Integrated Pest Management

Integrated pest management is a complicated-sounding name for something home gardeners have been trying to do for years: first, determine why and when pests invade our trees, shrubs, lawns and gardens; and second, determine what to use to prevent damage to our plants.

In the scientific world, knowledge is now being shared by horticulturists, agronomists, plant pathologists and entomologists. With plant experts, soils experts, disease experts and insect experts, you can expect to be able to predict insect infestation and plant diseases before they happen.

All living things have predators and diseases. Like plants, predators have life cycles that are predictable. The four disciplines listed above are pooling their knowledge to give us advanced warnings of problems.

In our yards we want to control the pests, usually by using less pesticide (or fungicide, depending obviously on the type of invasion) than we used to.

We want usage to be controlled, properly timed and limited in amount while still being effective. This is simply because some solutions present problems of there own. With and ever-increasing awareness of the fragility of our environment, we want to use the least amount of pesticide possible (or even eliminate usage by controlling the circumstances) and avoid damage to helpful insects, like bees.

Preparing for all pests in advance is impossible but you can be aware of conditions, which favor problems so you can respond at the earliest opportunity. Remember the abundance of Japanese beetles on our plants in the past? Remember the conditions that created havoc on our roses with black spot? By studying these and other interrelated problems, we can be prepared to cope this year.

I do not advocate spraying prior to infestation but if similar conditions develop this year, we can act before it's too late by seeking the advice of professionals. Apply the correct pesticide in the right amount at the first sign of attack or as a preventative for disease. When we're prepared, we can act quickly enough to use less material and target only the specific problem.

Unusual conditions and changes in your plants could be symptoms of a problem. Your job is to act responsibly-and-catching infestations or disease in the early stages is really the most responsible way to prevent damage to your plants and still allow the minimum applications that are effective for control.

Organic or natural treatments are available, if you prefer. In this case "the ealier, the better" is even more true, since frequently organic treatments take longer.

So pay attention, recognize problems in their earliest stages, consult your written garden history from last year or seek professional advice. If you're having trouble identifying a particular blight, just ask the personnel at your local garden center. They may know the problem on sight but if not, they have books on hand to consult and they'll be glad to help.