IPM for Gardeners: A Guide to Integrated Pest Management

by Philip L. Nixon

Since the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, interest in alternative pest-management strategies has increased dramatically. As a way to reduce the use of pesticides and keep plants healthy, integrated pest management (IPM) has evolved to emphasize prevention, early diagnosis (or "scouting"), and long-term control strategies -- not quick fixes. Many nurseries, land-use agencies, and public gardens now require the use of IPM as an intelligent, real-world system to raise plants in an environmentally responsible manner.

Despite a plethora of technical IPM training manuals, no book until now has distilled its core philosophy for the home gardener, so that he or she can learn to manage plant health as the professionals do, based on scientific principles. In IPM for Gardeners , a team of experts explains how any gardener can use IPM techniques for success at home. Authoritative, well-illustrated, and packed with case studies, this volume promises to change the way we see our gardens.

Genres: Gardening, Horticulture

Hardcover

First published September 15, 2004

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a text book and is hard to get into. At the same time it's not focused enough in its content to be used seriously as a reference book. The color photos of pests and damage were great, but the book is more than half over before specific pest management techniques are really discussed. I would have preferred a more locally focused book, and a book that focused on specific plants, pests, and relationships. The general information about the different components of growing healthy plants is good, but not as useful as it could be if organized differently.