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Learn about common garden pests, diseases, and weeds, and discover effective strategies for identifying and controlling them. This informative guide emphasizes the importance of integrated pest management (IPM) and highlights non-chemical approaches as the first line of defense. Find out how to maintain healthy, pest-resistant plants and understand the role of beneficial insects and biodiversity in pest control. Remember, pesticides should always be the last resort!
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Garden Pest ID and Control Valerie Kish 6 April 2019 Hanover Gardening Series
Who Are The Pests? Weeds Wiregrass = Bermuda grass Hairy bittercresswww.umd.edu
Who Are The Pests? Insects Squash vine borer: left = adults; right = eggs develop into larva/worm in stem. www.extension.umn.edu
Who Are The Pests? Diseases Powdery mildew on raspberry (Rubusspp.) www.osu.edu Rust on hollyhock www.ag.umass.edu
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) • Strategy for keeping pest population at an acceptable level • Non-chemical approaches first • Pesticides are a last resort • Selective control of targeted pest • Requires identification of pest
Healthy Unstressed Plants Are Less Susceptible to Pest Effects • Healthy plants resist insect damage and plant diseases more than unhealthy plants • Healthy soil makes healthy plants • Grow plants under optimum conditions (light, moisture, soil pH, nutrient supply, etc) • Plants grown under less than optimum conditions are stressed and are susceptible to disease and insect damage (e.g. drought stress)
First Step: Know Your Garden • Scout and keep records • Know what healthy plants look like • Look for evidence of pests (e.g. chewed leaves, eggs, etc.) Black vine weevil notches periphery Assassin bug eggs
How Much Damage Can You Tolerate? Powdery Mildew on Phlox, missouribotanicalgarden.org. Japanese Beetles, extension.umd.edu
Second Step: Is Damage Due to Environment, Insect, Disease? Tomato with herbicide injury www.ncsu.edu Brown rot of peaches hgic.clemson.edu
Third Step: Non-chemical Control • Physical/mechanical • Cultural Row covers protect plants from egg-laying female insects Crop rotation disrupts pest life cycle
Third step: Non-chemical Control Biological Controls: Beneficial Nematodes Pestid.msu.edu Japanese beetle grub killed by nematodes extension.csu.edu
Non-chemical control Adding biodiversity helps control pests Aim for layers and native plants www.vnps.org Eastern bluebird www.wildfocus.org
Pesticides: A Last Resort • All pesticides are toxic; all are dangerous Pesticide Applicator License Training www.npic.orst.edu
Read the Pesticide Label • You must follow the label, it is the LAW. • Types of pesticides • Insecticide (kills insects) • Herbicide (kills plants) • Fungicides (kills fungi) • Miticides (kills mites) • Nematocides (kills nematodes) • ID the pest and choose least toxic pesticide
Low-Impact Insecticides • Botanical (Pyrethrum) Microbial (Bt, bacteria) Bt-infected caterpillar (top) www.wimastergardener.org Chrysanthemum cinerarium, researchgate.net
Synthetic Insecticides • More toxic than low-impact • May last longer in the environment • Sevin marketed as broad-spectrum insecticide • Targeting…no! Kills over 100 pests (grubs, spiders, mites, ticks, insects) • Selective…no! Penetrates mulch and kills soil insects • Rapid breakdown…no! 3 month control…”sit back and watch all those pesky critters die.”