IPM
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a strategy based on the ecosystem focusing on long-term prevention of pests or their damage. Pests include diseases as well as insects, mites and other animals.
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Pesticides are chemicals used to lessen or eliminate pests including insecticides, rodenticides, herbicides and fungicides. Pest control materials should be selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non target organisms, and the environment. Not all pesticcides involve the use of dangerous poisons, but all should be used with care.
Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism.
Even when pesticides are applied according to recommended specifications, harm to the environment can happen. Pesticides are generally not selective to only harm a single selected target, but affect many species in ways not intended. Beneficial and predetory species that could keep pest species in check are also killed when pesticides are applied. Birds and mamals sometimes eat dead or dying poisoned pest species and the poisons get into the diets of other species in the food chain. Pesticides can linger in the environment and end up in the soil or water and ultimately end up in the food and water.
Some people will not tolerate any insects or animals, benificial or potential pests to survies in their yards, and apply many unnesessary chemicals that harm not only the intended target "pest" but can also harm other species.
Our society has encouraged a lack of tolerance for any damage. This has led to much more use of pesticides than is really justified. Any fruits or vegetables considered less that what is "perfect" are generally thrown away. Produce in the grocery stores are heavily sprayed with pesticides in order to satisfy this obsession. The result is pesticides in our foods, soil and water and ultimately in other animals and humans. Having a greater tolerance for less than perfect will go quite a way to a healthierr environment.
Our desire to control and manipulate our environment has improved many things such as higher yeilding crops through fertilization, pesticides, large heavy farm equipment that plows, plants, harvests and much more very efficiently. All these have also had some negative effects on the environment through such things as contamination of soil and water, soil compaction and erosion, non-target species poisoned, and health problems for people and other animals.
A combination of techniques should be used before chemicals are considered.
- biological control
- habitat manipulation
- modification of cultural practices
- use of resistant varieties
- knowledge of the pest's life-cycle
- tolerance for some minor damage
Diseases
Diseases sometimes present a problems until the life cycle of the disease is understood. Visible symptoms of disease are often seen many days or weeks after the pathogen has infected the plant. For instance, gray mold on strawberries infects the plant during bloom, but shows up later on the fruit. Spraying the fruit with a fungicide does no good, and is dangerous because it would be on the fruit when it is eaten.
Potted Plants
Potted plants are captive creatures and at the mercy of their caretakers. They may be indoors or outdoors. Indoors or out, potted plants need more care than plants growing in the soil out-of doors in order to stay healthy.
Healthy plants are best able to resist pests. When plants are healthy there is little need to apply dangerous pesticides.
The pot should be large enough for the plant to have plenty of room for roots to grow and for the soil not to dry out too quickly between waterings.
Pots should have a hole at the bottom for drainage that is not obstucted to prevent water from seeping out.
There is a very strange superstition that the hole on a pot should be blocked with a pice of stone of broken clay pot "for drainage". All this will dois PREVENT drainage if the hole is blocked.
When a pot does not drain out excess water, it acumulates in the pot and fills with water. when all the air spaces between the soil particles are filled with water most plants will drown.
Soil
Watering
Houseplants
Seldom do thinking people enjoy putting poisons in our living areas.
It is always safest if houseplant care is done organically. Using IPM methods of keeping the plant healthy and using non-chemical methods before resorting to chemicals is best.
Most of us enjoy having plants in our homes. Plants are attractive, a room feels more cozy with plants, and they add oxygen to the air, making it more healthful for us.
Most plants find the conditions inside our homes a bit stressful. Stressed plants are more likely to attract pests and be damaged.
Winter is especially hard on plants as we over heat and dry out the air. Windows can be drafty and too cold for plants that tend to often be tropicals.
Pots
Most plants are kept captive in pots much too small for the roots of he plant, causing them to become rootbound, winding roots around the pot, looking for a bit more soil.
Pots should have a hole at the bottome for water to drain out. A saucer may be placed below to protect the floor or furniture.
Over watering is a frequent problem. When plants are over watered, the soil is oversaturated and the plant drowns.
An easy way to determine if a plant needs watering is to push your index finger into the soil about 1/2 inch deep. If the soil feels cool, it does not need water if if feels the same temperatrue as the air it probably does.
Use lukewarm water when possible and water until the water begins to seep ou the bottom of the pot.
