How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

Managing weeds in ornamental plant production, whether in the field, in containers, or in the greenhouse, can be difficult, but is essential to successful production. Weeds not only compete with the crop but are also unsightly. In addition, ornamental plants infested with certain noxious weeds cannot be sold because of quarantine requirements. Because of the high value of ornamental crops and the limited number of herbicides available, growers often resort to hand-weeding, a practice that is becoming increasingly expensive. Many of the strategies used in vegetable row crops or tree crops can be adapted for use in field-grown trees and cut flower production. For example, planting in rows allows the field to be more easily cultivated by hand or mechanically. The use of drip irrigation in tree production or established shrub areas eliminates excessively wet areas, thus reducing the germination and growth of weeds.

PUBLICATION

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Floriculture and Ornamental Nurseries
UC ANR Publication 3392
Weeds
C. A. Wilen, UC IPM Program, UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County
Acknowledgment for contributions to Weeds:
C. L. Elmore, Vegetable Crops/Weed Science, UC Davis

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