OC0367
Michigan State University Extension-Oakland County
Integrated Pest
Management for the
Home Gardener
What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest management,
or IPM , is an environmentally
sensitive approach to pest (i.e.
insect,
weed,
disease)
management. It combines, or
integrates,
cultural,
mechanical, biological, and
selective chemical control techniques to
suppress pests with the least disruption to the
environment and maximum attention to human
safety. IPM has been used successfully in
agriculture for nearly thirty years and should
become an important tool for the home
gardener in the future.
Basic IPM Strategies:
• Select resistant plants: Choose pest (insect
and disease) resistant plant varieties. This
includes grass, tree, shrub, flower and food
crops that are derived form disease-free stocks
and are pest resistant. In addition, use native
plants or well- adapted varieties.
• Use good gardening (cultural) practices:
These practices include maintaining healthy
soil, providing adequate drainage and good air
circulation, providing proper moisture, choosing
the right plant for the right place, and keeping
the garden free of pest harboring debris. A
healthy, vigorous plant is less likely to be
affected by diseases and insects.
• Establish threshold levels: Decide what
level of weed, insect, or disease presence or
damage is acceptable. Setting pest tolerance
too low may necessitate excessive or
unnecessary treatment which can result in
environmental damage.
• Monitor Pests: Regularly inspect plants to
determine the level and type of pest problems
and to determine if and when treatment is
needed (pest level exceeds threshold). Be
aware of beneficial organisms as well as pests.
When deciding on a treatment, the goal is not
to eliminate the pest, but to keep pest and their
damage to acceptable levels with the least
disruption to beneficial organisms and the
environment.
• Identify the problem: Always identify the
insect, weed, or disease causing the problem
before initiating treatment. (Note: keep in mind
that in case of insects, only a very small
number are actually pests.) When a pest is
accurately identified in damaging numbers
(above threshold), select a control which is
targeted to the specific pest, if possible.
Beneficial organisms may be impacted by the
control, so proceed with caution. Start with the
least toxic method. Advance to a more toxic
method only if the first does not work. Be aware
that many biological and chemical controls are
effective only during a certain stage of a pest’s
life cycle.
Controls used in an IPM system
• Cultural controls: Maintain a healthy soil
with a good balance of nutrients and organic
matter, plant resistant varieties, pay attention to
habitat conditions like drainage, humidity and
air circulation, provide proper moisture, rotate
flower as well as vegetable beds, mow lawn
high, use plants that fit your garden conditions
(soil type, sun, shade, climate), utilize companion
planting methods, and keep the garden free of
pest harboring debris.
• Physical and mechanical controls: Hand pick
insects, hand pull hoe weeds, flush pests off
foliage with water spray, prune out or remove
diseased or damaged plant materials, mulch well
to reduce weeds, install traps and barriers.
be used first. Pesticides vary in levels of toxicity
and persistence (the length of time the chemical
lingers in the soil, water, or atmosphere). Read
labels or other available literature carefully to
determine levels.*
*EXTOXNET, a comprehensive pesticide information
notebook compiled by the cooperative extension offices of
four universities, is available for use at selected garden
centers, hardware stores and libraries within the SOCRRA
communities. The book contains profiles of the toxicology
insects: and characteristics of over 100 commonly used pesticides.
• Biological controls and beneficial
Introduce “good” insects or diseases that feed
upon or infect only the pests. Three types of
natural are: predators, which kill harmful insects
by eating them; parasites, which kill pests by
laying eggs in them; and pathogens, which kill
pests by causing disease. Attracting birds and
introducing beneficial insects such as the
ladybug, lacewing, and praying mantis helps to
keep pest populations in check.
• Chemical controls: The term pesticide refers
to a chemical products which includes
insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Selective
use of organic (naturally-derived or occurring
from natural sources) and synthetic pesticides
needs to take into consideration the other
components in the IPM system. For example,
many commonly used pesticides can kill
beneficial insects which are used to control pests.
No chemical is used routinely. A pesticide should
be used only after alternative strategies have
failed. Chemicals with the lowest toxicity should
Would you like additional information?
Additional information is available on-line. Please see MSU Extension-Oakland
County’s publications as well s MSU Extension’s Bulletin Office on campus.
Contact our Plant & Pest Hotline (248/858-0902) for assistance with plant
identification, pests and diseases, weeds, trees and shrubs, lawn, flowers,
fruits, vegetables, grasses and groundcovers, native plants, plant propagation,
and many other gardening topics.
Distributed by MSU Extension-Oakland County, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341, 248/858-0880,
www.msue.msu.edu/oakland
MSU is an affirmative-action equal opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height,
weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status.