Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to pest control that uses a combination of treatments. The idea is to start with the least toxic steps first. By identifying a pest and understanding it’s life cycle and habits, non-chemical, preventative strategies can effectively be used in the initial stages with good results.
When IPM practices are employed, the positive results are many, including healthier plants, less application of potentially toxic chemicals, less runoff of chemicals, higher survival rates for beneficial insects and pollinators, and better long-term control of pests populations.
It’s important to understand that IPM considers that a certain amount of pest damage is acceptable, and it is up to the individual gardener to make this determination. Consequently, a more extreme approach to treatment may not take place until this threshold of tolerance has been crossed. In many ways, IPM appears similar to organic gardening. The biggest difference is that with IPM, synthetic pesticides are an acceptable method of treatment in severe cases and as a last resort.
Steps to IPM
The first is to properly identify the pest. Next, understand their life cycle and behavioral patterns so the most appropriate treatment method may be applied first. Third, monitor the activity. Is the pest population isolated to a small area or certain crop, or are they taking over? Is the damage getting worse? Is the damage within an acceptable tolerance level? Are there any beneficial insect populations currently? The fourth step in IPM is to determine your acceptable threshold level; how much damage are you willing to accept before control measures are required which is the fifth step.
Options for controlling pest problems
Cultural: Plant the right plant in the right location and use varieties that do well in your growing area. Create an inhospitable environment for pests. Don’t give pests a reason to stick around. Crop rotation is a good example of this, by removing their food source from one season to the next.
Physical: This includes creating barriers to prevent pests from getting to your plants. Row covers are an example. Another would be the use of collars around the stems of tender seedlings to protect from cutworms.
Sanitation: Keeping your garden free of debris, and diseased plant material will help keep plant diseases at bay. Disease-free plants are tougher and better able to resist and withstand damage, which could be inflicted by certain pests.
Biological: Beneficial Insects such as lady beetles, lacewings and praying mantis often come to mind as natural predators in the garden. Other less often considered or familiar controls for the home gardener include the use of predatory parasites.
Chemical: These control options are usually the last line of defense in dealing with pests in an IPM environment and can do as much harm by killing beneficial insects as well. Chemicals at this phase can include conventional synthetic pesticides, which act as direct toxins, Inorganic pesticides (such as lime sulfur), Botanicals (i.e. Pyrethrins, Rotenone, Neem) down to less toxic horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps.
The final step is to evaluate your results. IPM is not an instant fix, but it is an effective one. Results will improve over time as you learn effective control techniques for your garden. The outcome will be a healthier garden with less time and money spent by you dealing with pests.
Contributor Joe Lamp'l is joe gardener, nationally known spokesman for gardening, especially the greener kind.