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Integrated Pest Management what an intimidating term; that was my thought when I first heard it during my Master Gardener class some ten years ago. Since that time I’ve come to discover that IPM is a very basic approach to controlling pests and diseases in the yard and garden.
Shortly after WW II synthetic insecticides became widely available. Products such as DDT and arsenic were used to control everything from fleas to cucumber beetles. There was little thought given to side effects on humans or the environment. In the early 1950’s entomologists began to take note of after effects of the insecticides and decided some changes needed to be made.
How IPM works.
IPM can be a simple plan or quite sophisticated in large farming operations. There are 6 steps in an IPM program.
1. Acceptable Pest Levels determine whether or not the quantity of pests on your plants requires any attention at all. Do a few aphids or slugs require action?
Is a sizeable portion of my crop endangered and needs immediate attention?
2.Preventive cultural practices When selecting varieties to plant in your garden, select varieties that are disease resistant. A healthy plant is your first line of defense. A good example of this, we all love to grow heirloom tomatoes. We have to understand that heirlooms are much more susceptible to disease than newer hybrids.
3.Monitoring One of the most important aspects of IPM. Visual inspections on a frequent basis. Insect traps placed in the garden to determine what “bugs” are in the area. It’s also important to keep good records from year to year.
4.Mechanical Controls If pest levels reach unacceptable levels your first choice should be mechanical.Hand picking, traps, floating row covers and vacuuming are just a few methods to try.
5.Biological Controls Beneficial insects are becoming more readily available each year. Lacewings, lady Beetles are very effective at controlling certain types of insects. Many times ordinary dish soap mixed with a little corn oil in a spray bottle will be enough to deter insects. Corn gluten in a very good biological control.
6.Chemical Controls Are a last resort in the IPM scheme of things. They may be used when previous methods have failed or seem unlikly to control the problem. When using chemical controls use the least toxic first. For example use chemicals derived from plants first,such as neem oil, rotenone , or Bt.
IPM applies to all types of gardening, as you gain more experience the steps will become almost automatic.IPM is an excellent practice for organic gardeners; you just eliminate the chemical control steps. By using IPM you improve the environment and reduce human exposure to chemicals.
Here are some controls that can be used in your garden that follow IPM guidelines.
Flying InsectsUse yellow stick traps.
Floating row covers
SlugsBury a tuna can so that the top is level with the ground. Fill with beer, the yeast in the beer attract the slugs they fall in and drown. Must empty it each morning
Lay several layers of damp newspapers near where slugs have been observed in the evening. The next morning retrieve the paper; pick off the slugs and dispose of in soapy water.
Aphids,
Mealy Bugs
Scale
Leaf HoppersSpray with horticultural oil
Spray with insecticidal soap
Woodchucks
Voles
RabbitsMake up a spray of hot peppers, dish soap and corn oil. This will deter them from feeding on your plants
Powdery MildewSpray with baking soda and water
WeedsSpray with Horticultural Vinegar 20% acidity.
As you can see there are quite a few actions that you can take to control
problems without the use of chemicals.
Paul’s Garden Tip
If you’re like me I often lay my tools down in the garden and can’t seem to locate them. I’ve solved this problem by painting the handles a bright color. Since that time it’s much easier to find e my tools. When I buy a new tool I immediately paint it before using it.
About Paul Rodman
Paul Rodman has been gardening for over 40 years. He is an Advanced Master Gardener, and American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian. He is currently president of the Western Wayne County Master Gardener Association in Wayne County, Michigan.
Rodman is the garden columnist for The News Herald newspaper, in Southgate, Michigan. He has also written for the OrganicGardening.com web site.
He has lectured on various gardening topics throughout southeastern Michigan.
His favorite pastime is teaching children about gardening. For the past several years he has conducted classes for second grade students teaching them about subjects ranging from vermi-composting to propagation.
Posted by 503 (from Shreveport, LA) on April 23, 2008 at 12:51 AM:
thank you paul,that was a great help.
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Subject: voles or moles?
Posted by SmartyJones (from Saint Louis, MO) on April 21, 2008 at 4:55 PM:
my backyard in south St. Louis, MO county is an underground labyrinth thanks to (I think) voles or moles. How can I get rid of them without harming the frequent wild and feral visitors such as cats, raccoons, opossums...
thanks,
tlc
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Posted by paulgrow (from Allen Park, MI) on April 21, 2008 at 5:28 PM:
Are there tunnels where the soil is pushed up?
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Posted by SmartyJones (from Saint Louis, MO) on April 22, 2008 at 1:33 PM:
looks like it, yes. I was watering some bushes last summer and after a while I noticed the water was coming up several feet away from a different hole. The ground is so full of holes now that you actually sink in when you walk. I'm afraid this will kill my old bushes and trees.
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Posted by paulgrow (from Allen Park, MI) on April 22, 2008 at 1:46 PM:
It sounds like moles.
There are 2 types of traps available plus bait that you can put out.
Hers a link to a picture of one.
[HYPERLINK@www.wildcru.org]
Paul
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Subject: Organic Pest Control fruit trees
Posted by gon2weeds (from Beavercreek, OR) on August 31, 2007 at 3:53 PM:
I cannot find where I saw what mixture to put in milk jugs to hang in fruit trees to deter insect pests. I am not good at keeping a spray schedule as it is hard to get the perfect weather window in the Spring in the great Northwest. Do you know the mixture and does it really work? Thanks.
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Subject: giant grasshoppers
Posted by picketty (from taree
(Australia)) on August 26, 2007 at 2:03 AM:
I am in australia but expect you have them in the US too. I am dreading this seasons hatchings as they can decimate everything they fancy. lat year i had one almost 6 inches long munching the new citrus leaves. The birds take a few and the dogs flatten the plants attempting unsuccessfully to catch them. does anyone have a secret remedy or trap?
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Subject: Baking Soda ans Water Solution
Posted by rvnsbrk (from Leesburg, VA) on August 13, 2007 at 8:49 AM:
Can someone give me the recipe for the baking soda and water solution for powdery mildew?? I am a landscaper that tries to be green for the most part. I ahve a client with a bad case of powdery mildew on her prize peonies and I don't want to nuke them if I don't have to.
Thanks in advance,
Juanita
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Subject: Sharing an experiment in progress
Posted by rjuddharrison (from Houston, TX) on August 6, 2007 at 10:46 PM:
Excellent article and guidlines for Integrated Pest Control. It's always an on going challenge!
After a few years of exasperating trials and error, pesticides and swabs I again went searching for that tall order of controlling pests, so well outlined in Integrated Pest Control. After realizing last season that I failed miserably at prevention, followed by a series failed "treatments", I resolved to learn the lesson that was taught me. Early this spring I set out to find something that would be effective in prevention and maintaining a significantly less invaded garden. At the top of my list to search was a product/item that I have seen repeatedly in various threads and articles "SeaWeed extract". Plentious information was easily found on the internet both from vendors that sell, and organizations that advocate the use. I was sold, and implemented "operation Seaweed" this year. I've sprayed seaweed extract combined with fish emulsion and mollasses at generally 2 to 4 week intrervals this season, and while the experiment is still in progress I can report this. I've had the most pest free garden since I've began gardening! I've detailed some of the research I've done complete with links in my diary which I will post. I will provide this brief synopsis, which is soley my theories as concluded from some of the research.
1) while Seaweed extract is beneficial as a foliar source of nutrients, it also acts as a pest deterant which from what I've read the reason is as of yet undetermined. I was surprised to learn that in fact certain agriculture has turned to using Seaweed extract for Pest deterant.
2)Does it kill? So far my experience is mostly no. I think that it may render the plants unpalatable to our foes, however the jury is still out on that. The most negative effect I've observed was slugs falling of the plants that were sprayed as if they were burned.
3)Since this is only the first season I've tried this, it could very well be a complete dumb luck series of fortuitous circumstances that lined up in mother nature and presented optimum conditions for this to work such as an extremely rainy summer, cooler temperatures etc. I'm inclined to believe differently based on some of the data I've read, however it's best to entertain the different possibilities. The big key is can the reduced pest enviorment be repeated next season? So far as we enter the dog days of summer, I can report a satisfied gardener in his war against destructive pests!
4) To date, August is the month I've spotted the most mealy bugs and scales , and they are appearing on the same to plants that seems to be a magnet for them, which usually sends up the red flag for increased inspections. It also coincides with the longest gap in my application of Seaweed in regular intervals which was a 1 month gap.
Here is the part that relates to number 2, Does it kill? I sprayed seaweed on Sunday and am keeping an eye on the plants. This morning scales on a datura appeared to still be functioning. I have been keeping a diary - so interested gardeners can view the results.
Oy! this is the condensed version, but you can tell how enthusiastic I am with the results, particularly after resembling a television commercial of an exasperated "Tried everything ?" commercial. Of course one must also realize that this is the "World as Rj interpolates it" and we all could view and conclude different theories! Still, it's certainly worth sharing!
This particular Diary contains a volley of odds and ends over the past couple of years.
Happy Gardening!
[HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
Rj
This message was edited Aug 6, 2007 10:32 PM
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Subject: introducing predatory insects?
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 6, 2007 at 3:52 PM:
Good article!! IPM is something we should all try to understand and practice (I'm getting better at it as I go along, LOL), and you laid out the basics very clearly. Thank you!
I've been wondering about the introduction of predatory insects like ladybugs since coming across this at the NWF site (in the info about certifying your yard as a wildlife habitat, under organic gardening tips), "Do not introduce ladybugs or other predator bugs. Doing this properly requires a keen knowledge of predator/prey relationships and most of the insects you purchase are non-native." They do promote encouraging the natural occurrence of predator bugs. They're also in favor of adding beneficial nematodes, which I would think are also not necessarily native.
(The NWF page on organic tips actually addresses a lot of the principles of IPM that Paul mentioned.. if you want to check it out, it's at [HYPERLINK@www.nwf.org])
I haven't introduced any ladybugs, because I seem to have plenty of them (along with wheelbugs and assassin bugs). What do you think? Could we be doing more harm than good by buying those ladybugs at the local garden store?
As you said, biological controls are an important part of IPM (bless those robins who have been gobbling up my Japanese beetles this year!). But I thought this was an interesting additional consideration. :-)
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Subject: replying
Posted by gardenglory (from Gainesville, FL) on August 6, 2007 at 3:22 PM:
Not that future writers might be reading this, please feel sure that just because one doesnt respond, they dont like the article. Some like to read, more than peck at the keyboard. Hope to keep them coming.
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 6, 2007 at 8:16 PM:
Excellent "recipes" that I will definitely keep! Thanks! Oh, and I do the same thing to find my tools, paint them flourescent orange. It works! Wish I'd have thought of it before putting down that shovel somewhere on these 25 acres of woods...
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Subject: Good info..
Posted by lcosden (from Pawling, NY) on August 6, 2007 at 1:35 PM:
Great timing.. I was just starting to plant a insectary garden to bring the beneficial insects to my garden..
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Subject: Timely information!
Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 6, 2007 at 11:42 AM:
As summer wears on, the pests that show up in our gardens have multiplied by several generations. Thanks so much for sharing the options that are available to us, and the potential impact each one makes on us, and our environment.
By showing us the options, we can each choose what methods will best suit the pest level, and gardening style that we have at the moment.
Thanks so much!
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Posted by monarch77 (from Caldwell, NJ) on August 6, 2007 at 1:10 PM:
My son's daycare had a cave cricket problem last week and decided to treat it with pesticides. I tried to convince them to use an IPM method to treat this, but I wasn't entirely successful. I hope more and more people are exposed to this new way of thinking, especially since they announced last week that autism may have a possible casual link to pesticides. Thanks for the article!
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Posted by FlowrLady (from Olive Branch, MS) on August 6, 2007 at 1:17 PM:
Thanks so much for this article! It helps me where I am weak... controlling pests.
I'm gonna print it off and keep it near.
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Posted by Wvdaisy (from Buffalo, WV) on August 6, 2007 at 1:57 PM:
Great article, Paul, thanks!
Lana
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on August 6, 2007 at 5:42 PM:
