Joyce Altobelli, University of Minnesota Master Gardener for Winona County, presented the rather complex topic of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to a gathering of 11 experienced and beginning gardeners. Her style of presentation is one of keeping her students thinking through questions and applying some of the concepts to actual gardening situations and the experiences of the audience. The topic is complex because of the factors one needs to consider when developing a plan for dealing with destructive bugs and/or pesky weeds. Joyce’s outline that follows will introduce you to some terms and ideas of IPM that she presented:
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management Tools and Resources
Submitted by Tom Kujawa, University of Minnesota Master Gardener
Integrated Pest Management
- Definitions
- IPM: decision-making framework based on combined goals, resources (including time and money) and constraints
- Pest: living organism that interferes with something humans value
- Pesticide: a substance that kills, repels, or otherwise limits pest ability to cause damage
- What’s involved in creating an IPM plan
- Gardener’s values, goals
- Garden/landscape use
- Creating an IPM plan
- Plan ahead:
- good gardening techniques,
- know plant vulnerabilities,
- know plant resistant varieties
- Monitor – get to know your plants:
- know growth stages & habit of plants,
- know when & how to look for pest,
- evidence of pest because of pest damage
- ID – get to know your pest:
- rule out other causes,
- accurately ID using tools in garden:
- notepad & paper,
- camera – use coin in pic for size reference,
- container to bring home sample),
- know pest’s stages of development
- Know your action threshold – how much damage can/will you tolerate?
- Select your management strategy
- Genetic: pest-resistant varieties
- Practices/Sanitation:
- planting (including crop rotation),
- watering, fertilizing (nutrient deficiency weakens plants, too much can make pest damage worse – e.g. nitrogen, some nutrients (calcium) bolster plant defenses)
- Physical/Mechanical:
- barriers (fence, mulch, row covers, etc),
- traps (but not pheromone for Japanese beetles!),
- hoeing,
- picking off bugs,
- solarization
- Biological –
- use living organisms:
- pest enemies/predators – insects but also microbial pesticides or bio-pesticides (e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis)
- Chemical – use synthetic pesticides
- A plan can also include deciding to do nothing
- Implement your strategy & record results
Integrated Pest Management Tools and Resources
- http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/Tables/TableList.htm -- Disease-resistant vegetable varieties
- http://plants.usda.gov/about_plants.html -- US Dept of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service tool to get more information about plants; if you really have no idea what kind of plant you’re dealing with, try this site instead: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html
- http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/ -- UMN diagnostic tools: What’s wrong with my plant?, Is this plant a weed?, What insect is this?
- http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/ipmbook.htm -- IPM of Midwest Landscapes (trees, shrubs, turf)
- http://icwdm.org -- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
Submitted by Tom Kujawa, University of Minnesota Master Gardener