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In the world of pest management, there are several different aspects to keep in mind as you customize your IPM program. These include physical, cultural, biological and chemical considerations — all of which play a role in keeping your greenhouse as insect-free (and disease-free) as possible. Mark Brotherton, portfolio leader at SePRO, gives us a brief overview about how giving attention to these categories can help save your business from lost product.

Physical precautions

Proper sanitation — When you finish growing and shipping off the last of your crop and you’re ready to begin with a new variety, it’s important to remember to power wash the walls with a sanitizing product — along with your floors and benches, to get rid of “any kind of bacterial [or] fungal cell that might still exist and cause havoc for the next crop,” Brotherton says.

Proper weed management in and around the greenhouse will reduce the risk of insects (and possibly diseases) getting into your greenhouse, he says. You may also put screens up around open areas to prevent insects from entering your facility, and make sure you get rid of standing water — which can be a host to mosquito or other insect eggs, larvae, algae and other bacteria that can be harmful to your crop.

Scouting – Every grower should have a hand lens, Brotherton says. “Check on the undersides of leaves and in and around the crown,” he says. “And then, if it’s feasible, look at the root system. Do an overall diligent job scouting the plant and looking through from top to bottom for different insects and diseases.” Yellow sticky cards are also a great tool to discover adult insects flying about in your facility, he says.

Cultural best practices

Water — Maintaining good irrigation practices is another way ensure your plants aren’t vulnerable, Brotherton says. For example, irrigating too close to nighttime will cause the leaves to stay wet for an extended period of time—this is especially inviting for diseases.

Space out plants — Brotherton adds that proper plant spacing is also important. “If [plants are] packed in tight together, it restricts airflow and you have a higher propensity for disease outbreak,” he says.

Fertilization — Over-fertilizing or under-fertilizing can also make your plants susceptible to pest pressure, Brotherton adds, so make sure you’re supplementing nutrients correctly.

Recordkeeping –— This is important for knowing how to prevent “hot spots” of outbreaks in the future, Brotherton says. “Make sure you hit those areas, and hit them well [with pest-eradicating products], but also, on the next go-around when you have another plant, you’ll know to look at those specific areas as your early-indication spots.”

“Secondly, when you have good notes and recordkeeping, you’re able to 1) tweak your rotation if it didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped; or 2) you know what you did, and if it worked well, you can easily repeat it,” he says.

Biological and chemical considerations

Choosing biological products – If you’re planning on using a beneficial insect program, one of the most important steps to take is to first research if the pesticide you’re considering is compatible with that species, Brotherton says.

Chemical product resistance levels — Another important factor to consider is the different chemistries and chemical classes of your pesticides, he adds. When you’re developing a rotation, make sure to use good rotational practices and avoid repeated use of the same chemistries. Simply rotating active ingredients doesn’t necessarily mean you have a sound pesticide rotation. You have to be sure those chemistries fall in different chemical classes. This will help pests from building resistance to the product.