Perhaps a couple of generations ago,Pest Control – Putting Integrated Pest Management Into Perspective Articles the most widespread method of dealing with the pests and disease that affect garden plants, was to apply some chemical poison to “deal with“ the pathogen. Today, Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is the approach to pest control that is almost universally accepted by both academics, and serious landscape professionals. The essence of IPM can be boiled down to two basic principles from which all other considerations flow.
The essence of IPM
The first is that plant resistance to pathogens cannot be separated from the state of the habitat in which the plant grows. A garden should resemble as far as possible a natural eco-system where the vast number and variety of organisms, ranging from microbes, fungi and insects, to birds, lizards and small mammals, balance each others population levels, to the point where Pest control or disease organisms are not eliminated, but kept under numerical control. The second cardinal principle of IPM is that the health and vitality of the plants is an integral part of the habitual horticultural practices adopted in the garden.
Aiming towards a balanced eco system
Inducing a massive flora and fauna to develop is a case of knowing what to do and perhaps more critically, not what to do. The greater the use of pesticides, the less the quantity of organisms and the range of species. Similarly, the more chemical fertilizers are applied as the chosen method of feeding, the fewer earthworms and other essential organisms will be able to survive in the soil.
IPM, regards the health of the soil, as a major priority in this holistic approach to pest management. Organic matter in the form of compost or humus should be consistently added to the soil, not simply to supply nutrients to the plants, but to improve its aeration and increase the biomass present. (i.e. the number and variety of organisms)
Irrigation and other gardening tasks.
Here are some examples of how seemingly unrelated gardening jobs, affect the degree to which plant pathogens can be controlled.
*Sprinkling lawns in the early evening creates optimal conditions for the development of harmful fungi. Sprinkling should be carried out as close to dawn as possible so that the early morning sun will reduce the air’s humidity level.
*The frequency by which lawns are watered also has consequences for pest control. Deep but infrequent watering, (where feasible) encourages roots to grow further down into the soil, thereby increasing their resistance to drought and disease, while reducing the population of pests such as Mole Crickets, which thrive in constantly moist conditions.