The sun is finally shining after a long winter, and your thoughts may be turning to your outdoor space. Glorious gardens take a lot of care and effort, and they can come under threat from outdoor pests. But fear not as Jack Stooks was the senior gardener at Highgrove House for over 20 years and he’s here to reveal the insider tips that keep royal gardens free of pests.
The green-fingered pro has used organic methods at King Charles’ beloved garden, Highgrove House, and it’s likely these same techniques were rolled out across Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and more royal homes. Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, Jack reveals exactly what the poison-free options are…
1.Introduce wildlife to hunt pests
The first method I really want to focus on is wildlife. Bringing wildlife into your garden is the most natural way to rid yourself of pests. For instance, if you have built habitats for hedgehogs and birds, they will be eating all of the slugs and snails that could cause a problem for your plants.
© Getty Images2. Kale leaves for slugs
Another good one for catching slugs is using kale leaves and putting them round the border, or in areas of your garden where slugs are particularly prevalent and then hope they will go for the kale leaf instead of your plants. You can even do this with some leaves from your garden so that you don’t have to go and buy kale which would be a bit of a waste. You put a rock or tile over the leaf and then in the morning, you can collect the slugs and give them to the chickens or put them on the compost.
© Getty Images3. Nematodes to protect your green house from insects
We are really trying to push making your garden organic nowadays. So, we try to never use poisons. So, in glass houses we use nematodes to get rid of white fly and other bugs within the glass house. You can get these online, they are very readily available nowadays. Depending on what kind of bugs you are dealing with, you can get specific nematodes that go for them. The simplest way of describing them is the pests that eat the pests eating your plants.
4. Chicken wire and garlic sprays for rabbits
If you’re having an issue with rabbits, one way to deal with them is to place chicken wire fencing around the plants that the rabbits like while they are sprouting. You can also buy a rabbit deterrent product which is a garlic-based spray that rabbits don’t like. Garlic sprays are also useful at deterring a wide range of other pests.
5. Netting, traps and plastic guards for squirrels
Grey squirrels are quite a nightmare and are becoming more and more of a pest. They especially like digging up crocus bulbs and can decimate whole patches. You can get squirrel traps or can also cover the areas the bulbs are planted with netting for two to three years, stopping them coming in and destroying all your hard work. You can also get plastic guards to go around the new shoots, as squirrels often go after them. These guards are also good for stopping any accidents when you’re out in the garden strimming.
© Getty Images6. Blood-based fertilisers for deer
If you are in an area with a lot of deer, they are quite bad for eating new roses. A way of deterring them is to get a blood feed. Most garden centres sell them, you can get NKP, blood fish and bone fertilizers, or bone meal. You just have to look for ones that are blood-based as deer do not like that. Sprinkling it around your rose borders will keep them away.
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