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Integrated pest management , Aka , IPM


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“Integrated pest management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their 

damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, 

and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established 

guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected 

and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non target organisms, and the environment.”  

 

G'Day OS

 Most of us tend to wait to see if we have a prob B4 acting , this IMHO is a bad idea & to be honest bad grow management ,

 Proper IPM means all the steps it takes to prevent nastiness from getting into your garden to begin with.

 

Best game plan is to get on Guard and use a Multitude of sprays and always be switching it up

hear is some basic things I've started to implement in my garden that might help or give food for thought to a fellow grower 

 

One part of a IPM consists of foliar spraying , things like teas , essential oils ect for the sole purpose of keeping things away or killing what might be there , 

above all a healthy plant will go a long way in defending itself , plants have been doing it for thousands of years you know !

No problems in a old growth forest , no human , no retractable hose & no powerfeed !  

 

Application maybe the most important part to a good IPM

When spraying some essential oil like neem for instance , it is very important to cover all surface , soil surface or mulch , plant stems , under side

of leaves & top side of leaves , you could add to that any plant growing near by but please be aware of your impact on that plant ( food )

& on others , your neighbors . Also important , the sprayer , standard hand sprays work fine on small plants , you can also get a hand sprayer with

a swivel head that makes it easier to spray the under sides of leaves but IMO a wand type sprayer would be the best choice for nook & cranny spraying

 

If your buying essential oils ,  which could be pure neem , there will not be an application rate for plants possibly , starting low is advisable , currently I'm using 

2,5ml per liter with the intention to go to 3.5ml per liter , however i have a test plant , all sprays are tested on that plant first , days B4 , then make a new batch

& go for it if all is well

 

Major warning , never spray oils during sun up , It Will Fry Your Plants , make no mistake , only spray early morning , late evening or lights out 

 

You will need an emulsifier for the oils to blend with water , some will suggest some sort of soap which will work fine but if we're going to spray anything or even

do anything to our plant then it should be worth something to the plant , I use 2 things at the same time , silica helps fight PM & emulsifier & aloe for the saponins 

 

good quality silica http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/products/liquid-fertilisers/premium-liquids/potassium-silicate

 

& a Aloe Vera extract http://aloeveraaustralia.com.au/aloe-vera-raw-material-1litre.html

 

Another option prob the best option for emulsifying & saponins at the same time but a lill pricey

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Yucca-Extract-Therm-X70-Natural-Organic-Wetting-Agent-Spreader-Coditioner-1quart-/201437207632 i have not used this product ,

 

I use a blender to mix & emulsify the spray , add a little water in the blender first then add silica then oils & blend for 30sec then add aloe , i found adding

aloe at the start with the silica will bind it up & go a bit chucky on you & not emulsify very well . In winter you will need to sit some oils like neem in some warm

water for a while before mixing due to pure neem going hard at low temps , having slightly warm water when you mix & spray anytime is handy 

 

there are many ways to help protect your plants from nasty's , a post from a very smart nurseryman / canna grower  aka clackamas coot

 

Maybe sharing different approaches will be helpful for everyone, i.e. taking a different look at making the best use of the materials you have to work with.

 
Neem (or Karanja) products are at the center of my IPM program. Neem meal (aka cake) is used in the soil mix and I also use it to make a tea in conjunction with kelp meal.
 
As a bio-nutrient accumulator, neem meal is on par with the heavies like alfalfa, kelp, comfrey, borage, stinging nettles, etc. and what distinguishes one from another are the
 
unique compounds that they create. Only brown kelp species create Alginic acid & Mannitol. Alfalfa creates Triacontanol but Comfrey does not and so on and so on.
 
Neem creates over 360 compounds of which around 30 function as a pesticide and/or fungicide. So with this one material I have two problems covered. Another compound that we
 
want to see in our soil is an enzyme called Chitinase (Pronounced Kite-In-A's) Many organisms create this enzyme including bacteria. The reason that we add crab meal is for the
 
Chitin (Kite-In) As bacteria degrade this polysaccharide this enzyme is created and it's this enzyme that gives us the pesticide benefit - not the Chitin directly.
 
Well, in my studies I learned that sprouted seeds release this enzyme that was encoded by the parent plant. So besides the enzymes that enhance the resin levels, the enzymes
 
teas play a role as a growth regulator by degrading the eggs preventing the larva from maturing. I also top-dress the containers with a mix of chopped leaves with vermicompost.
 
Plants that I've used successfully include comfrey, borage, peppermint, spearmint, oregano, rosemary, thyme, stinging nettles and always a bit of neem meal.
 
Having that layer prevents a number of problems as far as insects & equally important the powdery mildew curse in the PNW. ( Pacific North West)
 
I also make fresh teas using different plant leaves - lavender, spearmint, peppermint, oregano, thyme, borage, comfrey and my new favorite, yarrow. In fact when I spray with
 
neem oil rather than mixing with plain water I use a botanical tea in its place. Some of the compounds in these leaves will kill on contact whereas neem oil does not. It works in a
 
completely different way so by using botanical teas as the base you're getting a double whammy against the invaders.
 
Besides spraying above the soil I also lightly mist the top of the soil with any combination that I mentioned. 
 
Powdery Mildew free since 2009 and as close as you can get to being free of Spider Mites in the PNW for over 2 years. The results speaks for itself.
 
CC
 
Above all , always look into what me or someone else tells you to feed or spray on your plants , many things look fine on the surface , barley straw's great mulch & food for fungi
but barley grown with pesticides , maybe not , consider " Poo " cow , sheep , chicken , most bagged products are by products of large commercial farming , with commercial
farming practices , Silica , is used in areas of the metal work industry & is a by product of that industry & can find it's way in to nute bottles every now & then 
If you have the ability to close the loop then absolutely go for it you lucky bugga you , but for the rest of us , research research research , lots of brick walls , lots of frustrating fun
for all the " Growing " family ! batteries not included........
 
 
I'm no expert or claim i know it all ,  just trying to get my act together like every body else , would be nice to hear from others and there organic IPM experiences
or info you could share on what not to use / keep away from maybe , as a possible future resource for fellow growers & possible future patient providers
 
 
ALWAYS MASK UP , It's never ok not to , ALWAYS MASK UP , chems or bottled/diy organic , ALWAYS MASK UP , make time . ALWAYS MASK UP !
rubber gloves & eye protection aren't a bad idea ether ,
 
 
Protect You
 
 
Some resources :
 
Read "anything" you fine by clackamas coot
 
 
 
Uni Of Cali IPM , http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/
 
 
Goodbugs.org.au , Bio-control IPM http://www.goodbugs.org.au/IPMnotes.htm
 
 
 
Lastly just would like to thank Crowsange very much for the editing & advise on this post 
Best of growing to all 
Regards 
Itchy 
Edited by itchybromusic
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Top post itchybro....so much more to learn but having the time of my life and beginning already to see things happening..ie lacto and some of the teas..  IPM is super important where I am as the weather and bugs go bananas spesh around the warmer months.  Little bit each day and when I see what can be done for so little $ and stuff I can pretty easily access here (regional) it really inspires..we just don't need most of the stuff we pay top bucks for with unknown inputs.  Cheers for the post and keep em coming :good:  I always wanted to grow this way from the start but it all seemd too hard and coco was the easiest way to grow half decent flowers.  I am also trying to establish my food gardens as well and grow as much as we can at home...for the same reasons as canna. I am subscribed

 

Peace and good things to you Itchybromusic

 

Faith :sun:

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Top post Itchy :good:  And thanks for the generous credit :)

 

 

I have inadvertently implemented my own IPM this season and have reaped the benefits already.

 

Trying to take on some of what you've told me, I've added neem meal and bokashi compost into my soil and given plants the malted barley teas coupled with random applications of solutions of milk, molasses, aloe vera and coconut juice.  Mulched heavily with (herbicide treated :P) barley straw.

 

I use that Nutri-Tech Potassium Silicate too... after reading a post on here that it helps with heat stress, something my plants are exposed to quite a bit of!  Nice to know that it is good for control of powdery mildew too :)

A note on that too... I purchased that 5L container for about the same price that the hydro stores sell a 1 Litre equivalent, I think it is Flairform?  I will probably never get through the whole 5L but the Flairform product seemed such a rip-off.

 

And the result... the dreaded white fly, which has thoroughly invaded my garden every season without fail, has yet to make an appearance on my plants this year :D  This will hopefully reduce chance of rot affecting my buds come Autumn.

And I have some of the healthiest, nicest looking plants I've grown to date :D

 

Now, if I could just control my drying and curing conditions, I might produce some buds that taste and smell as good as yours :D

 

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Top post itchybro....so much more to learn but having the time of my life and beginning already to see things happening..ie lacto and some of the teas..  IPM is super important where I am as the weather and bugs go bananas spesh around the warmer months.  Little bit each day and when I see what can be done for so little $ and stuff I can pretty easily access here (regional) it really inspires..we just don't need most of the stuff we pay top bucks for with unknown inputs.  Cheers for the post and keep em coming :good:  I always wanted to grow this way from the start but it all seemd too hard and coco was the easiest way to grow half decent flowers.  I am also trying to establish my food gardens as well and grow as much as we can at home...for the same reasons as canna. I am subscribed

 

Peace and good things to you Itchybromusic

 

Faith :sun:

Cheers Faith , 

Peace & growing to ya 

 

 

Top post Itchy :good:  And thanks for the generous credit :)

 

 

I have inadvertently implemented my own IPM this season and have reaped the benefits already.

 

Trying to take on some of what you've told me, I've added neem meal and bokashi compost into my soil and given plants the malted barley teas coupled with random applications of solutions of milk, molasses, aloe vera and coconut juice.  Mulched heavily with (herbicide treated :P) barley straw.

 

I use that Nutri-Tech Potassium Silicate too... after reading a post on here that it helps with heat stress, something my plants are exposed to quite a bit of!  Nice to know that it is good for control of powdery mildew too :)

A note on that too... I purchased that 5L container for about the same price that the hydro stores sell a 1 Litre equivalent, I think it is Flairform?  I will probably never get through the whole 5L but the Flairform product seemed such a rip-off.

 

And the result... the dreaded white fly, which has thoroughly invaded my garden every season without fail, has yet to make an appearance on my plants this year :D  This will hopefully reduce chance of rot affecting my buds come Autumn.

And I have some of the healthiest, nicest looking plants I've grown to date :D

 

Now, if I could just control my drying and curing conditions, I might produce some buds that taste and smell as good as yours :D

Love that herbicide treated barley mulch Ange lol 

some more cool info there thanks for adding , grow more for less

 

80/20 rule

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