A Weekly Way of Life
We are working to replace pesticides with a better way. To accomplish this, we are using beneficial insects and biological fungicides to control disease and pests. Our use of compost tea has reduced the need for chemical fertilizers by 80%.
All 44 of our greenhouses are inspected weekly for problems. Early prevention makes corrections easy.
Scouting flags of different colors indicate the nature of the problem to Laura when she places the weekly order.
Laura distributes biologicals, both insect and fungus, received this week to address issues discovered in last week’s scouting.
One of the dragons of the insect world, this lacewing larvae is on the hunt for prey.
Mummified aphids appear on this leaf as evidence that the wasps are working.
Weekly applications of compost tea and routine drenching with nematodes enrich the soil.
Aphidius ervi searches for pests after being released into a greenhouse. It is one of dozens of beneficials used to control problems in high-production facilities.
In the foreground, out of focus, hangs a styrofoam cup used to protect a card of parasitoid wasp eggs from water and ants.
In the background, Joel, Laura, and Ross scout a bench of Heuchera for both pests and predators; we scout rigorously on a weekly basis.
