Controlling Pests and Weeds

Growing your own fruit is relatively hassle free. But there are some precautions you should take to ensure your crop is not attacked by pests or overpowered by weeds.

Prevention is Better Than Cure

There are plenty of things you can do to ensure you grow strong, healthy plants that will resist any attack from pests or competition from weeds. When you buy your plants, make sure they come from a reputable supplier, who can guarantee they have a degree of resistance to disease. Make sure your growing medium is fertile and well cultivated, and don’t over feed them in the early stages of growth. This will encourage lush, sappy growth of leaves and shoots, which will leave them open to attack.

Weeds

Weeds can be prevented by thoroughly digging the ground before planting and removing every trace of weed roots. Some weeds, such as bindweed and couch grass will grow from a tiny piece of root, so it’s important to remove every last piece. You can also mulch the area after planting to suppress their growth by restricting light to the area. A mulch can be in the form of a piece of carpet or mulch mat, or a layer of straw or thick compost or well-rotted animal manure, which is placed around the stems of the plant t prevent weeds from growing.

Pests

The most common pests that affect fruit are birds and aphids. Birds are particularly keen on berries, though other soft fruit can also be attacked. Using netting can ward them off, simply place it over the plants so the birds can’t access the fruit. Make sure you do this after the plants have flowered, however, as you’ll need bees and other pollinators to come and fertilise them to produce a good crop.