This is a practitioner interview with Matthew Kobs. Matthew is a perennials grower for Van Berkum Nursery in Deerfield, New Hampshire. Van Berkum Nursery is local to us and we’ve actually been there. It’s a great operation and they have fantastic plants so if you get the opportunity, we suggest you drop by to check it out — or at least check out the photos on their site.
Interview
The headings below are our questions; the blockquotes that follow are Matthew Kobs’s responses.
How did you get started as a biocontrol practitioner?
“I was first introduced to IPM practices as a student at UNH. After accepting the position as Grower at VanBerkum Nursery I worked on (and continue to) fine tune the already eco-friendly/beneficial predatory program here.”
What sort of challenges have you experienced?
“One of the biggest challenges that I have faced is becoming more patient with our IPM program. In a time when immediate isn’t fast enough the ability to allow a beneficial release to take hold and improve/reduce pest populations “naturally” is very difficult.”
What was the biggest failure?
“My biggest failure was probably not allowing enough time to become as good of a scout as we need. It’s very easy to say “I’ll look tomorrow” and by tomorrow the problem is too big to act on with any sort of confidence that what you released is going to get a foot-hold and stick.”
What was the biggest success?
“It’s still in the works.”
What advice would you offer other just getting started?
“Be patient. Get a set preliminary schedule and act according to what you see developing, not to what’s already developed. Record dates and counts as well as release dates. Discipline in this is an absolute must. Discipline in scouting and discipline in release dates will help in developing confidence in letting what you’re releasing work for you. Also, communicate with peers. Ask questions about what worked and is working for other growers.”
Thank you, Matthew. We’ll try to help you find an answer to our “biggest success” question in 2008!
If you’re interested in being interviewed and have something to bring to the table or an interesting story to tell, please contact us.
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: December 2nd, 2007 at 3:31 am →
Thanks Matt. Thanks for the solid advice about record-keeping. That’s an especially important factor.