Pests and diseases are the curse of the gardener’s existence. One day, there’s a healthy cucumber; the next, it’s a moldy mess. Searching for reliable information can be frustrating, particularly for research-based knowledge geared for the Pacific Northwest.
For six years, Weston Miller, a former Oregon State University Extension Service community horticulturist, shepherded a project to develop a user-friendly website directed to urban and rural property managers – homeowners, renters, municipalities, landscapers – with research-based solutions to common pest and disease problems.
Solve Pest Problems provides Oregon gardeners with easy access to research-based solutions for common pest and disease issues, helping them manage their gardens more effectively and safely.
Working off feedback gathered from focus groups, stakeholders, and community involvement, Miller incorporated household pests, weeds, and invasive plants, pesticide safety and pollinators, as well as garden pests, diseases, and other common landscape problems. Problem diagnosis and management was approached with integrated pest management (IPM) in mind. IPM is a program of using least toxic methods of control first and turning to harsher practices only if nothing else works. The goal is for people to use fewer pesticides — or if they must, to use them in a safe manner.
On the resulting website, the peer reviewed content is presented in categories with information below each photo. Clicking on the photo takes users to another page that offers information about identification, look-alikes and specific solutions on prevention and control. High-quality, color photos illustrate each subject.
Miller hired a web designer to create page prototypes vetted by funders and advisory groups. He completed four rounds of professionally facilitated testing with a diverse group of Oregonians, performed accessibility testing, and finalized the website template and content examples. He also wrote and copy-edited entries with help from Signe Danler, an OSU horticulture instructor, and other OSU experts.
After Millers’ departure, the Solve Pest Problems website found a home at the Oregon IPM Center.
The 50-plus page website launched in 2022 and focused on high-priority pests, pesticide safety and pesticide risk reduction methods. New content is added regularly, and the site now contains almost 100 pages of published pest content. IPM Educator Thomas Jima is in charge of coordinating and overseeing content. Most pages are also available in a Spanish version.
Since it was launched, the Solve Pest Problems website has received almost 190,000 pageviews. A social media post on the OSU Extension Master Gardener Facebook page garnered 748 views. A follow-up email sent to 138 stakeholders had a 64.5% open rate, and another to Master Gardeners had the same open rate. Both groups expressed satisfaction with the new website.
Since Oregon is such a hotbed for gardening with hundreds of plants that need attention, pests and diseases that gardeners and other land managers are most likely to encounter will continue to be prioritized.
Solve Pest Problems provides Oregon gardeners with easy access to research-based solutions for common pest and disease issues, helping them manage their gardens more effectively and safely. The website's user-friendly design and high-quality photos make it simple to identify and address problems, promoting healthier and more sustainable gardening practices.
