New Search
• <br /> 1 <br /> A Strong Cultural Foundation <br /> 1 <br /> Holding pest control action until/unless it is truly necessary is a <br /> major way that IPM has historically reduced pest control costs. But the <br /> best results will only be achieved if/when the cultural needs of desirable <br /> vegetation (whether landscape plant materials or appropriate roadside <br /> plant communities) are fully supplied. Healthy, vigorous, well- adapted <br /> plants will be more resistant to both pests and weed species invasion. <br /> This begins by using trees, shrubs, ground covers, and turfgrass <br /> varieties that are adapted to the climate, soils and cultural situation <br /> present at the site. (Remember that resistant varieties were a foundational <br /> element of Hunter and Coad's strategy against the boll weevil.) As <br /> simplistic as this principle sounds, almost everyone in the vegetation <br /> management business knows of one or more instances where it was <br /> ignored. Often, these become the very situations that require a pesticide - <br /> intensive program to keep poorly adapted plant materials in an acceptable <br /> state of health or appearance. In some cases, even though pesticides are <br /> routinely applied, tinel a lied the health and appearance of the landscape or roadside <br /> plants are never what the designer envisioned or intended. <br /> I once was invited to a community that wanted to reduce pesticide <br /> use by municipal parks and public works maintenance crews. Ironically, <br /> this same community had, only a few years before, planted sycamore and <br /> linden trees along the streets of their downtown core. The sycamores were <br /> prone to the disease anthracnose, while the lindens attracted masses of <br /> aphids that dripped honeydew on automobiles parked adjacent to the curb. <br /> 8 <br />