Digging Deeper with IPM

Return to Welcome to UCCE Capitol Corridor

Most of the readers of this blog are familiar with the term IPM or Integrated Pest Management. For those who are not familiar with the term it is a big picture approach to gardening and pest management that starts with the least toxic steps first. At the heart of IPM is diagnosis. I learned this, again, this week. I have a row of 4 gardenias planted in a foundation spot under my kitchen window. They have been limping along for a few years now. To my eye, they looked to be deficient in nutrients of some sort or another. So I fed them food for acid loving plants. I waited a while, feeding on a regular schedule, but they never seemed to flourish. Over the course of months I added a compost top dressing, sprayed with a foliar-feeding, tried compost tea and waited. Nothing seemed to help. Someone in the house even gave them a good pruning to see if that might help. It did not. The UC IPM website says optimum conditions for growth are “rich soils with acidic pH” and “well- drained soil.” I decided to try digging the plants up to see what sort of drainage was going on. Under the couple inches of compost I found hard compaction with plenty of rocks leftover from the construction of our house. All that food I was giving them was probably running off – it just couldn't penetrate to the roots. I fluffed up the soil with more compost, mixed in some acidic food and put the shrubs right back where they were. I am hopeful that in addressing the underlying problem the nutrient issue will right itself. It is good to be reminded to keep the big picture in mind.