The Role of Integrated Pest Management in a Proactive Landscape Maintenance Program
Integrated pest management is one of many techniques included on a menu of tasks routinely performed by Surrounds garden management teams when caring for Great Falls Virginia landscapes. Our commitment to best practices and continuing education makes our approach to landscape maintenance proactive and comprehensive.
The principles underlying Integrated Pest Management (IPM) fit nicely with our holistic approach to landscape maintenance. IPM relies on expert plant selection and plant care practices to suppress disease and pest activity in lawns and gardens.
In addition, frequent visits and inspections at the client property ensure that disease or pest issues, when they do occur, are identified and properly treated before widespread damage occurs.
Keeping a Garden Healthy with IPM
IPM methodology is based on practical, health-centered plant care. It is not organic or pesticide-free care. An IPM program will use pesticides selectively when and where necessary. The focus is on preventative care that supports the propagation of garden-friendly insects (a.k.a. beneficials) and organisms that support plant health. Pesticide use represents one small part of a well-rounded garden care program.
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Weed scientist Dr. Barry Troutman was a technical advisor to National Association of Landscape Professionals and a nationally respected expert on turf care and pest management. Dr. Troutman defined IPM as “the use of scientific knowledge to solve problems in the landscape”. He said that any effective IPM program must include these five steps:
- Adapted Plant Material. Grow plants that are adapted, not only for Northern Virginia but adapted specifically for their location in your landscape. Don’t confuse the term native plant with adapted plant. Native is a general term. A plant could be native to Virginia but poorly adapted for a particular planting site in terms of sun, shade, and moisture.
- Healthy Soil. Soil composition, fertility, and pH must be right for the plant. Our clay laden Northern Virginia soils have to be amended so that they have the proper moisture-holding ingredients.
- Maintenance Practices. You have to mow and prune properly. In the industry, we call these “cultural” practices. You have to mow a lawn at the correct height for the temperature and moisture conditions. You must prune correctly to strengthen the structure of a plant. And you must prune at the right time of year so you don’t interfere with flowering the following spring.
- Irrigation. You have to water properly. If you don’t have an irrigation system, then you have to go back to number one on this list and select drought resistant plants. If you do have an irrigation system, beware that we tend to over water unless we regularly check the system and adjust for changing conditions.
- Pest Control. Pest refers to anything that damages desirable plants or limits their growth in a significant way. That could be a garden pest insect, a disease, a microorganism, a weed, or wildife. The first step in pest control is identification. Know exactly what you are up against. The second step is to decide whether chemical treatment is necessary, or if predator insects and beneficial microorganisms can handle it for you.
The most important steps are the first four. Those have to do with your garden management and landscape maintenance practices. If you get those first four right, Troutman said, the less need you will have to employ chemical treatments.
Treat the Problem Not the Symptom
Dr. Troutman said, “the presence of pests is usually a symptom of a deficiency somewhere else.” That is precisely why Surrounds practices a holistic approach to landscape maintenance–to prevent the opportunity for disease problems to develop. When a problem does arise, we take time to correctly identify the disease or insect pest before deciding how to treat it. This diagnostic component is essential to the practice of IPM.
Here’s an example: irrigation. You see a brown spot on your lawn. It needs water, you think. Not so fast! There is a common fungal disease called “large brown patch” that attacks grass roots during wet summers. If you fail to identify the problem accurately before taking action you will make your problem worse. In this case, the solution to the problem is counter-intuitive: do not apply water. Let the area dry out and then treat for the disease.
Here is another example: weeds. You see weeds in your lawn and decide to spray the entire area with herbicide. Troutman would say that may not help at all because “weeds grow in the lawn because there is open space for them to grow.”
A dense lawn tends to have very few weeds. If you try to control weeds but don’t make the lawn healthier, you’ll end up with more weeds coming up in the same spots. The weeds are a symptom. The problem is your lawn has not been properly fertilized to compete with the weeds.
A Solution Becomes a Problem
Organisms evolve around obstacles. That’s true in the insect world, the weed world—all of it. Crop dusting every week was selectively taking out the weak organisms, leaving behind the ones that were resistant.
Professor Stanton Gill of the University of Maryland Extension says the concept of IPM originated in commercial agriculture years before it was adopted by residential landscape maintenance contractors. During the 1960s, U.S. cotton growers were in a losing battle with pests determined to destroy their crops. It was common practice at that time to mix a little of everything (miticide, insecticide, herbicide) into a chemical cocktail, then spray it over cotton fields from the air.
This approach eventually backfired. Pest insects that survived the constant spraying developed resistance and were multiplying. At the same time, predator insects and beneficial microorganisms were being wiped out of the field. This left the cotton plants even more susceptible to disease and infestation. It was an endlessly ineffective approach. The cotton industry was headed for a crash, so they went to the universities for help.
It’s All About Timing
IPM comes from education, the ability to identify something and decide if it is a real problem. If action must be taken, you take the least toxic course, one that will have the least impact on everything else, the predator insects and pollinators.
Researchers dispatched to the fields, collected samples and documented what they found. Most importantly, researchers were able to pinpoint when certain pests would emerge and become active. They discovered, for example, that a destructive caterpillar emerged in April, and that a certain beetle arrived in June.
With this knowledge, they could anticipate threats and take preventive action. They were able to change their approach to spray for a target pest during the precise time when it would be vulnerable. They also began to rotate materials and use a different chemistry to keep pests from developing resistance.
The Benefits of IPM in a Holistic Landscape Maintenance Program
An IPM approach to landscape maintenance and garden care is valuable to the homeowner precisely because it is so labor-intensive. It requires more “checkup” visits to a property than standard yard maintenance programs. It also requires highly trained landscape technicians who possess the expertise to identify pests, weeds, and diseases—and who communicate well with clients. The homeowner receives:
- customer-centric care
- high-level expertise
- attention to every detail
If you plan to invest in landscape maintenance services, wouldn’t it feel good to know that your landscape is being cared for by personnel who really know their stuff? If you’d like to discuss how a different level of stewardship can improve the health and appearance of your landscape and gardens, feel free to schedule a consultation with a member of our garden management team.
Perhaps you’ve been wondering how to bring out the fullest expression in your landscape and gardens. Our eBook: Choosing the Right Kind of Landscape Maintenance Firm, is full of valuable information to help you understand the fundamental differences between landscape maintenance companies.
Integrated Pest Management Frequently Asked Questions
1 What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a proactive approach to landscape care that combines proper plant selection, healthy soil, routine maintenance, careful monitoring, and targeted pest control to reduce disease and pest problems while minimizing unnecessary pesticide use.
2 Does Integrated Pest Management eliminate the need for pesticides?
No. IPM does not eliminate pesticides, but it uses them only when necessary and in the least disruptive way possible. The emphasis is on preventing problems through healthy landscape practices rather than relying on routine chemical treatments.
3 What are the key components of an effective IPM program?
An effective IPM program focuses on five essentials: selecting plants suited to their specific location, maintaining healthy soil, following proper maintenance practices, watering correctly, and accurately identifying pests before deciding on treatment.
4 Why is identifying the cause of a landscape problem so important?
Many lawn and garden problems are symptoms of an underlying issue, such as poor irrigation or weak turf. Correctly diagnosing the cause before treating it helps prevent unnecessary damage and leads to more effective, long-term solutions.
5 How does IPM benefit homeowners?
IPM results in healthier landscapes through frequent inspections, expert diagnosis, and proactive care. This approach helps protect plants, reduces unnecessary pesticide use, and gives homeowners greater confidence that their landscape is receiving knowledgeable, detail-oriented stewardship.
About Surrounds Landscape Architecture & Construction
Surrounds is a combined landscape architecture, construction, and landscape maintenance firm. We build what we design and provide ongoing garden care for landscapes we’ve built. Our landscape architects know construction. Our construction and landscape maintenance experts understand design. We believe our all-in-one approach best serves Northern Virginia homeowners because it supports clear communication, creative collaboration, and procedural efficiencies that significantly benefit you, our client.