CHEMICAL UPDATE: Ornamental Products
Ornamentals may not receive the regular chemical applications that you often provide for turf, but pesticides are a critical tool for managing pests that attack trees, shrubs and herbaceous ornamentals. Using plants that tolerate prevalent pests and maintaining plants in healthy, vigorous condition will reduce or eliminate many pest problems. However, outbreaks do occur, and when they do, you need a way to control them. That's why we bring you this installment of our annually revised Chemical Update series — pest-control options for ornamentals. In the following tables, you'll find listings for:
This table shows you active ingredients that have registration for insects, mites and other categories of ornamental pests. It includes basic product characteristics such as form of application (spray, granular, trunk injection, etc.) and chemical family. The table also shows the kinds of pests for which various chemicals are labeled.
The fungicide table shows similar information, such as chemical class (to help formulate a chemical rotation program), form of application and systemic properties. Disease types are grouped into broad categories.
This table lists both pre-emergents and post-emergents with registration for use in landscape ornamentals. Due to space limitations, we do not list registration for individual weed species. (See our Turfgrass Update: Herbicides, published annually in January's Grounds Maintenance, for detailed weed species registrations for many active ingredients.) With post-emergents, we show which weed types — broadleaves, grasses or sedges — the chemicals control selectively, or whether the chemical is non-selective.
Finally, you'll find listings of available brands and suppliers for each active ingredient, in addition to contact information to use to pursue additional product information such as labels, MSDS's and availability.
This Update does not cover registrations for greenhouse, container or field-grown ornamentals, nor does it include products specifically for household, nuisance or structural pests. It is intended to present pesticides you can use in established landscapes.
Pests controlled are grouped in general categories due to space limitations. Thus, for example, when a table shows that a chemical is labeled for “scales,” its label may or may not include the specific scale pest you're dealing with. Some labels use more general language, while others are quite specific about pests controlled. You must identify the specific pest you wish to control and then ensure that the labeling of the product you wish to use allows it.
Even if a label doesn't specifically list a pest, it may still be permissible to use; it just depends on how the label is worded. Which brings us to the most important point. Always read and follow label instructions. These tables are not recommendations or substitutes for label information. They are for preliminary planning only.
Although many of the products listed here possess registration for turf in addition to ornamentals, many do not. Therefore, it is not safe to assume that products you see listed here are suitable for use on turfgrass.
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