RE: [GWL]: Organic Style Magazine (was: Gardening magazines)

Subject: RE: [GWL]: Organic Style Magazine (was: Gardening magazines)
From: Nan Sterman nsterman@plantsoup.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 08:39:33 -0700
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Title: RE: [GWL]: Organic Style Magazine (was: Gardening maga

Jeff,

I suspect that your definition of IPM and mine are a bit different.

To me, IPM is an approach that starts with observing the situation and deciding whether there is a problem. From there, one proceeds to determining the threshold level of that problem, i.e. is it a problem I can live with or is it one that needs some attention. The next step is to determine whether the problem can be resolved by a change in cultural practices or some other "non-treatment" method. If that doesn't work, start with the least invasive or least toxic treatment for the problem, and so on.

The bottom line is that not every problem is solved by a chemical (natural or synthetic), but when a problem does need to be addressed that way, start with the least environmentally damaging approach and proceed from there. In my experience, 99% of the problems encountered can be solved by changing cultural practices or use of non-synthetic treatments.

EPM is a new term to me, please explain...

Nan,

IPM is a wonderful commercial technique, but I don't believe it is appropriate to the home landscape nor for the average homeowner. It works best in the monoculture of the farm, while the home landscape is a very varied ecosystem. IPM is successful when monitoring is done properly. Monitoring as required by IPM is not feasible for the average homeowner nor even the average gardener, in my view. It's hard to do and requires considerable knowledge to do properly. IPM makes good use of certain beneficial insects that are appropriate because they are specific to certain pests. On the other hand, in the home landscape, the three best beneficials are ants, spiders and ground beetles, but they are not specific; but far more important than the lady bugs, green lacewings, and tricho wasps in the total scheme of things. Finally, the insecticides of choice for most IPM experts I know are light hort oil and insecticidal soap. These are two pesticides that are very difficult to use effectively by an amateur; timing and application techniques being so defined and critical.

Now if you want to talk about EPM, ecological pest management, then you are on to something for the home gardener.

Later,

Jeff Ball

-----Original Message-----
From: Nan Sterman [mailto:nsterman@plantsoup.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 7:27 AM
To: Gardenwriters@topica.com
Subject: Re: [GWL]: Organic Style Magazine (was: Gardening magazines)

However, IMHO, the major reason that organic has been misunderstood in this country was a disrespect for the consumer's intelligence. When you were writing for Rodale, you had to take out anything that smacked of "science," use an 8th-grade vocabulary, and make certain all your constructions were simple. It was impossible to write as if you were writing to peers; you had to write down, down, down. You couldn't even explain the science in simple language. This was disastrous. It gutted the concepts, eventually eroding them until all that was left was a narrow concern about human health. Rodale did it because they wanted to popularize organic methods and they believed that this was the way to do it. Maybe they were correct.

Oh I see! I always wondered what repulsed me about OG. I subscribed many many years ago and the tone and information was so cult-like that I gave up my subscription as soon as it expired, though I was very involved in non-chemical agriculture (and still am). IPM has always appealed to me greatly and largely because of its scientific approach to treating problems, starting with the least intervention and moving slowly from there. OG was (and in some ways still seems to be) like religion and I believe in the separation of church and garden.

Give me the science behind the fanatacism and I'll consider it. No science, no deal.

Thanks Miranda

Can we work IPM into this discussion?

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Nan Sterman PlantSoup

205 Cole Ranch Road

Olivenhain, CA 92024 760.634.2902 (voice)

nsterman@PlantSoup.Com 760.634.2957 (fax)

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