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Using Integrated Pest Management in The Home Vegetable Garden

Integrated Pest Management’s (IPM) motto is similar to, ” Don’t use a bulldozer when a hand trowel will do.”

For the most part IPM relies on the gardeners and farmers to monitor and gather information in order to ascertain which pest management technique (if any) is necessary. Here’s an example of how the Integrated Pest Management system is generally practiced. Below are the basic steps to using IPM as a pest management strategy.

Integrated Pest Management Technique

  • Name That Bug – The first thing to realize is that the mere presence of an insect does not a problem make. In other words, what kind of bug is it? How do you know it’s eating your plants?
  • Assess The Damage – Has all your baby spinach become a snail family’s dinner? Or are there a couple of cosmetic blemishes on a few pieces of fruit? Has this pest moved all of his family and friends into your place? Or is it just the two of them on a day trip? Think about it; there’s a big difference. It might sound odd, but sometimes you really don’t need to do anything. In the case of slightly blemished fruit, you have to admit that probably means that the natural balance of things is pretty stable. If that’s the worry you have, then the natural enemies of the pest that’s leaving a blemish or two must be plentiful in your garden. In fact, if this really is the only worry you have this is what we call successful gardening.
  • Look For the Cavalry – Where there are bad guys, there are bound to be good guys. Learn to identify them and look for them.
  • How Many Pests Can You Tolerate? – Something else to think about is that everyone has their personal tolerance levels. One gardener may find some damage isn’t a big deal, while another may find the same damage unacceptable. And yet another may decide that the plant with the problem isn’t worth the hassle. They may choose to replace it with a more pest-resistant species altogether.

Four IPM Control Categories For the Home Gardener

  1. Physical Controls – Copper strips, diatomaceous earth and hand picking/tossing work well for snail control. Sticky traps can be put out in a place where an undesirable amount of pests are setting up camp. These are good examples of getting physical.
  2. Horticultural Controls – This includes choosing plant varieties that are labeled as disease or pest-resistant. Also, keep your plants healthy; healthy plants are the least susceptible to the bad dudes. Part of keeping plants healthy is to remove any foliage that could be diseased and discard it permanently in the garbage. Any plant remains that are suspect of disease shouldn’t be tossed into your compost pile either. Companion planting can be used to either mask the scent of a desirable crop or to distract or confuse pests.
  3. Biological Controls – Invite (or go out and purchase) other living creatures that eat insects and their larva. For the most part, if you don’t use a lot of pesticides in your garden you’ll have a healthy supply of beneficial insects in your garden by default.
  4. Least-Toxic Chemical Controls – There may come a time when bigger is better and a larger gun is necessary, but this is the last resort in the IPM lineup. The same general IPM principals are still applicable here. Start with the organic pesticides such as insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and other controls derived from plants. If you feel that you need to use synthetic chemical controls please read the labels carefully and follow the instructions.

Most gardeners that use Integrated Pest Management practices find that they rarely – if ever – have to resort to pesticides ever again. If they do, they’re pleasantly surprised to find that the organic pesticides work as well as any toxic chemical one.

For more on organic home gardening practices, check out Attracting Beneficial Insects to The Garden, What Compost Does For the Vegetable Garden, and How Worms Improve Soil in The Vegetable Garden.

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