Plant Health Care is a fairly new term for an older idea.Integrated pest management is what it has been known as in the past.The newer "P.H.C.", is geared more towards a holistic approach which is a proactive rather than reactive approach to property management.For those of you who have spoke with me in person on your property we have surely spoke of some of these ideas.
The
first step we take in implementing a PHC system is to
identify, and list all plants on your property. How can we take care of your
plants if we don't know what they are? Once we have a plant list,it allows us to use our knowledge of the different plants and all of their different needs, such as likely pest problems, common environmental problems or differing sun, shade or water needs. During
this research, you will uncover some key plants--those that are
problem-prone and likely to require the most attention.
After
identifying the plants in your garden, we can
determine the key
problems, both biotic (living
organisms such as insects, fungi, slugs, and deer) and abiotic
(non-living factors such as weather, fertility, irrigation). Key
problems are the ones most likely to impact plant health and require our attention. For pests, we know to
identify various stages of the life cycle, recognize symptoms of
damage, and know which management options are both effective and
environmentally sound.
If we promote total plant health, we avoid
many problems (preventative medicine). Cultural and environmental
problems are minimized, and healthy plants are better able to
withstand insect or disease damage.
Note: Pesticide applications
or alternative strategies based on calendar dates are seldom used in
PHC or IPM since they are often ineffective. The development of many
disease and insect pests is closely linked to plant phenology--for
example, the timing of bud break or bloom. Since these events can
occur at different times each year, pesticides and many of the
possible alternatives must be applied to correspond to critical
periods in the plant's development if they are to work. Properly
timed applications maximize their effectiveness and reduce their
potential impact on the environment.
Through proper usage of PHC we can reduce the amounts of pesticides used on your property and and have a lesser impact on our environment.
For a PHC review or implementation on your property contact us at: tom@jtlnl.com
or call us at 816 916 5067
