IPM - A Campaign for the Environment

Published April 17, 2004

Over the past few years we have adopted and are continuing to expand upon an Integrated Pest Management program or "IPM." The goal of our IPM approach is to manage pests and the environment while balancing costs, benefits, public health and environmental quality.

Our IPM program encompasses all available technical information on the pest and its interaction with the environment. By applying this holistic approach to pest management we are able to take advantage of all appropriate pest management options. These options include but are not limited to the use of pesticides, biological and cultural controls. The following are examples of how we apply our pest management strategies:

• When over-seeding or seeding new areas we plant pest-resistant turfgrass varieties that are adapted to our climate and the expected use for the specific area.
• Frequent mowing during morning hours removes the dew and facilitates quicker drying thus lessening the chance of disease occurrence.
• Clipping removal: by removing clippings we are collecting Poa Annua seed heads thus lessening the seed reservoir and the chances of future germination of Poa Annua seed. Clipping removal also reduces the amount of decaying organic matter which causes heat that can raise the surface temperature several degrees.
• Modifying fertilizer rates and timing to control disease expression.
• Close monitoring and threshold development. By close monitoring we are able to establish the extent of the pest's development. Once the pests have exceeded our action threshold we determine the areas that are in need of treatment and then treat only those areas.
• Sometime this summer we will be placing "Bat Houses" along the perimeter of the golf course. Promoting an increase in the bat population will aid in the control of night flying insects. This is primarily for the reduction the cutworm moth, one of our most prevalent night flying pests.
• Tree removal in areas that lack the proper amount and quality of light Improving the quality and duration of light greatly enhances the turfgrass vigor and enables the grass to recover quickly from injury.
• Monitor and redirect cart traffic to lesson the compaction of specific areas. Compaction can lead to the encroachment of weeds and the occurrence of disease.

These are only a minute few of the many examples of how we apply our IPM program. If you would like more information on our IPM Program or if you would like to start a program of your own please let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

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