Rotate annual and vegetable plants, where practical, and avoid using plants especially prone to disease attacks. Space and prune plants to improve air circulation. Time overhead irrigation early enough in the day to allow the foliage to dry before nightfall. Avoid infecting other plants by pruning out diseased parts and discarding heavily diseased plants. Slugs Use shallow containers of beer to monitor for slugs.
Weeds Use mulches to prevent weed germination.
If used improperly, they can have an impact beyond their intended target. The continuous accumulation and combination of small amounts of toxic substances can create problems. If misused, small quantities of toxic chemicals can cause environmental disruption. A pest population can become resistant to pesticides when only one or two products are used repeatedly against a specific pest. Synthetic chemical pesticides should be the last defense to control a pest after other forms of control have been exhausted.