Lotusland, a 13 hectare botanical garden in Santa Barbara, California, has transitioned from a conventional IPM pest managment program to a biologically intensive or "Sustainable" plant care program. To accomplish this, 1) organic fertilizers have replaced chemical fertilizers, 2) compost is used as a soil amendment and for top-dressing throughout the garden, 3) use of mulches for weed management and soil improvement has increased considerably and organic mulch has replaced volcanic gravel mulch, 4) compost tea is used to provide organic matter in areas where regular compost use is not possible, 5) innovative disease management techniques such as the use of beneficial Mycorrhizae and Trichoderma fungi, along with intensive use of compost, have become part of disease management practices, 6) toxic pesticide use has ceased, and if biological means are found to be insufficient for a specific problem, and further intervention is deemed necessary, only materials listed in the "California Certified Organic Farmers Handbook" are used, 7) farmscaping has been implemented in selective areas throughout the garden, using California natives to attract beneficial insects, 8) beneficial insects are released in localized areas of the garden, when needed.  

One reason that past conventional plant care methods have failed in the botanical garden is the fragmented approach typical of conventional systems. Now that ecology is integral to garden management, practitioners are compelled to examine the relations of all ecosystem components to each other as well as to the whole. When properly implemented, the sustainable system provides its own checks and balances as to how well it is functioning. The ultimate measure of success for the sustainable garden program is the appearance of the garden itself. Three years into the transition, after having adopted a whole range of sustainable practices, the garden has never looked better. Areas with, past, serious disease problems are certainly not any worse under the biological care that has replaced our former use of fungicides- they may even look better. Insect problems have not become more damaging following the transition from chemical control to biological management. Plants are noticeably less affected and the presence of beneficial arthropods such as spiders, etc. have increased considerably. While present organic fertilizer inputs remain high, they should decrease in time as soil organic matter increases and ongoing farmscape projects add to species diversity. Moreover, the public relations advantage in transitioning to sustainable management practices has surpassed all expectations. If the proof of sustainability lies in the future, it may be premature to declare total success. All short term indicators, however, look promising. 

Use Renewable Resources

The garden has replaced synthetic fertilizer and pest control inputs with renewable organic fertility and biological pest management approaches.

Minimize Toxics

Biological control, both naturally occurring and via purchased beneficial insects, has replaced the use of toxic chemical pesticides.

Manage Ecological Relationships

From the use of soil organic material and beneficial fungi to enhance soil microbiology for disease management to planting California native plants to attract beneficial insects, managing ecological relationships is essential for sustainable garden management. Nutrient recycling resulting from the increased use of soil organic matter is becoming apparent and should reduce costly inputs of purchased organic fertilizers.

Diversify

Introduction of new annual and perennial plant species helps to increase biodiversity of beneficial insect populations, resulting in insect ecology becoming the prime regulating force in insect pest management.