IPM

Integrated Pest Management teaches a holistic approach to the science of pest management, whether those pests are weeds, diseases or harmful insects. Its basic premise is to choose first a method of control that does the least harm to the environment followed very closely by examining one's tolerance of the pest.

A perfect example is moss in the lawn. Personally, I could care less if there's moss in my lawn. Grass, actually, because my grass does not meet the definition of a thick and verdant lawn. Moss grows slowly (less mowing), in the shade and in poor soil, stays green all the time and is soft under my bare feet. What's not to like? I have a high tolerance for moss. When I get around to aerating, de-thatching, over-seeding and topdressing my grass with compost, the moss population will go down. Hopefully the white clover and weedy violets will too, which I have less tolerance for. Improving the health of my grass will be my first line of control against the weeds that it competes against. No chemicals required.

I have a client who has ivy, a noxious weed in our county. When they bought the house the trees had 2.5" thick vines growing on them. Ivy can kill a tree, a very big tree. The vines were severed, a 4" layer of ivy leaves covered the small back yard 5 weeks later and we've been doing "Ivy Chore" ever since. There is zero tolerance for ivy on this property. The challenge is how to accomplish this without hosing the place in brush killer. It's easier than one might think. Granted this is a small suburban lot and the homeowners are "on it" between my visits to their home. Every time I'm there I spend some time on the ivy. The mere act of removing new growth inhibits photosynthesis leading to weakened organism. Digging out roots advances this protocol. We will win the battle!

When I ran the garden center for my local hardware store in 2010, a customer came in asking for a weed and feed product for his lawn. As I showed him where the product was he told me there wasn't a weed on his property. He didn't allow them, used pesticides to eradicate any interloper. While soils health and weed and feed fertilizers are for a future post, I will say that this gardener's philosophy is the antithesis of IPM. Even golf courses have more lenient standards than 100% weed free greens.

For questions about IPM solutions and horticultural consultation, please contact me at caitlin@heronandcrow.com.

Caitlin