Integrated Pest Management (IPM) may be a new term for some home gardeners, but Master Gardeners are trained about the use of IPM in the home garden, and regularly recommend IPM practices to those who come to us for assistance.  Since spring is on its way, I thought now was a good time to discuss IPM, before we all run down to the garden center and stock up on pesticides.

Home gardeners often use more pesticides per square foot than commercial farmers use.  Overuse of pesticides makes food less safe to eat, makes handling plants hazardous, is harmful to adults, children and pets, and can contaminate water supplies and harm wildlife.  Continuous pesticide use can also lead to insecticide-resistant insects, leading to the use of more toxic chemicals. ¹

According to the 1993 Oregon Master Gardener® Handbook, IPM is "...the wise use of pesticides combined with appropriate cultural practices:  planting pest-resistant crops, maintaining high plant health, providing an excellent growth environment, as well as using alternative pest control methods to develop strong plants and the natural enemies of the pest."

IPM is a fancy term for figuring out if you have a problem with pests that requires treatment, then taking care of the problem in the least toxic manner. IPM combines the most appropriate cultural practices, and biological, chemical and mechanical methods to control the pest population, while causing the least harm to the surrounding environment.  One of the goals of IPM is intelligent and prudent pesticide use.

IPM practices and concepts began in the 1950's, in apple production, and expanded to cotton production the 1960's.  Over use and dependence on the "silver bullet" that pesticides were viewed as in the 1940's led to widespread resistance to pesticides and insecticides, which forced researchers and growers to find alternative methods of pest control--thus, IPM.²

A main cornerstone to IPM is pest monitoring, whether by visual inspection or trapping.  (Extension has publications on pheromone traps

¹  Oregon Master Gardener Handbook, January, 1993.  Oregon
University Extension Service.
²  "Integrated Pest Management Strategies", L.B. McCarty