Plant Health Care Department Mission Statement and Policy

Chicago Botanic Garden

Plant Health Care Department
Mission Statement and Policy
September 2009

The mission of the Plant Health Care (PHC) Department is:

to maintain the Garden’s plant collection through a progressive Plant Health Care program stressing practices that have the least impact on the environment while still achieving the proper level of maintenance appropriate for a world class botanic garden, as well as being a model for the gardening industry.

The PHC Department’s duties include: pest monitoring, insect management, disease management, animal pest management, weed management, fertilization, soil testing, pruning, and guiding proper cultural practices.  All of these duties are carried out through integrated environmentally sensitive programs.  The methods that are most commonly used to achieve our mission are cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical.

Plant Health Care and Integrated Pest Management

Plant Health Care is a holistic philosophical approach for managing plant health that is practiced Garden wide, primarily by the PHC Department.  It begins with proper plant selection and placement and includes a strong focus on cultural (maintenance) practices.  The proactive goal is to have very healthy plants that can better withstand pests.

Integrated Pest Management is a key component of the Garden's Plant Health Care program, involving vigilant plant monitoring and well thought out pest management.  It strives to reduce the use of pesticides while at the same time managing pest populations at a tolerable level.  Pests (insects, diseases, weeds, and animals) are managed with methodology that is least intrusive on the environment.  Alternate methods rather than chemical methods are used whenever possible. 

The Plant Health Care Program is flexible and ever evolving to remain up-to-date with technology, seasonal changes, and the needs of the Garden.