integrated pest management
Integrated Pest Management is all about using the safest method you can to control or eliminate a pest. This can include recognizing that what you see is not harmful to the plant and can be safely ignored. It might mean using a stream of water to dislodge insects, picking beetles off plants, or using spun poylester fabric to keep insects off vegetables so they aren't eaten by them, instead of us. In some cases, if a pesticide will prevent serious harm to the plant, it will help us decide what is the safest product to use to solve the problem and do as little damage as possible to the plant, us and the environment around us.
Identifying the pest is the important first step. There are good books available, we have knowledgeable staff that can help you, and photographs of all of the most common pests are now on our website and can be found in this section. It is also important to recognize that all holes in leaves are not caused by insects, and that plants can survive very well with holes in their leaves. As long as there is enough leaf surface for photosynthesis, part of a leaf is just fine. If there are holes in leaves, that doesn't necessarily mean that an insect is there at that time. It may have eaten its fill and have gone by the time you notice the damage. There is no point in spraying a hole! Some holes are caused by a short-lived fungus. Spraying the tree with an insecticide, when a fungus which is no longer a problem caused the holes, is not going to help.
Insects such as ladybugs are wonderful aphid eaters and should be treasured. Remember, though, that you can't use insecticides in your garden and then expect the ladybugs to be happy there! Do you know what ladybug larvae look like? If you see little dark blue armadillos with orange spots on them, welcome them. They eat more aphids than their parents do.
Keeping plants healthy makes them less susceptible to pest problems. Most fungus lives best in wet, cool weather. Our nights are very cool and fungus will thrive on moist, cool leaves. Watering in the morning, when the weather will hopefully become warmer and drier, will make it much less likely that a fungus will grow. Some insects are drawn to plants that are under stress. Giving them the best growing conditions you can will cut down on damage. Some varieties of a plant are resistant to common insects or diseases, and are worth considering.
If you decide that a chemical pesticide is appropriate, it is very important to READ THE LABEL! The manufacturer has gone to a great deal of effort to find the most useful and safe concentration to use, and to identify plants that it can be used for. Making the mixture stronger won't work better, it likely won't be as effective, and the plant may suffer from too strong a concentration. The label will tell you what plants it can be used on, what insects it controls, when and how often to use it and what the concentration should be. Do it!
Ask us for help if you are concerned about a pest problem. We'll help you sort it out. Happy gardening!