Switching to sustainable agricultural practices began about ten years ago. “I was becoming concerned about the hazards of spraying, and some pests were getting used to the chemicals. I thought Integrated Pest Management (IPM), using beneficial predatory insects for pest control, was the future,” says Brand. “Our grower and Carpinteria production manager, Alberto Arroyo, came to me and suggested we try using IPM.”

IPM combines good growing practices with early prevention. To avoid chemical spraying, plants are checked regularly, and beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewings, trichogramma wasps, and the aptly named assassin bug, are introduced to keep harmful bugs under control.

Bug vs. bug

Brand began the eco-friendly program 10 years ago with gerberas, his premier crop. (Growing gerberas hydroponically allows full control of the growing medium, and the water used can be recycled.) Over the course of six months to a year, he converted the entire gerbera nursery to IPM. Next came sustainable labeling under the comprehensive Veriflora certification. Then Brand took the boldest move of all: becoming

A wasp ready to destroy eggs of insect pests (above); a package of beneficial mites and a vial of beneficial wasps are weapons in the nursery’s arsenal (left); a harvest of long-stemmed gerberas (right).