Callaway County
Callaway County
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Jarman's Weekly Agronomy News July 12, 2000 |
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Common Sense Approach to Garden
Pests |
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The natural tendency of many people is to "nuke" the garden with chemicals for anything they think is attacking their plants. However, if they are wrong the it can lead to misuse of garden chemicals and, may cause more problems than it solves. For example, problems with spider mites increase with the use of insecticides that kill their natural enemies. Many people wrongly say damage comes from an insect that happens to be on the plant at the time, when in fact that insect has not caused the damage and may even be beneficial. Many plant problems are not caused by insects or disease but are related to temperature highs or lows, overwatering, drought, damage caused by lawn mowers or weed-eaters, fertility problems, or overuse of chemicals. Most typical garden problems can be reduced or even eliminated by using good gardening practices. Often plants become more susceptible to pests if they are stressed. Also, pest prevention is often simpler and cheaper than pest removal. The first step is to see if a problem really exists. Since all plants and animals (bugs) in a garden will influence the overall working of the garden, any thing done by the gardener may have an effect on plants or animals other than those being treated. Few garden problems are simple enough to be solved just by spraying. Whenever possible, take action to prevent problems before they occur by choosing pest-resistant varieties and providing ideal growing conditions. Using plants that are well adapted for Missouri’s soils and summer heat will help them to better tolerate pest injury. Many insect infestations or disease infections do not require chemical control. Grasshoppers defoliating an apple tree in September need no control since the leaves will die back shortly anyway. Or, if you are harvesting the fruit or vegetable, you can tolerate some insect damage. One or two caterpillars on a tomato plant can be easily picked off versus treating with a chemical. Aphids or spider mites attacking peppers or tomatoes can be easily removed from the plant using a strong water spray. Good garden hygiene such as pruning out infested plant material and planting resistant plant varieties is a key to reducing pest problems. An added benefit this method is the preservation of beneficial insects. Be sure to ask yourself, if you can tolerate just a few more weeds and insects in your garden and not spray. Pest identification is essential for choosing correct controls. Many insects can be controlled using mechanical methods that reduce pest abundance directly. Examples of mechanical control are: weeding with mulch, mowing, weed eaters, hoeing, or hand pulling; destroying or removing disease-infested foliage by pruning; removing insects from plant material by pruning, handpicking or using high-pressure water sprays; and preventing insects from feeding on plants by using barriers or collars around the base of plants. Many insects natural enemies, and butterflies, bees and other pollinators, are killed by broad-spectrum insecticides. Using natural enemies (predators and parasites) such as ladybird beetles (by not killing them) to control insect pests is another method of control. Predators and parasites are constantly at work in gardens and occur naturally in almost any location. Information for this article is from Mary Kroening, State Master Gardener Coordinator, UMC. Next week watch for information on when you think you do need to "nuke".
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