If you have ever been flummoxed by a pest problem in your garden, I can assure you that you are not alone. Even the best gardeners are outdone by perplexing maladies in their cherished plots — whether that be a pesky gopher eating your prized plants’ roots from beneath, a burst of white flies in your zucchini patch or a sunken leathery lesion on the bottom of your patio tomatoes.
It seems gardening at whatever scale brings new challenges every year and lucky for all of us, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources provides free, timely and research based information through their website, ipm.ucanr.edu, that can guide you in finding solutions to your seasonal gardening challenges.
IPM stands for “Integrated Pest Management” which can help people like you and me identify and solve pest problems while minimizing risks to ourselves, our families and the environment in which we live.
The stated goals of UC IPM are to:
• Develop science-based pest management programs that are economically and environmentally sustainable
• Protect human health and the environment by reducing risks caused by pests and pest management practices
• Provide leadership in IPM including building coalitions and partnerships that link with communities and public agencies
• Increase the predictability and effectiveness of IPM techniques
• Increase utilization of ecologically based IPM programs
This year in my vegetable garden I noticed ample numbers of what appeared to be white flies. On the IPM website linked above I typed “White flies” into the search engine and was taken to an informative web page that covered the signs of a whitefly infestation as well as how to reduce them using traps or hand removal and pruning out the infested leaves which removed the tiny nymphs on the underside. Loaded with this information I was able to be more vigilant and recognize the pesky sapsuckers more quickly on my second crop of zucchini and cucumbers. An outcome that was very satisfying on lots of levels!
The beauty of the ipm.ucanr.edu website is that it covers pest and disease diagnosis and subsequent management for not only a vegetable garden but also your flower beds, shrubs, trees, lawn and even your indoor houseplants. It’s a great troubleshooting companion no matter where your gardening interests take you!
The Madera County Fair is happening from Sept 10-13 and Madera County Master Gardeners would love to see you there! You can find our booth in the Garden Building, next to the livestock area.
SAVE THE DATE: A free, fun and family friendly Fall Festival will be taking place at our 3 Sisters Garden on October 24, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. More details to follow!
Happy gardening!