GROW SMART, GROW SAFE

   Insects >> Observe your garden regularly  

Stroll through your garden to look for problems and solutions. Do it often and you'll feel better too!

• Look for healthy plants. They are well-suited for their location.
• Notice plants with problems. Would different water, sun or soil make a difference?
• Look for insects – are they causing the damage you see? If not they may be eating the pests.
• Get help identifying insects, so you don't kill a helper. See Resources and Good Bugs.

Get real. Insects, bad and good, are abundant and your plants won’t always be picture perfect.

• Most bugs in the garden are helpers – pollinating flowers, improving soil, eating pests.
• Insects have been around for 400 million years and have developed interdependent relationships with other insects, wildlife and plants. This intricate web of life keeps the pest populations under control.
• Low levels of pests keep birds and good bugs in your yard. This helps control pests.