Extension

Last week this column introduced what an Integrated Pest Management plan is. Now it’s time to focus on the elements vital to a good IPM plan.

 

When designing an IPM master plan, gardeners first use tactics to prevent or minimize pests from making themselves at home. This requires planning, scouting, recordkeeping and education. The plan should be sustainable and flexible for problems that may arise.

 

Gardeners need to monitor the garden for signs and symptoms of pests and pest damage, which can take some practice. Thoroughly inspect the plants and record your findings, including what insects are found, what weeds are growing and any plant diseases that may be developing. A few tools are needed, including a good magnifying glass, a small trowel or pocket knife and a flashlight in case gardeners are doing some scouting after the sun has gone down. Optional tools include a bucket, shake cloth and plastic vials with snap caps.

 

When gardeners find a pest, it’s important to find out what it is because you can’t treat what you don’t know. To help with this process, contact an experienced Master Gardener or a local Oklahoma State University Extension educator. The next course of action will be easier to determine once the pest has been identified.

 

The master plan will include preventative and corrective tactics. Preventative tactics include do nothing, cultural, biological, mechanical/physical and regulatory controls.

 

Do nothing is exactly what it sounds like. Sometimes the pests aren’t numerous enough to be a problem.

 

Cultural tactics include choosing resistant or tolerant plants, choosing healthy plants, proper placement in the landscape, providing all things needed to keep the plant healthy, good garden sanitation, crop rotation, trap crops/companion plantings and green manures/cover crops. Oklahoma Proven plants are great choices for planting because they have been evaluated by the horticulture faculty at OSU for their wide adaptability in Oklahoma’s diverse growing conditions.

 

Inspect plants for signs of any pests before purchasing. Make sure container plants aren’t root-bound and are in a sterilized potting medium. It’s important to keep the garden area clean. Use proper sanitation to prevent the spread of disease and keep the area free of dropped fruit, dead branches or infested plant material. Also, keep garden tools clean and sterilized.

 

It’s a good idea to rotate annual crops by plant families. Many insects and diseases are “picky” about which plants they will attack. If plants within the same family are grown in the same place year after year, pests, such as nematodes, soil-dwelling insects and soil-borne diseases can build up. Change the “family” of annual plants that are grown in a spot each year.

 

Use trap crops and companion plantings to disrupt pests. Trap crops are a way to concentrate a pest into a small planting of a preferred plant to protect the main crop from infestation.

 

Green manures and cover crops are a way to increase the organic matter in a soil and suppress weeds. They work much like a “living mulch”. Some green manures, such as wild brown mustards, can naturally fumigate soil, suppressing some weeds.

 

The next column will focus on biological, mechanical/physical and chemical tactics.