Straight from the source

Jeff Lewis of Riverview Flower Farm in Riverview, Fla. shares what’s led him to success with his own IPM program.

Published February 17, 2016

In sunny and warm Florida, insect control is in the works 52 weeks out of the year.  And with 13 years of experience as the head grower of Riverview Flower Farm, Jeff Lewis knows a thing or two about integrated pest management (IPM), and he’s offering up some advice about how to make your customized IPM program as efficient as possible.

Firstly, cleanliness is key. “The protocol for any good IPM program starts with trying to maintain as clean a facility as possible,” Lewis says. After a crop is finished and shipped out, the team will thoroughly sweep the area, treating the ground cover and apply a pre-emergent herbicide to ensure they’re as weed-free as possible. “I think a lot of growers … really underestimate the importance of keeping your greenhouse or nurseries weed-free, because that’s another vector for insects … We have a perimeter, a groundcover, [which is] hopefully minimizing insect pressure from around production fields or [other] greenhouses,” he says.

And secondly, is to learn your targets, or vulnerabilities, for each crop. For example, “There are certain insects, such as Lepidoptera, that you can pretty much [treat during] the moon phases. Right after every full moon, you really need to have a nice, preventative Bt spray,” he says. “We go in with any crop we grow with a basic plan on how to deal with target insects, target diseases, and we will plan preventatively.”
 
Consistent employee training in your customized program is also important, in that “it’s not just the growers who should be looking at the whole program; it’s also the people picking the plants, doing the plant maintenance,” he says. “We’ll have monthly meetings with our production team and go over correct protocol.”
 
A comprehensive scouting procedure will also lead to success, Lewis says. “We’ll dedicate one day a week … where we’ll go out and we’ll walk the crops, and each assistant grower will go out in their area and check for insects, any disease.” Growers also use a simple spreadsheet to log what they see, along with simple maps of the facility so that problems areas are easy to track down. They’ll also submit reports, then Lewis, along with the facility grower, will talk through how to solve an infestation issue if one is spotted.
 
Understanding what migratory pests may make their way into your crop can help you be better equipped for an infestation, Lewis says, especially in areas where more agriculture is present. “There’s so much ag in Florida, you can get some transitory insects,” he says.
 
But no matter how well you’re prepared, weather is another factor that Lewis says can sometimes throw off your IPM program. “I can say in the 14 seasons I’ve been with Riverview, I’ve never seen the same year,” he says. “Every year has been different. You just have to adjust based on what the climate and weather has in store for you.” 

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