UK agriculture has made a 35 minute video about Integrated Pest Management which gives a more complete picture for dealing with plant problems. The first three minutes give a quick summary of what IPM covers:
Cultural – right plant for the right space
Biological – using insects and other animals to controls pests
Genetic – selecting cultivars with traits that are resistant
Mechanical – physical removal of the problem
Regulatory – controlling what plants (and therefore the pests) using quarantine or regulations to prevent the spread
Chemical – chemical treatment of the problem (right chemical at the right time)
The remaining part of the video covers the first four items listed above in more detail such as selecting quality plants, planting and maintaining them well, and how to deal with common disease/insect problems.
