As a gardener or grower, you must have been familiar with dealing with pests and coming up with strategies to ward them off. You might have seen these little buggers munching on your plant leaves, and some even drain their roots leaving your plant dead and drained. These pests are known as garden pests meaning that they are herbivorous and munch on your plants to feed their bellies. Some pests are harmful to your plants, and some help you get rid of such pests by feeding on them.

Grasshoppers are a common find wherever there are plants. Roughly 11,000 grasshopper species exist around the world. Grasshoppers reside in grassy spaces like meadows, gardens, fields, and woodland. Many of these species consume leaves and plants for their survival, meaning that they can bring damage to your plants. So, if you have been noticing grasshoppers in your garden lately and you have noted a surge in number, it’s going to be serious trouble for you as a farmer or as a home gardener. On the contrary, grasshoppers may not appear as notorious as aphids or spider mites, but you should not overlook them either.

If they have entered your garden or your field, they can cause insurmountable damage to your plants if left to colonize and feed. These are voracious feeders that can eat up to half of their body weight in food in less than 24 hours. An average grasshopper weighs 0.01 ounce or 300 mg. They love to feed on fresh green leaves and foliage. An adult grasshopper or their nymph can eat away your entire garden. No one would want to see their plants eaten by the creatures and their efforts going in vain. We have solutions that can help you get rid of these garden pests.

We intend to cover all the possible aspects to help you identify grasshopper infestation, prevention, and quick elimination methods.

Identifying the Grasshopper Infestation

Except for Antarctica, you will find grasshoppers in every corner of the world. They feast on every plant, but their meal of choice includes grasses and broadleaf plants, to be specific. Their presence in your garden is easily detectable compared to aphids or spider mites. Their size makes it easy to spot them, and as you move closer to your plants, they even let you see their hiding spots as they move. Besides being easily visible because of their size, you can also identify them through their infestation signs. If you see large holes in your plant’s foliage, know that grasshoppers feed on your plants.

Reasons Grasshoppers are Trouble

No matter what type they are, grasshoppers can quickly decimate a garden and field alike. They are predators and feast on everything, be it ornamental plants, shrubs, grass, herbs, or fruits. Even if they are in their early or late-life stages, they gnaw your plants away without sparing the leaves and stems of every plant in your garden. Sounds scary, right? They are indeed frightening if you do not take preventive measures or develop a plan to eliminate them. The damage they can cause to your plants can be extreme; they can completely defoliate a plant, making it impossible for it to grow back.

If you believe that a few grasshoppers are harmless and it is not troubling unless they are in huge numbers, well, think again. A minimum of ten adult grasshoppers/yard can pose a significant threat to your garden, based on your growing plants. According to a study, only six grasshoppers/square yard or ten acres of pasture can eat as much as an entire cow!

Based on these facts, identifying their presence as early as possible is vital to take preventive measures. If you are a little bit late in noticing their company, a full-blown infestation will have your whole garden collapsed. From the facts that we know about grasshoppers, their species are bad for plants, but not all grasshoppers mean harm. Only those species that have the same development cycle and behaviors are dangerous for your garden.

Many of their species lay their eggs at the end of summer, and they hatch in early spring. The moment these eggs hatch, the nymphs pave their ways to consume the plant matter.

Preventing the Garden Infestation

We know that grasshoppers or other garden pests can become a nuisance. Their infestation protection in your garden is through good gardening hygiene. If you want grasshoppers to stay away from your garden, ensure that you clear out all the debris and mow the tall grass. Those who grow indoors are not much bothered by these grasshoppers. They are big enough to enter indoors unless you want to welcome them through open windows and doors. If they are somehow entering your house, look for any exterior openings around the door, windows, and screens, and seal them as soon as possible.

Also, trim any vegetation giving them access to your plants, like overhanging branches. It is best to use a grow tent to avoid their entrance indoors to be on the safe side. These grow tents seal the plants and growing medium from the rest of the house, serving numerous benefits. One of the grow tents’ beneficial uses is that they do as an added protection layer from pests. They also seal the garden mess from the rest of the house, including soil and nutrient mishaps, atmospheric conditions, and an odor that remains inside the tent.

In case you are growing indoors, there is a lot that you can do, and yet these buggers will come damaging your plants. Grasshoppers are everywhere, and they can fly miles to feed on your precious plants.

Natural Remedies for Eradication

Many gardeners and farmers avoid the use of chemicals. They will never make it their priority when it comes to fighting off pests. Although many organic pesticides are safe to use around plant growers, try their luck with natural remedies.

After research, we have found the following methods that many growers have been using to ward off the grasshopper infestation from plants. These natural remedies involve ingredients that you can easily find around your house.

Garlic Spray

It is one of the organic methods of fighting off pests, and if you can tolerate its smell, then a garlic spray is your go-to natural remedy. It has proven effective against grasshoppers, and it is also a natural booster of your plant's nutrients. Garlic works as a suffocating agent for the small pests lingering around your plants and biting them off. You can easily make a garlic spray to handle the grasshopper infestation.

Making the spray might look like a complicated process, but it is super easy. All you need is six garlic cloves with half a cup of mineral oil and five cups of water. Let the brew settle overnight. Before spraying them on your plants, shake them well and spray them on the foliage. If you have the leftover spray in the bottle, do not worry, you can store it for two weeks in dry and darkroom.

Till and Cover in Fall

Another convenient strategy to prevent grasshopper invasion in your garden is to till and cover your soil in the fall season. Tilling is a simple process of turning over and breaking up your garden soil. It will only work if you have no perennial plants in your garden.

Perennial plants can live up to two years, and tilling the soil around them will let them die. Besides tilling the soil, if you face a recurrent problem with grasshoppers, the chances are that they might be hatching from the overwintered eggs. Tilling the soil helps bring those eggs to the surface and eventually die off due to cold autumn air and winter snow. Exposing them to harsh weather will hinder their hatching till spring.

Once you have tilled your soil, plant a fall cover crop in your garden. Even if we intend to get rid of grasshoppers, we also don't want other weeds and pests to infiltrate our garden. Cover crops prevent the garden weed and other pest infestations that dwell in soil and grasshoppers, of course.

If you do not find time for soil tilling in the fall, do that in spring. Since the grasshopper eggs hatch in spring, tilling them in early spring will save the hatching as they pop out of their eggs as soon as the weather gets warmer.

Flour Spray

It might sound odd, but many gardeners and growers swear by this natural remedy. It may leave your garden looking a little strange, but it is one of the best treatments for warding off grasshoppers. It only takes sprinkling a little all-purpose flour on the tops of plants. Do not douse them but spray it on the leaves, and it will move downwards. Creating a fine layer on the leaves will serve as the glue for the grasshopper. It will stick to their mouths, starving them to death.

Preventative Flowers and Vegetable

Although grasshoppers are indiscriminative when it comes to feeding on plants, there are certain flowers and vegetables that grasshoppers don’t like. Here are some flowers and vegetables that can help you keep the grasshoppers away.

You can rely on lilac, verbena, squash, tomatoes, jasmine, peas, and sage. You can also plant tall grass on the outskirts of your garden. Grasshoppers love tall grass, and planting them on the outskirts of the garden will keep them at a distance from your plants.

Floating Row Covers

It can serve as an emergency line of defense against garden pests. They comprise fabric barriers held together with hoops or stakes, protecting plants from aphids and grasshoppers.

Diatomaceous Earth

It is a powdered form of fossilized tiny aquatic organisms. It has always been a go-to option for many fertilizers to deal with pests. It is one of the most common garden additives that you can buy, and it is OMRI-approved.

It acts on grasshoppers as soon as it comes in contact with their bodies. It dries off their bodies and kills them. It is effective against all soft-bodied pests. Its application to plants involves using dust or using it as a spray by mixing it in water.

Using Beneficial Bugs

We know that specific bugs are beneficial to our garden, but you will be surprised to know that there are beneficial birds. Many animals and birds enjoy munching on grasshoppers. Adding a few chickens, guinea hens, and fowl can help you with grasshopper infestation by chewing on them as their food. These birds have no interest in eating your plants. You can let them roam around in your garden without any worry and let them feast on those buggers.

Chemical-based Solutions

Are you aware of the fact that pesticides or insecticides are safe to use for plants? You can rely on some chemical-based chemicals to get rid of the grasshopper infestation in your plants. If all the natural remedies have proven unfruitful, then chemical-based solutions are your next option. From OMRI-approved plant washers to neem oil, you can choose what is right for you and help you eliminate grasshoppers.

Neem Oil and Plant Washes

Neem oil is the best remedy against all kinds of insects, plant diseases, molds, and insect breakouts. Since it is a natural plant extract, it does not harm pollinators or animals nearby. You can wave goodbye to your garden grasshoppers by spraying them on your plants. Many growers are preventative when using this product and spray it occasionally to prevent the bugs and insects from even snacking on their plants. If your garden is more exposed to pests and is more common in your area, it is the best option.

Other than neem oil and plant washes, other products can help you against harmful pests. When we hear the word insecticide or pesticide, we envision something dangerous for plants, and the common myth associated with these pest killers is that they will kill our plants along with insects. The following products might have a bad rep, but they are harmful only to grasshoppers and other pests and not to your plants.

• Monterey Lawn & Garden 70% Neem Oil Concentrate
• Dyna-Gro Pure Neem Oil Concentrate
• NPK Industries PM Wash Ready-To-Use

Conclusion

We work hard to plant our garden and add beauty to it. We need to look after plants as our kids or pets and eventually become a part of our lives. One single grasshopper in your garden, and the deterioration begins. Grasshoppers can destroy all the vegetables and flowers in no time.

Since we know that these buggers do not spare any plant and attack any time, we can keep them away. It is essential to think of your pest control strategies and keep the grasshopper infestation in mind. By taking early steps to prevent infestation in your garden, you can enjoy the sight of your fully grown and healthy plants. Read our Integrated Pest Management blog and know about the pests that you can encounter as a grower and how to prevent them.