Holistic pest management [Chapter 15]

Abstract

As any experienced grower knows only too well, nursery management is a continuous process of solving problems. Murphy's Law of "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" sounds as if it were meant for native plant production. One recurring problem is pests. Nursery managers have traditionally talked about "controlling" a pest. This approach usually involves waiting for an insect or disease to appear and then spraying some toxic chemical on the already dead or dying plants. Instead of a knee-jerk reaction to a specific problem, pest management should be a series of interrelating processes that are incorporated into the entire spectrum of nursery culture.

Parent Publication

• Nursery manual for native plants: A guide for tribal nurseries - Volume 1: Nursery management

Citation

Landis, Thomas D.; Luna, Tara; Dumroese, R. Kasten. 2009. Holistic pest management [Chapter 15]. In: Dumroese, R. Kasten; Luna, Tara; Landis, Thomas D., editors. Nursery manual for native plants: A guide for tribal nurseries - Volume 1: Nursery management. Agriculture Handbook 730. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. p. 263-275.