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Practice preventative management -

 

Keep plantings healthy by providing appropriate cultural care. Most plant problems are caused by inappropriate growing conditions rather than pests or diseases. If a plant requires substantial inputs of fertilizers or pest control, consider replacing it with a species better suited to existing site conditions. Minimize green waste, and reuse any that you create onsite as compost or mulch. Reduce expenses by minimizing irrigation and chemical input requirements. 

 

Checklist for Discouraging Plant Diseases: 

 

  1. Select suitable location for planting

  2. Practice annual rotation 

  3. Select disease resistant varieties, disease free seeds and transplants 

  4. Use correct soil structure, fertility and pH 

  5. Don’t overcrowd plants 

  6. Water properly 

  7. Control insect pests 

  8. Destroy or remove diseased plants 

  9. Be alert to leaf disease

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INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)

 

IPM is a coordinated decision-making and action

process that uses the most appropriate landscape

management methods and strategies to achieve

maintenance program goals and objectives in an

environmentally-sound manner. IPM seeks to prevent

pests by fostering a healthy garden environ-

ment where individual plants have the strength to

resist disease and insect infestations, and to outcompete

weeds.

• Monitor landscape condition regularly.

• Determine acceptable plant injury levels and set

action thresholds. It is critical to have clients

accept some pest presence to supply food sources

to support beneficial insect populations.

• Identify and learn the life cycle of pests so that

you can minimize their reproduction and damage.

You can also use beneficial insects that naturally

target these pests.

• Use proper timing of maintenance efforts.

Use beneficial insects or apply pesticides when

pests are most susceptible, not after they have

flown away.

• Select the least disruptive control and most

effective revegetation tactics.

• Evaluate and revise efforts.

Start with an evaluation of site needs. Consider soil

testing every 3-5 years to see if soils have enough

nutrients and the proper pH to support desired

plant communities. Use mechanical means to control

pests and disease. If mechanical means aren’t

feasible, consider biological methods of control. As

a last resort, IPM practitioners use chemical control

that has the least environmental impact.

1) Raise pest tolerance. Encourage your customer to

accept a higher level of pest presence and plant

damage. Set the expectation that a yard should

always have some pests to keep beneficial insects

fed. Educate customers about the level of damage a

plant can take and still thrive. Identify key pests,

key plants, and key locations that incur greatest

pest damage and drive costs.

2) Establish thresholds for action. Work with your

customer to identify triggers for various activities.

Thresholds can be based on visual observations such

as amount of plant damage, overall health of

plants or general appearance of plants. Some

actions, like applying fertilizer, may be based on

We proudly follow...

measurement results from soils tests or atmospheric

conditions like amount of rainfall. It is likely that

you will be inspecting the site more and

providing corrective actions less often. Ask these

questions when faced with a pest or disease:

a) What can be done to reduce the need for future

intervention?

b) How can you prevent or avoid these losses

and expenses?

c) Can hardier plants replace susceptible species?

3) Monitor the site to confirm the type of pest or

weed present and its appropriate life cycle stage.

If the pest is in the flying stage, and the larval stage

is really what harms plants, you may be too late to

prevent plant damage. You may need to consult a

master gardener, botanic specialist or diagnostic

lab for specific pest identification and information.

Many pests can be controlled by manipulating

their habitat – making it wetter, dryer, sunnier,

shadier etc.

a) Living organisms (insects, diseases or pathogens)

usually damage leaves or needles in a random pattern.

Frost or toxic chemicals produce more regular

damage patterns.

b) Signs of viral diseases include vein clearing (lack

of chlorophyll), growth inhibition or distortion.

c) Soft bodied insects are generally more easily controlled

than hard bodied insects. Immobile insects

are easier to control than flying ones.

d) Beware of misidentifying larger pest species. The

mole, not the vole or gopher, is the most common

yard pest. Reducing their desired habitat area, such

as lawns, will often help eliminate the pest.

e) A good rule of thumb for distinguishing between

pests and beneficial species is to look at parts of the

mouth. If the insect’s jaws point down, they eat

plants. If the jaws point out, they are predators and

a beneficial species worth protecting.

4) Keep records. Monitor regularly, and document

observations. Regular record keeping that is convenient

to use and easily accessed is critical to the

long-term success of an IPM program.

Less than 1% of insect species are

serious pests that affect humans –

Oregon/Washington Master Gardener handbook.

Stable natural ecosystems control more

than 95% of the potential crop pests and

carriers of human disease – Sustainable Sites

Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009.

 

PLEASE NOTE: We DO NOT use any pesticides on any of our properties that we maintain by default. We will ONLY use pesticides if specifically requested by the customer, HOWEVER WE WILL ONLY DO SO BY FOLLOWING IPM and only as a last resort.

ECObiz Landscape Maintenance Practices

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)

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