Integrated Pest Management for the Home Garden
Integrated pest management, or IPM for short, is a comprehensive strategy for battling pests and diseases in the garden. Instead of stepping in to remove the problem, it involves prevention, monitoring, and data to make informed decisions to reduce pests. Join longtime gardener Jerad Bryant in finding a pest management system that works well for you and your garden.
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The gardening economy benefits from misinformation! When you don’t know what insect or disease you’re dealing with, you may be tempted to run to the chemical aisle for a catch-all solution. Although these products claim to remove the pest problem, many actually make matters worse.
Some insecticides kill honeybees, pollinators, and beneficial predators. Without these critters, the pests will quickly expand out of control. The more you spray them, the worse the problem will get! The pests will inevitably return while the predators that control them will be absent.
By utilizing research, monitoring, and prompt intervention, you can effectively apply Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies to reduce harmful pests while preserving the balance of your garden’s ecosystem. Think twice before you spray—it may have lasting effects!
What is a Pest?
A pest is any organism that affects humans, animals, crops, structures, and natural areas. The organism can be a disease, a weed, or an animal. Aphids are common garden pests, while invasive Himalayan blackberry is a pest of U.S. forests.
Pests are often non-native organisms that expand outside their range. Sometimes, a native animal or plant will spread to another state and begin causing issues in the new environment.
Our gardens offer the perfect environment for many pathogens and pesky insects. Ample leaves and veggies offer food for caterpillars, mites, and bugs, while moist, warm conditions invite bacteria and fungi to thrive.
Some creatures may seem like pests, but they’re actually beneficial! Ladybugs, pirate bugs, and mud daubers are some examples of helpful critters. The more bugs you can identify, the better decisions you’ll make in the garden. Use an identifying app to help you if you’re unsure, like Google Lens or iNaturalist.
Integrated Pest Management
Now that we know what pests are, we can begin understanding how to prevent, treat, and monitor them. Whether you’re managing animals or diseases doesn’t matter; this process works well for all pest issues in the home garden.
Prevention
The first step is prevention! Healthy gardening practices prevent most issues from occurring. The more vigorous your plants are, the more likely they are to thwart insects and diseases before they harm them.
Keeping a healthy garden may seem complicated, but it’s simple! Start by adding compost wherever there is bare soil. Compost is key, as it injects nutrients, microbes, and worms into the soil wherever you put it. Add a layer two to three inches thick, and maintain it as it sinks.
Aside from adding compost, these other gardening practices ensure a healthy site:
- Proper plant spacing
- Regular pruning
- Fall and spring cleanup
- Fertilizing
Monitoring
A healthy garden will have dozens of insects, birds, and snakes. It may also have varying levels of pests depending on the time of year. Aphids, whiteflies, and cabbage loopers appear in warm weather, while slugs and snails come out of hiding when it’s moist and cool.
Taking weekly or daily garden walks will help you notice the intricacies of the home garden. You’ll see a bee and wonder, “Hmm, what kind of bee is that?” Take note of what you see and monitor for possible issues.
Notice when pests are active and inactive. Knowing when they’re abundant is crucial information. It’ll help you stay alert during high-stress periods, and it’ll allow you to relax when the issues aren’t present. Other things to watch for include predatory wasps, ladybugs, and birds. These critters help in the fight against plant-eaters.
Intervention
Let’s say you’ve added compost to the yard, you’ve monitored the site, and you notice an aphid population booming out of control! We’ll use the aphids as an example of a pest, as they’re easy to kill with a wide range of intervention tactics.
Intervening doesn’t mean spraying a pesticide. It can mean that, though that’s typically the last solution you’ll want to try. Using noninvasive, targeted approaches is ideal. I squish the aphids and spray them off. Boom, problem solved!
You, however, may not want to squish them! Instead, you can invite predatory wasps that kill them for you. Or, you can encourage ladybugs to feast on your aphids. Planting more flowering plants is the best way to invite these natural predators.
Sometimes, you’ll decide not to intervene! Perhaps you don’t mind cutting off rotten portions from your fruit, or you don’t mind holes in your lettuce leaves. We home gardeners aren’t limited by the constraints of the grocery market; we can decide how much or how little damage we’re willing to tolerate. The more damage you tolerate, the less pest management you’ll have to do!
Knowledge
Knowledge is power! It ties the previous three steps together. Knowing what animals and pathogens your garden has, how abundant they are, and when they’re most active are indispensable pieces of information.
Each year you garden, you’ll gain valuable knowledge on the local creatures, common diseases, and weather conditions in your area. You’ll know, for example, to grow lettuce in early spring before the summer leaf-eating insects appear.
If you’re unsure or unfamiliar with an issue, consult your local university for more information. Many university websites have information on all things gardening and farming. Or, pick up a book on the subject! Informing yourself is the best way to prepare for future gardening problems before they appear.
Pesticide Alternatives
Before you rush to pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, consider these integrated pest management alternative solutions first. They’re less harmful than pesticides and excellent for organic gardens.
Biological Controls
“Biological controls” is a fancy term for living things that target other living organisms. They may be predators like wasps, pathogens like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), or tiny creatures like nematodes. Many are targeted for specific pests, meaning each of your problems may have accompanying solutions.
To find a biological control for your integrated pest management plan, you must first know what issue you have. Some controls are generalists, like predatory wasps, while others are specialists. Generalists target many different creatures, while specialists attack a specific pathogen or pest.
Like with spraying pesticides, releasing biological controls can interfere with your home garden’s ecosystem. Monitor and survey the site first to ensure you know exactly what the issues are before you release possible solutions.
Many predators are abundant in the surrounding area. You don’t have to release them, you just have to invite them! Wasps, birds, and snakes are all beneficial helpers in your garden battles. Lure them with wildflowers, shrubs, and a water source.
Traps
Traps are simple to set up and easy to use. Many are better for monitoring and prevention than they are for intervention, like coddling moth traps. The traps tell growers when the moths are abundant so they can spray pesticides at the right time.
Other traps are helpful indoors! Yellow sticky traps control fungus gnats and fruit flies, while blue ones attract thrips.
If slugs are abundant in the garden, try a slug trap! Fill a container with a light beer or a bread slurry. A bread slurry is a watery mix of yeast, water, and flour. Dig the container into the soil so that its lip sits at soil level. The slugs will slime their way inside the trap, after which you can remove them. Feed them to your chickens or throw them in a compost pile.
Mechanical Methods
Finally, we’ll discuss mechanical methods! I tend to use these techniques, as they’re quick and easy to employ. Squishing, shaking, and spraying with a hose are some viable options. Which method to use depends on the pests at hand.
Sometimes, a mix of multiple methods will work best. After squishing pesky pests, spraying them off with a hose will prevent them from returning. Traps are technically a mechanical method, as they are structures that harm the creatures without chemicals or living organisms.
Other mechanical methods exclude the creatures from the garden. Cages and row covers are two examples. Cages prevent birds and rodents from eating seedlings, while row cover prevents flying insects from reaching your crops.
Best Pesticide Practices
If you do decide to use pesticides, some best practices minimize the harm they cause. Always spray pests in the morning or afternoon before pollinators are most abundant. Spray only the target area, and avoid using preemptive sprays that harm indiscriminately.
When choosing pesticides, opt for narrow-range types instead of broad-spectrum ones. Broad-spectrum pesticides target many different types of pests. Narrow-range types, instead, harm a specific group or species.
When dealing with bacteria, you’ll find a lack of bactericides. That’s because there are none! Some fungicides work well to control and destroy bacteria. Use them instead, and change the garden’s conditions to be less accommodating for the bacteria.
Key Takeaways
- Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a comprehensive strategy for dealing with weeds, diseases, and animal pests.
- How much or how little to intervene against pests depends on you, your garden, and the surrounding environment.
- Knowledge is key; the more you know about bugs, plants, and diseases, the more informed your pest control decisions will be.
- Before using pesticides, consider biological controls, traps, and mechanical methods first.
- If using pesticides, spray in the morning or afternoon to avoid harming pollinators. Choose a narrow range type instead of a broad spectrum one to further minimize harm.
