How to keep insects and diseases out of your garden.

Of the many different control methods that can be used to reduce insects and diseases in a garden, cultural controls make up a large part. Cultural controls are methods that depend upon action by the grower such as improving plant growing conditions, crop rotation and sanitation.

Sanitation is one of the best methods that can be employed in an Integrated Pest Management approach to control insect pests and prevent disease problems in gardens. Sanitation consists of all activities that are aimed at reducing or eliminating insect populations and disease inoculum (a pathogen or its parts that can cause infection) present in a garden and to prevent their spread to healthy plants.

As we head into fall, efforts should shift more into clean-up mode to make future pest control easier. Prompt removal and proper disposal of infected leaves as well as removal of accumulated plant debris that may harbor insects and pathogens is one of the easiest ways to keep problems under control. By removing dead/dying leaves and cleaning up fallen leaves, you can significantly reduce or eliminate places where insects and diseases persist in your yard. (Regularly check your plants for damaged leaves.) Keep gardening clean-up tools sharp and clean and do not put diseased leaves in your compost bin.

Keep a record of past problems or mark your calendar to prevent repeating past mistakes. For example, if Peach Leaf Curl was a major problem in your garden this year, a good fall clean-up, including pruning, followed by dormant sprays in fall and early spring can help you avoid the same problems again. Peach Leaf Curl can often be prevented by a spray treatment of Copper Fungicide or Serenade in late fall after the tree is dormant and preferably again as flower buds begin to swell in the spring (but before new green leaf tips are first visible).

If the tree has already leafed out and developed the disease, you can still help the affected tree this year by doing some selective pruning and thinning of the fruit to compensate for leaf loss, water regularly, and apply a mild, balanced fertilizer to help maintain the tree’s vigor. You can also spray Copper Fungicide or Serenade. Serenade (a bio- pesticide) is a “naturally occurring substance (bacteria) that control pathogens by nontoxic mechanisms.” Unlike Copper Fungicide, a spray of Serenade lasts for days and helps increase the tree’s vigor and immunity, which can help the tree fight the Peach Leaf Curl fungi and other pathogens. To learn more about this, check out the video Serenade fungicide Mode of Action on YouTube!

Finally, find out all you can about the habits of your problem pest or pathogen and use that information against them by timing your treatments to be more effective! Remember, most problems can be avoided or reduced simply by keeping your garden (and tools) clean.

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