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Pest Management

This is the time of year to be putting your IPM into gear. But what is IPM anyway?

May 12, 2015

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an economical, environmentally sensitive and effective way of dealing with pests in our gardens, whether they are bugs, blights or other bad news.

According to Penn State University, the very first farmers didn’t “control” pests, but instead allowed their presence by planting enough for them to eat too. (That gives new meaning to the term “share cropping!)

Around 2500 B.C., things like sulfur, tobacco, soap, arsenic or copper sulfate compounds, and all kinds of voodoo-like materials were used to combat pests, generally by killing them. That went on up until modern times though there were a few folks who recognized alternatives. An example:

“The agriculture journals have presented various recipes, as preventive of the attacks, or destructive to the life, of the “curculio,” the “apple-moth,” the “squash-bug,” etc. These decoctions and washes are as useless in application as they are ridiculous in composition, and if the work of destroying insects is to be accomplished satisfactorily, we feel it will have to be the result of no chemical preparations, but of simple means, directed by a knowledge of the history and habits of the depredators.” In other words, there were alternatives to chemicals. (The Practical Entomologist (October 30 1856)

Then came Rachel Carson whose Silent Spring brought the issue of pesticide safety to the attention of the public. She pointed to the adverse effects of things like DDT on wildlife, water quality, and human health. And, in the early 1950’s, that led to the beginning of serious research concerning integrating various approaches of managing pest control to find the least toxic, most effective options. We now know this as Integrated Pest Management or IPM.

Leafminer,bugwood.org
Leafminer,bugwood.org

As a home gardener I see our IPM consisting of:

-A garden planned following the “right plant, right place” concept, whether it be ornamental or vegetable—considering sun, shade, soil pH, moisture, etc.

– Regular inspection tours to identify changes, problems-in-the-making in our gardens.

– Resources that are available to help us identify the culprit and our most appropriate alternative.

-Chosen pesticides applied according to the label…

-maintained records so that next year we have a “heads-up!” to help guide our plant choices and our surveys. When should we watch for what?

Debbie Green will soon be posting a list of useful on-line references. From time to time during the growing season our BLOG will be issuing IPM ALERTS—what to look for and what to do if you see it. Stay tuned!

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

 

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Categories Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Tags IPM, pest control, pests

It’s time to attack Poison Ivy!

July 21, 2014

 

Poison Ivy

Along with many other weeds, Poison Ivy has really taken off this year, and many gardeners are faced with “Now what do we do?” The major point now is not to let any of it go to seed, and beyond that here’s a list of options:

Goats: Not practical in every situation but can be effective.

Weeding or hand pulling of the whole plant, including the roots: Effective but again not practical for many of us.

Flame: Works for many weeds but NOT FOR POISON IVY! Breathing the smoke is extremely hazardous!

Foliar spray of a chemical herbicide: From midsummer into fall, before the leaves turn color: Glyphosate, triclopyr, dicamba and 2-4,D are the most commonly available in garden centers. These are the active ingredients listed in small print on the front of the container. Read and follow the label directions. Add a sticker or surfactant if called for to help the chemical adhere to those shiny leaves.

Cut stump treatment: For major vines that are climbing trees, cut the vine and immediately treat the stump with a concentrated herbicide. Use a spray, brush, sponge or wick. The best time for this approach is late winter into summer when the plant is actively growing, not now. In many cases, and depending on how long the problem has been growing, the control project will be more than just a one-shot deal. For example, the NCSU bulletin on poison ivy suggests severing the vine that has grown up a tree as step one, followed by poisoning the stump and perhaps mowing the shrubby part to the ground so the live plants may be more easily treated with an herbicide.

Bottom line: The sooner a problem plant is recognized the easier it will be to handle.

Again: Don’t let any of these bullies go to seed. “One year seeding means eight years of weeding!”

Poison Ivy in Autum
Poison Ivy Stem on Tree Trunk

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Weeds Tags goats, herbicides, pest control, poison ivy

Harbingers of Spring May Be Invasive Plants

April 28, 2014

One of the signs of Spring on our Master Gardener hot line is the question “What are those lovely purple-flowered trees we see along the highways?”

The dangling flowers of Paulownia grow from an upward-growing stem and collectively form a panicle
The dangling flowers of Paulownia grow from an upward-growing stem and collectively form a panicle

There are really two possibilities, the most likely being the Princess Tree, Paulownia tomentosa.  This tree can quickly grow to as much as 60 feet and is not at all demanding as to moisture or soil. That’s why we typically see it in locations where the soil has been disturbed and little else is growing.

Paulownia flowers are borne on erect panicles that grow upward. Each of those flowers produces a capsule that contains literally dozens of light, winged seeds that are widely disbursed by the wind. That explains how they reach high on the cliffs in the rocky gorge of  I-40 west toward Tennessee, for example.

Not only does the question arise on the Master Gardener helpline!  Apparently it is a frequently asked question of the staff of the NC Welcome Center along I-40. Prominently displayed on the doors of the welcome center are signs that tell what they are and that they are not native to NC.

The flowers of the other possibility hang downward in showy clusters and that’s an oriental Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis.  This is a vine but when it climbs and envelops a tree it can easily be confused with Paulownia, being about the same shade of violet or purple.   Your answer then is to check the arrangement of the flowers.  Growing upward equals Paulownia, hanging down, Wisteria.

Wisteria forest photo courtesy of peidmontgardener.org
Wisteria forest photo courtesy of piedmontgardener.org

Paulownia, by the way, is the “Miracle Tree” you see advertised for its flowering beauty, rapid growth and tough constitution.  However it really doesn’t make a good landscape tree as It has weak branches and  produces a lot of litter as leaves and seedpods scatter later on. Both, Paulownia tomentosa and Wisteria sinensis, are listed by several states and the US Forest Service as being invasive, definitely not the kind of plants you want to bring home to meet the family.

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Invasive Plants Tags Paulownia tomentosa, princess tree, purple flowered tree, Wisteria sinensis

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