Vegetable Gardening

Advertisements for pesticides always depict attractive homes with beautiful yards, suggesting that simply buying and applying herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, homeowners can solve all their garden and pest problems.

But before succumbing to flashy packaging and marketing promises, consider the true costs of pesticide applications. Every chemical pesticide is poison -- it kills living things. Beyond dollars, we spend several hours applying the pesticide and then extra water to complete the application. Worse, we may actually be compromising the health of pets and family, killing beneficial insects, and polluting downstream or ground waters.

Learn the answers to the following questions before buying and applying pesticides:


What is causing the damage? Applying pesticides without knowing the real cause of lawn or plant problems wastes time and money. If you suspect there are pests causing lawn damage, find them. Dig a hole and collect and count grubs. Swoop a bug net over the lawn as you walk across it and carefully inspect the insects you that have been caught. Find a trustworthy resource to help identify the insects. (See resource box above/below??) Only then can you select the most effective management method.

How much control is needed? Catch pest infestations before too much damage is done. Once you see signs of pest infestation, watch carefully and note whether the pest is causing minimal damage or serious problems. Pest tolerance varies; stem galls or leaf-cutter bees, for example, may cause aesthetic problems only, so treatment is not recommended. Stem galls on roses, however, might need to be treated. Weeds in the lawn may be a nuisance and treated rarely, but weeds in a vegetable garden can reduce crop yield and should be controlled.

What is the best method? Nearly all pest-related plant problems, whether insect, weed, or fungus, can be prevented or minimized by keeping plants healthy. Once infested, use a control method with the least off-target effects first. Use harsher chemicals as a last resort. Weigh the benefits of using chemical pesticides against the potential risks. Many pesticide labels downplay the product's toxicity. Always read and follow label directions carefully. Learn more about the toxicity of common pesticides through the National Pesticide Information Center at http://npic.orst.edu; or the Extension Toxicology Network, http://extoxnet.orst.edu

Did the control work? If a poison didn't kill a pest with the first application, it may not work after a second application, either. Re-diagnose the problem; there may be a better solution.

Maggie Wolf is a Certified Professional Horticulturist.