Plant Health Care, Integrated Pest Management and Monitoring in the Sustainable Landscape

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1 Plant Health Care, Integrated Pest Management and Monitoring in the Sustainable Landscape Ladd Smith In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes Ray Willard Washington State Department of Transportation

2 Ladd Smith 2

3 Ray Willard 3

4 Ray Willard 4

5 What is Integrated Pest Management? IPM is the key to establishing and maintaining a sustainable and environmentally friendly landscape IPM is based on an understanding of the complete ecosystem surrounding a given landscape IPM is a coordinated decision-making and action process that uses the most appropriate vegetation management methods and strategies, along with a monitoring and evaluation system, to achieve the function and intent of the landscape The use of IPM naturally leads to improved plant health and more naturally self-sustaining plant communities 5

6 IPM in State Law RCW (1) "Integrated pest management" means a coordinated decision-making and action process that uses the most appropriate pest control methods and strategy in an environmentally and economically sound manner to meet agency programmatic pest management objectives. The elements of integrated pest management include: (a) Preventing pest problems; (b) Monitoring for the presence of pests and pest damage; (c) Establishing the density of the pest population, that may be set at zero, that can be tolerated or correlated with a damage level sufficient to warrant treatment of the problem based on health, public safety, economic, or aesthetic thresholds; (d) Treating pest problems to reduce populations below those levels established by damage thresholds using strategies that may include biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical control methods and that must consider human health, ecological impact, feasibility, and costeffectiveness; and (e) Evaluating the effects and efficacy of pest treatments. (2) "Pest" means, but is not limited to, any insect, rodent, nematode, snail, slug, weed, and any form of plant or animal life or virus, except virus, bacteria, or other microorganisms on or in a living person or other animal or in or on processed food or beverages or pharmaceuticals, which is normally considered to be a pest, or which the director of the department of agriculture may declare to be a pest. 6

7 From a Sustainable Landscape Standpoint Stronger, healthier communities of plants Better soil stability Restored and enhanced soil life Better water retention and percolation in soils S T O R M W A T E R Lower impact on all natural resources: air, water, wildlife Lower maintenance requirements ($$$!) over time Think L I F E C Y C L E 7

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10 Things to Think About with Pesticides How toxic are they? To humans To non-target organisms To other environmental endpoints Are they a means to an end, or part of a routine treatment??? What about organic pesticides? If you have to use pesticides Read the label! Applicator safety Proper rates and application timing Monitoring and evaluation to ensure efficacy 10

11 IPM and Plant Health Care Overview Create a Healthy Garden Ecosystem Prevention is the key, healthy plants are more resistant of pests and disease, and out-compete weeds Know Your Pests Observe and understand the inter-relations before you spray, stomp or squash Give Nature a Chance to Work Tolerate a little damage; get to know the beneficial bugs; sometimes problems work themselves out Use the Least Toxic/Least Disruptive Pest Control Available Develop a system for recording observations and evaluating the effectiveness of controls from one season to the next 11

12 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 12

13 Prevent Problems Practice plant health care and encourage natural adaptation wherever possible 13

14 Prevent Problems Good Design! 14

15 Site Prep, Design and Proper Maintenance 1. Grading and Drainage! 2. Creating a Healthy Soil System 3. Planting the Right Plants in the Right Places 4. Ongoing Sustainable Maintenance: Watering Mulching and Weed Control Fertilization Pruning Mowing Routines Reducing Pest Habitat Use of Pesticides Monitoring and Evaluation 15

16 Healthy Soils = Healthy Plants Feed soils with organic amendments like compost to: Keep soil loose and fertile Help prevent plant disease Store water and nutrients in the plant root zone Soils without compost With compost amendment 16

17 Environmental Benefits of Healthy Soils Allow rainwater to infiltrate, slowing runoff, preventing erosion, and filtering out urban pollutants Reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which can have a negative impact on stream water quality and aquatic life Reduce the need for irrigation, so we can leave more water in the rivers for fish (and save money too!) 17

18 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 18

19 Yikes! There is a Pest Problem! Make careful observations: What is the damage? Is it getting worse? Are signs of insects or diseases visible? Is it effecting the health of the plant or plant community? Is what you are seeing really a problem? 19

20 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 20

21 What s the Cause? Drought stress? Nutrient deficiency? Insects, fungus or disease? Poor soil condition? Too much water? Too much sun? Wrong plant in the wrong place? Poor pruning? Planted wrong or girdling roots? Weed seed source? 21

22 Residential Thresholds: Based on Client s Personal Threshold level 22

23 It is all about relationship building 23

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27 Top 5 lists for landscape pests: Top 5 problematic plants Top 5 insect problems Top 5 disease problems Top 10 weed challenges 27

28 Himalayan Blackberry/Rubus americanus

29 Scotch Broom/Citisus scoparius

30 Horsetail/Equisetum arvense

31 Spotted Catsear/Hypochaeris radicata

32 Tansy Ragwort/Senecio jacobaea

33 Butterfly Bush/Buddleia davidii

34 Orange Hawkweed/Hieracium aurantiacum

35 Yellow Archangel/Lamiastrum galeobdolon

36 Garlic Mustard/Alliaria petiolata

37 Stinky BOB Herb Robert/Geranium robertianum

38 Ladd s Adds: Morning Glory Shotweed 38

39 Problem Plants: Arborvitae Spider Mites Root Rots Cypress Tip Moth Scale 39

40 Cypress Tip Moth damage 40

41 Problem Plants: Birch trees (B.pendula) Birch Borer Aphids 41

42 Good substitute-river Birch (Betula nigra) 42

43 Problem Plants: Spruce Trees Spruce Aphids Cooley spruce gall Adelgids 43

44 Problem Plants: Spruce Trees Cooley spruce gall Spruce Aphids 44

45 Problem Plants: Rhododendrons Lacebugs Root Weevils Powdery Mildew Phytophthora Bud Blast 45

46 Rhododendron Bud Blast 46

47 Problem Plants: Fruit Trees Apple Trees Cherry Trees Peach Trees Plum Trees 47

48 Lots of problems with fruit trees Apple Scab Coddling Moth Cherry Bark Tortrix (CBT) Apple Maggots Wooley Aphids Peach Leaf Curl Aphids 48

49 CBT Codling Moth 49

50 Top 5 Problem Insects: Birch Borer 50

51 Birch Borer 51

52 Insects: Root Weevils 52

53 Root Weevils 53

54 Spider Mites (not an insect) 54

55 Spider Mites 55

56 Insects: Lacebugs 56

57 Lacebugs 57

58 Litter removal is the worst activity 58

59 Insects: Aphids 59

60 Aphids 60

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63 Aphids: Signs of Beneficials 63

64 Top 5 Diseases: Anthracnose 64

65 Antracnose 65

66 Diseases: Verticillium Wilt 66

67 Verticillium Wilt 67

68 Diseases: Scab 68

69 Scab 69

70 Diseases: Powdery Mildew 70

71 Powdery Mildew 71

72 Diseases: Rust 72

73 Rust 73

74 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 74

75 What Can You Do About It? Stressed Plant? Go back to Step 1: Prevention! Good soils and mulch The right plant in the right place Proper plant care, including: Proper watering Proper mulching and weeding Proper fertilizing Proper pruning and mowing Minimizing the pest habitat 75

76 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 76

77 If Prevention Alone is Not Enough Control is Necessary? Consider all options available 77

78 If Prevention Alone is Not Enough Control is Necessary? Always use the least-toxic, least-disruptive controls available 78

79 If Prevention Alone is Not Enough Control is Necessary? Consider Physical Controls First: Removal Traps Barriers Repellants Weed burners 79

80 If Prevention Alone is Not Enough Control is Necessary? Meet the Beneficials! Mealy bug destroyer Green lacewing Rove beetle Ladybug larva, eating aphids 80

81 If Prevention Alone is Not Enough Control is Necessary? Least-toxic sprays: Soaps Horticultural oils Neem oils and hot pepper sprays Selective spot sprays 81

82 Think twice before using pesticides! 82

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84 Pesticides -icide (means to kill) A.I. Active Ingredient Herbicide Modes Of Action: Cell breakdown, protein and enzyme disrupters Insect Modes of Action: Reproductive, Endocrine Disruptors, Neuroacting 84

85 Pyrethrins Derived from chrysanthemums Pyrethrin-related illnesses and injuries continue to increase in Washington. This increase probably reflects the predominance of pyrethrins in home use insecticides such as foggers. Respiratory symptoms are the most common reported symptoms. 85

86 Avoid combination products & mixes Weed & Feed with weed control Turf builder with moss control Roundup + Surflan 86

87 The Dose Makes the Poison For example, a WSU dog under 15 pounds will have a different dose-time response than a typical WSU fraternity member. 87

88 25(b) products Registered on the state, not the Federal level. Active ingredients are naturally derived- examples include clove oil and corn gluten. EPA has evaluated their use as effective in controlling pests. 88

89 25b Pesticides-The biopesticides 1) Microbial pesticide consists of a microorganism Bt 2)Naturally occuring substances that control pests by non-toxic mechanisms- insect sex pheromones 3)PIPs-Plant Incorporated Protectants- BT added to genetic material 89

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94 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 94

95 Evaluation How well did controls work? Need a system to record treatment details and corresponding results There is power in data 95

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99 IPM and Plant Health Care Flowchart 99

100 How Can You Prevent Future Problems? Go back to Step 1: Soil Water Right plant right place Proper plant care Sun Shade 100

101 Practice Plant Health Care! 101

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