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The McGowans release beneficial
insects to prey on nursery crop pests rather than using pesticides.
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Brian
and Alice McGowan
Blue Meadow Farm
Montague Center, Massachusetts
Summary of Operation
Retail nursery on three-acre farm
600 varieties of perennials (60,000 to 70,000 plants per year)
500 varieties of annuals and “tender” perennials (hundreds of thousands)
each year
Small number of trees and shrubs
Problem Addressed
Reducing pesticides. Brian and
Alice McGowan decided early on that they wanted to use natural controls
to combat diseases and insect pests in their Blue Meadow Farm nursery
operation near Montague Center, Mass. They didn’t want to expose
themselves and their workers to chemical pesticides inside their
four greenhouses.
Background
When the McGowans purchased their small farm near Montague in 1982,
they were determined to operate a wholesale vegetable business.
“There are a lot of vegetables grown in this valley,” says Brian
McGowan. “This is a very fertile river valley and offers some of
the best land in the region. It was pretty hard to compete by growing
wholesale vegetables on a small scale.”
Five years later, they discontinued growing vegetables and concentrated
on ornamental plants, which they had been slowly introducing into
their business. “We quickly discovered that people really value
plants,” says McGowan. “If you grow a quality plant, people will
recognize it, and there’s more profit than in vegetables.”
The McGowans created a multi-faceted system that includes biocontrols
as well as beneficial predators and parasites. While the use of
predators and parasites increases the time and complexity of managing
pests and costs as much or more than chemical pesticides, the McGowans
are convinced that, in the long run, they and their employees benefit.
The McGowans built their annual and perennial business slowly over
more than 13 years. Nonetheless, their retail nursery remains small
compared to other commercial nurseries. They grow about 600 varieties
of perennials totaling between 60,000 to 70,000 plants per year,
with 99 percent propagated at the nursery. They raise another 500
varieties of annuals and tender perennials each year numbering in
the hundreds of thousands. They also grow a limited number of trees
and shrubs.
Focal Point of Operation
— Pest control
Blue Meadow Farm is divided into three distinct growing environments,
including four greenhouses, 16,000 square feet each; eight cold
frames, 18,200 square feet each; and about an acre of display gardens.
They grow out annuals and tender perennials in the greenhouses,
hardier perennials, many started from greenhouse cuttings, in cold
frames. The display gardens are a combination of permanent plantings
of perennials with annuals added each spring.
They specialize in annuals and “tender” perennials, such as tropical
plants and salvias, that do not over-winter in many climates. To
propagate, they take cuttings beginning in January with the peak
cutting time in March. They propagate perennial plants all year
from cuttings and divisions.
The McGowans have turned their nursery into a showplace. Surrounding
the sales area, gardens grow in different conditions — shade, arid
gravel and direct sun. The gardens have matured over the years and
feature woody trees and shrubs mixed with the plants. “Early on,
we started planting gardens because a lot of the plants we are growing
are unusual and unfamiliar to many customers,” says McGowan. “We
also wanted to learn about the plants and show our customers how
they are grown.”
Throughout every aspect of the nursery, the McGowans make pest and
disease control a major consideration in producing quality plants.
They always have used environmental factors to control disease,
such as air circulation, proper temperature and well-drained soil
mixes. “We have never in the history of our greenhouse business
used a chemical fungicide,” he says. “Years ago, we decided we didn’t
want to work in an environment where pesticides were heavily used.
In a greenhouse, you’re talking about an enclosed space, and whatever
chemical you spray may remain active for a long time.”
That philosophy is why in 1987 the McGowans introduced beneficial
predators and parasites into their nursery to control insects. It
is a lot more complex to use predators and parasites for insect
control than a chemical spray, McGowan admits. A sprayer full of
chemicals may kill the insects in 30 seconds, while there is a lag
time with the predators and parasites.
The greenhouses pose the largest problem for insect control. Out
in the perennial pots, insect problems are minimal, says McGowan.
There are mainly two insect pests that need to be controlled in
the perennials, and for those, McGowan uses a parasitic nematode
or Bacillus thuringiensis. Destructive nematodes can infest
plant leaves and roots and cause damage. But the parasitic nematodes
used by the McGowans infect the grub stage of a type of weevil.
Homeowners can buy similar parasitic nematodes to control Japanese
beetle grubs in lawns.
They also buy predator mites that eat their plant-damaging kin.
McGowan buys the predator mites in bottles of 5,000 to 10,000 mixed
with bran, and shakes them around in the greenhouse. While some
of the predators and parasites will reproduce, others must be released
on a regular schedule, sometimes as often as once a week.
“There’s a real ‘faith’ factor, because you’re sprinkling these
things out and you really have to build your confidence,” McGowan
says. However, once a system of insect control is underway, he says,
it can be as — or more — effective as a chemical program. Sometimes,
the beneficials establish themselves and achieve a balance so McGowan
no longer has to purchase and release them. “But it is unpredictable,”
he says. “It is critical to constantly monitor and assess your individual
situations.”
This monitoring is something you also have to do with chemical controls,
according to McGowan, and more than likely chemical controls also
have to be repeated. Pests develop resistance, and eventually the
pesticide may end up not working at all.
Economics and Profitability
The McGowans spend about $500 each year buying predators and parasites,
compared to about $300 if they were to use insecticides. “The initial
cost of the predators and parasites is more, but in the long run,
I don’t believe the total cost is necessarily more,” says McGowan.
If the system works well, he says, it controls pests better because
beneficials don’t develop resistance, thus the eradication time
can be faster.
“It’s pretty amazing once you get into to the field of natural pest
control,” says McGowan. Five years ago, few suppliers of predatory
insects existed. Now, they’re starting to be used in conventional
farms. “That may be because of the cost of registering pesticides,”
he says. “It’s starting to become economical.”
Turning their nursery into a display garden also has helped draw
customers, many of whom buy plants after touring the site. Customers
show just a modicum of interest in their “green” pest control program,
McGowan says, but the couple continues both because they expect
more questions about pest control and because they feel strongly
it’s the right way to grow.
Brian and Alice went from both working part time off the farm to
working entirely at the nursery. Later, one of their two daughters
joined them. They hire eight employees during the peak season in
the spring and summer. Two of the employees continue at the nursery
throughout the year at reduced hours.
Environmental Benefits
The McGowans’ use of beneficial predators and parasites improves
the environment of their nursery for themselves, their employees
and their customers. The practice also protects beneficial insects
that might otherwise die when exposed to chemical pesticides.
“The public needs to be educated and their tolerance of insects
needs to be raised,” says McGowan. “Most people see an insect or
a couple of aphids and immediately think they have to kill them.
In reality, a few insects are not a problem. You have to have those
insects to have a balance.”
The McGowans continue to seek other practices at their nursery to
help protect the environment. McGowan believes nurseries were probably
more sustainable years ago when operators used clay pots and recycled
them. While the McGowans use plastic pots to grow their perennials,
they reuse them several times and only dispose of them when they
are deteriorated beyond use. The McGowans also call on suppliers
for biodegradable containers and flats for annuals.
Community and Quality
of Life Benefits
When the McGowans first decided years ago not to use chemicals in
their greenhouse, the decision rested heavily on health and quality
of life issues. If you are using a chemical pesticide, you first
have to apply it. The McGowans wished to avoid contact both during
spraying and the residual period following spraying.
“We made a decision years ago that it was a pretty high value to
us to have an environment without chemicals,” McGowan says. He has
extended that interest in the environment and a good quality of
life beyond the nursery. For about 10 years, he has been a member
of a local conservation commission, which focuses on the protection
of wetlands.
Transition Advice
McGowan believes it would be a difficult, but feasible, task to
transition a traditionally operated nursery using chemical pesticides
to a natural system with beneficial predators and parasites. One
of the biggest challenges is handling chemical residues, which are
as toxic or more to the predators as they are to the pests. When
predators and parasites are released, they may all die due to the
residual effects.
McGowan says it is important to somehow manage the insects while
giving the environment time to rid itself of the toxic chemicals.
Some sprays, such as biorational oils and fungi sprays, offer relatively
non-toxic alternatives to fighting pests.
Newcomers to the system also must expect a steep learning curve
to effectively use predators and parasites, McGowan says. It is
still a relatively new science and there is not always a lot of
guidance available, although McGowan suggests contacting local extension
offices as a place to begin.
Ironically, the transition may require extra adjustment for growers
who already use integrated pest management. McGowan says people
using IPM are trained to wait until there is a certain amount of
visible crop damage before spraying. With the use of beneficial
predators and parasites, that may be too late. “If you’re going
to switch to predators and parasites, you have to have an idea of
what is going to be your problem in advance,” says McGowan. “You
have to have your plan all mapped out and start before there is
a problem.”
The Future
The McGowans plan to add new and unusual plants to their nursery
each year and continually learn about the plants and their culture.
They also will continue their use of beneficial predators and parasites
to control insect damage at their nursery. It is one of their missions
to educate their visitors and customers about predators and parasites
and to encourage more tolerance for insects in the environment.
 Profile
written by Mary Friesen
For more information:
Brian and Alice McGowan
Blue Meadow Farm
184 Meadow Road
Montague Center, MA 01351
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