Integrated Pest Management

Prevention is the first tool in pest management because it is the most effective, least expensive, most environmentally friendly solution. Choosing a healthy plant that thrives in the desired location with the available light, planting it carefully, and ensuring that it has adequate water and nutrients prevents stress and minimizes pest problems. Stressed plants can attract pests. The second most important tool in pest management is early intervention. Being present and observant in the garden ensures early detection. Reacting to problems quickly, before they have time to multiply, requires a less dramatic intervention. The third most important tool is recordkeeping; tracking what happens in the garden enables a gardener to recognize patterns and make informed decisions. Record planting dates, varieties, purchase location, dates of problem onset, weather conditions, management strategies and their effectiveness, and other kinds of information that help you to recognize relationships and form gardening strategies.

Many safe, practical, nonchemical methods of plant protection and pest management may reduce or eliminate the need to spray. Other methods are most beneficial when used with pesticides. To implement management practices correctly and to minimize losses, gardeners should be aware of the types of pests that attack plants and understand pest biology. Scouting methods, equipment selection, timing, and other pest management practices all depend on an accurate knowledge of the pest. Pest management methods fall into four groups: cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical.

Cultural methods of suppressing pest problems on the farm include preparing the soil; choosing plants that are adapted to the site conditions, that are not attractive to pests, and that are tolerant of insects and diseases; rotating crops; interplanting; timing planting dates to avoid pests; managing weeds; and planting "trap" crops.

Mechanical methods require time and can be more practical for small farms. For example, the use of row covers to exclude pests can be effective. Depending on the size of the farm, however, it may be a large expense and time investment to place the row covers, remove them to allow for pollination, and replace after pollination. Handpicking also has limitations. Once crop damage is noticed, it might be too late for handpicking to be effective. This is why observing is so important to any IPM strategy. Actively monitoring the crops and looking for the first signs of damage keeps the insect populations at a level that allows handpicking to be successful.

Biological management is the process of reducing a pest population by using predators, parasites, or disease organisms that ordinarily occur in nature.

If the pest has been correctly identified and is still a problem after other management strategies have been implemented, chemical options may be considered as a last resort. Herbicides are available to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects, and fungicides and antibiotics to manage diseases. It is imperative that the selected chemical is labeled both for management of the offending pest and for use on the specific type of plant upon which it is to be sprayed. All users are legally required to follow the instructions on the pesticide label including the amount and timing of application.