By Ken Johnson
Warm weather has arrived, and plants are starting to green up and bloom. That also means weeds, insects, and diseases are starting to become active too. As the saying goes, the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes, and for gardeners, pests are also included in the list of life’s guarantees.
When faced with some of these pest problems, consider using integrated pest management. IPM is an approach to reducing insect pests, weeds, and disease populations to an acceptable level using a variety of different techniques, while not typically trying to completely wipe out the pests. There are four techniques used with IPM: cultural, physical/mechanical, biological, and chemical.
Exploring IPM Techniques
The idea behind cultural management is growing and maintaining a healthy plant. A healthy plant is less susceptible to disease, and they are better able to withstand attacks from insects and competition from weeds. This means growing the right plant in the right place at the right time.
Source : illinois.edu