Plants and Pesticides

En español

We depend on plants for food and other consumer products. Millions of dollars are spent every year to buy, grow, and harvest plants. To maintain healthy plants and to increase yield, many people use pesticides to control weeds, insects, and plant diseases. While pesticides can be important tools, using an integrated approach can be helpful in achieving long-term control of the pest. That means using your knowledge of the pest, understanding of the environmental conditions, and monitoring plant health.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Identify the specific pest problem before taking steps to control it.
• Follow the label directions, taking care to deliver pesticides to the soil, water or leaves as directed.
• Avoid using pesticides that have been in storage too long. Ask the product manufacturer about the shelf-life of any product.
• Most of the time, specific plants are listed on pesticide product labels, indicating that you can use the pesticide on that plant species.

Learn more about:

Plant-Pesticide Interaction

Plant Herbicide Symptoms

Soil and Pesticides

Additional Resources

• Diagnosing Sick Plants - Ohio State University Extension Service
• Using Houseplants To Clean Indoor Air - University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service
• Houseplants Improve Indoor Air Quality - University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County
• USDA Ag Census - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• GreenScaping - The Easy Way to a Greener, Healthier Yard - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• What Gardeners Should Know about Pesticides - Purdue Extension
• Understanding Pesticides in Organic and Conventional Crop Production Systems - Ohio State University Extension

If you have questions about plants and pesticides, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.