1. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Dewayne Trail, Extension Agent UT-TSU Extension of Rutherford County

2. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What is pest
Management?
. . . various measures taken by the home gardener
to either prevent or reduce the amount of damage
caused by garden pests.

3. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What are garden pests?
Major Pests:
- Diseases
- Insects
- Weeds
Minor Pests:
- Wildlife
- Livestock and Domestic Animals
Other Pests (or things)
- Environmental Conditions

4. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How do you correctly identify pest
(disease, insect, & weed) problems?
Four ways to identify (ID) garden pests:
- Extension Office for “on-site” ID
- Digital photo for “on-line” ID
by Distance Diagnostic Lab (DDL)
- Garden pest samples for “DDL” ID
at $15 per sample
- Establish a Reference File

5. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Suggested References:
- PB Disease Control in the Home
Vegetable Garden
- PB You Can Control Garden Insects ($)
- SP I Weed Control in Home Gardens
- PB Organic Vegetable Gardening (K)
- PB Managing Nuisance Animals and
Associated Damage Around the Home
? Many others available through UT, TSU
and other sources

6. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What methods are commonly used to deal
with garden pests?
- Mechanical
- Non-Chemical
- Chemical

7. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Control Measures

8. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Non-Chemical or Cultural Control Measures

9. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical control measures might include
use of various pesticides to include:
Fungicides (for diseases)
Insecticides (for insects)
Herbicides (for weeds)
Baits, Repellants, etc.
(for wildlife)

10. Favorable Environment
THE DISEASE TRIANGLE - What factors are necessary for disease to occur?
Favorable Environment
Disease
Pathogen
Host Plant

11. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How are plant pathogens disseminated?
- Air Currents – mildews, rusts, leaf spots
- Water – leaf spots, root rots, fire blight
- Insects – virus, yellowing, bacterial wilt
- Equipment – nematodes, root rots
- Humans – late blight, Dutch elm disease,
powdery/downy mildew of grape, white
pine blister rust, phytophthora root rot

12. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control diseases?
Diseases can:
- Kill plants
- Injure plants by reducing the
photosynthetic area
- Damage fruit or any edible portion of the plant
- Reduce yield and quality

13. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What pathogens cause disease
and plant problems?
Biotic Pathogens (cause plant disease)
- Fungi
- Bacteria
- Virus
Abiotic Pathogens (cause plant problems)
- Herbicides
- See other on next slide

14. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Abiotic Plant Problems
- Mechanical Injury
- Freeze Damage
- Herbicide Injury
- Nutrient Deficiency
- Insect Damage

15. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Do Not Underestimate
The Importance of:
- Keeping plants in a healthy,
vigorous state of growth
- Carrying out the various cultural
practices recommended for
disease control

16. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural Disease Control Methods
Site selection Staking
Soil tillage Disease resistant
Crop rotation varieties
Sanitation Correct irrigation
Utilizing disease free Proper spacing
seed/transplants Proper fertilization
Seed treatments No tobacco use
Solarization Control of other
Timely planting garden pests
Use of mulch

17. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Disease Control Measures
Sometimes difficult for home gardeners
Biological products
(Sonata or Serenade)
Bactericides
(Kocide)
Broad spectrum fungicides
(Chlorothalonil, maneb, or mancozeb)

18. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Early Blight
of Tomato
- Caused by fungi
- Symptoms include brown target spots followed
by blighting of foliage, gradual loss of leaves,
late season spots on fruit and loss of leaves
- Sun scald can be a secondary symptom

19. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Early Blight of
Tomato
Cultural Control Measures:
- Plant and row spacing
- Staking
- Correct irrigation
Chemical Control Measures:
- Mix and apply a fungicide according to label directions
- Possibilities: chlorothalonil (0), mancozeb (5), or maneb (5)
- Spray at 7-10 day intervals after plant establishment

20. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disorder: Blossom End Rot
- A physiological problem,
not a disease
- Symptom is a black, leathery
spot on the blossom end of
small green fruit
- Caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruit
- Very common in Tomato, also in bell pepper and watermelon

21. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disorder: Blossom End Rot
Possible Causes:
- Low calcium level in soil
- Imbalance in soil pH
- Lack of uniform ground moisture
Control Measures:
- Determine and correct cause of problem
- Add calcium chloride as a foliar spray
- Plant least susceptible varieties, avoid droughty soils

22. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Blossom Blight
Blossoms rot and stick to
young fruit. End of fruit
turns black
Cultural Control Measures:
- Provide good air circulation for quick drying of foliage
(by following plant and row spacing guidelines)
- Mulch plants
- Correct irrigation

23. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Powdery Mildew
Fungi causes a white, powdery
mold on foliage and stems
Seen on bean, cucumber, squash, . . .
Cultural Control Measures: Observe recommended plant and row
spacing, correct irrigation
Chemical Control Measures: Apply sulfur at first sign of disease
and repeat at 7-14 day intervals. If temperatures exceed
90 degrees, delay sulfur application.

24. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Other common vegetable diseases include various:
(TSWV)
- Rot and seedling diseases
- Leaf spot diseases
- Blight and wilt diseases
- Canker, rust, and virus
diseases
- Scab, scald, scurf

25. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemicals and Fungicides
(common and trade names)
- Chlorothalonil (Bravo, Fungi-gard,
Vegetable Disease Control)
- Fixed coppers (Basicop, Blue Shield, Kocide,
Tri-Basic Copper Sulfate)
- Mancozeb (Dithane, Manzate, Penncozeb)
- Maneb (Maneb WP/Spray/Liquid Fungicide)
- PCNB (Terraclor G/WP)

26. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control insects?
They can:
- Kill plants
- Injure plants (by reducing photosynthetic
area and allowing entry points for disease)
- Serve as a vector in disease transmission
- Damage fruit or any edible portion of the plant
- Reduce yield and quality

27. VEGATABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How are garden insects controlled?
Measures Available:
- Mechanical
- Non-Chemical
- Chemical

28. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect control products which are considered more “user friendly” for those wishing to grow organically: Natural Protective Substances – Examples include water, bug juice, hot pepper, soaps, and oils. Microbial Agents - Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a type of bacterium deadly to certain insects but harmless to humans, pets, and beneficial insects (Examples are Dipel, Thuricide, and others.) Botanically Derived Chemicals – Insecticides with chemicals extracted from plants which break down into substances thought to be harmless; these products (pyrethrin, neem, and others) will not differentiate between harmful and beneficial insects.

29. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Insect Control Measures:
- Solarization (during the summer)
- Reflective mulch (yellow repels
aphids and silver repels thrips)
- Physical barriers (aluminum foil,
small cans, etc.)
- Hand picking (hornworms, Colorado potato beetles, etc.)
- Cutting out vine borers
- sweeping

30. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural Insect Control Measures:
Site selection
Soil preparation
Use of healthy plants
Timely planting
Companion planting
Diversified planting
Crop rotation
Sanitation
Control weeds
Timely harvest
Use of beneficial insects

31. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Companion Planting
. . . realizing insect control and
increased yields by locating
certain plants close-by others.
Examples include:
- Eggplant and catnip (flea beetles)
- Tomato and basil (tomato hornworm)
- Beans and rosemary (Mexican bean beetles)
- Cabbage and thyme (cabbage worms)

32. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Beneficial Insects:
- Feed on harmful insects
- May be killed with insecticides
aimed at eliminating harmful
insects
- Examples include ladybug larva,
spiders, lacewings, stink bugs,
praying mantids, ground beetles,
ambush bugs, tachnid flies, predatory mites, etc.

33. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Insect Control
Placement of insecticide on:
- In the soil
- On the seed
- On the plant foliage
- On the fruit of the plant
Common insecticides:
- Natural protective substances
- Microbial agents
- Botanically derived chemicals
- Synthetic and other insecticides
(malathion, sevin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, spinosad, etc.)

34. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Hornworm (tomato
or tobacco)
- Green caterpillars, 3-4 inches long,
with short, white stripes and a slender
horn projecting from near the rear end
- They feed on and consume large portions of leaves which results
in stunting and fruit scald.
- Cultural control – Handpicking
- Chemical control – Bt products (0) very effective; Cyfluthrin (0),
permethrin (0), bifenthrin (1), spinosad (1), or carbaryl (3)

35. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Aphid
- A common, soft bodied insect (pale
green, grey, or red) found in clusters
on the underside of plant leaves
- They suck plant juices, cause leaves to wrinkle/discolor,
severely weaken plants, and may spread disease.
- Cultural control measures include use of aluminum foil, natural
protective substances, beneficial (or predator) insects
- Chemical control measures include use of safer soap (0),
malathion (1), or bifenthrin (1)
(Do not use sevin.)

36. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Corn Earworm or
Tomato Fruitworm
Larvae up to 1 ¾ inches long; variable
in color from light green to pink to
brown to black; yellow, unspotted head,
course skin with short hairs
Chews on buds and leaves; may cause plant stunting; feeds on
silk (preventing pollination) and kernels from tip of ear downward;
introduces fungi into ear; eats holes in tomatoes causing rotting
Control: Early planting and insecticide use – cyfluthrin (0), bifenthrin
(1), permethrin (1), spinosad (1), or carbaryl (2)

37. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What is a weed?
An unwanted plant which:
- Is considered undesirable by gardeners
- Is neither eaten nor considered attractive
- Is usually invasive and difficult to control because they:
- Have efficient root systems for rapid growth
and tremendous seed production
- Tolerate drought and low fertility
- Thrive where vegetables struggle to grow

38. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control weeds?
Weeds compete with crops for:
- Water
- Nutrients
- Sunlight
Weeds reduce yields, lower quality, and make harvest
more difficult.
Weeds provide a refuge for insects.
Weeds serve as an alternate host for disease organisms.

39. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What are the primary weed control methods:
- Mechanical
- Cultural
- Chemical

40. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Weed Control:
. . . involves removing weeds while they are
small and preventing them from producing
mature seed. It consists of:
- Mowing
- Plowing
- Rototilling
- Hoeing
- Hand Pulling

41. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural weed control measures are aimed
at prevention. They include:
- Site selection
- Solarization
- Timely planting
(multiple or wide-row)
- Use of mulches
- Prevent weeds from
going to seed

42. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Weed Control
Measures:
Problems include:
- Difficult to apply in small areas
- Limited in availability to homeowners
- Some gardeners object to their use
Understand:
- Difference in pre/post emerge herbicides
- Different formulations available

43. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Weed Control
Measures:
Available herbicides include:
- Glyphosate (Roundup) - a post-emerge, non-selective product
- Trifluralin (Treflan) - a pre-emerge, grass product
- Sethoxydin (Poast) - a post-emerge, grass product
Application:
- Make application at correct stage of weed development
- Mix and apply herbicide according to label directions

44. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Wildlife Damage Control Measures:
- Exclusion
- Habitat Modification
- Frightening
- Repellants
- Toxicants/Fumigants
- Trapping
- Shooting

45. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Control of Deer Feeding:
- Don’t feed the deer
- Fencing
- Scare tactics
- Repellents (contact, area)
- Shooting

46. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Rabbit Control:
- Trapping very effective
- Use of Repellents
- Exclusion (fencing)
- Shooting (where permitted)

47. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Livestock/Domestic Animal Control
- Exclusion (fencing)
- Repellents
- Frightening

48. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Temperature Extremes
Cold damage
- Spring and fall
- Cool/Warm season plants
- Frost protection
Heat and drought conditions
- Shade protection
- Irrigation

49. VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Thanks for your attention!
Questions?