, plants, pests, predators, soil, work together to keep the garden healthy.

Enjoying a Stress-Free Garden

The best way to garden sometimes is to just let go of the constant worry about pests and garden. Skipping pest control takes one major stressor out of your gardening routine. Rather than having to continually watch for pests and think about how to treat your garden next, you can just sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labour.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.