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The Premier
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Preventing
Disease
in your Garden
Preventing garden disease, and controlling any diseases that do occur,
is a
vital part of building a successful garden. Whether you are a casual
weekend gardener or a grower of championship blooms, keeping your
garden healthy is important.
Of course the best way to enjoy a healthy garden year after year is to
keep your plants as healthy and well cared for as possible.
Healthier plants are better able to fight off infections and resist
damage by common insects.
Unfortunately, however, there are a number of common plant ailments
that are entirely beyond the control of even the best
gardener. The common bacterial infection known as fire
blight, for instance, can easily penetrate plants if it rains at the
right time of year. In order to prevent this infection, the
gardener would need to be able to control the weather, and this is one
thing that is definitely beyond their control.
In addition, other common plant ailments are difficult to detect at
first. For instance, the mosaic virus, which often affects
bare root roses, rarely displays any symptoms that would notify the
gardener of its presence until it is too late.
In order to prevent garden diseases and keep your plants
vigorous and healthy, it is important to follow these important steps:
- Keep your plants
as healthy and vigorous as possible through providing the recommended
amounts of water, fertilizer and sunlight. The staff at your
local nursery or garden center can provide you with information on the
specific growth needs of each plant you buy.
- Buy
disease-resistant varieties of plants whenever possible. Seed
packets and seedlings at the nursery are labeled to show their
resistance to various common plant ailments.
- It is important
to avoid damaging the roots as you transplant the seedlings.
That is because damage to the plant’s root system is a major
cause of disease and other issues that can prevent plants from reaching
their full potential.
- When working in
the garden, be careful not to injure the plants as you work.
It is important to exercise caution when weeding,
fertilizing, tilling the soil, etc. Damaged stems and roots
are a leading source of bacterial and fungal infections.
- If at all
possible, avoid working in the garden when the weather is very
damp. Dampness can spread disease and fungus, and it is easy
for the gardener to unknowingly spread infections among the plants.
- If possible, use
either a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose when watering
plants. These two watering methods help to avoid getting
water on the leaves and flowers. Standing water on plants is
a leading source of fungal and bacterial infections.
Furthermore, standing water makes it easy for infections to spread from
one plant to another.
- Any diseased
plants should be removed from the garden immediately. It is
important to remove any diseased plants from the garden and replace
them with hardier varieties. Doing so is the best way to
prevent an infection from spreading.
- Any diseased
plants should be disposed of immediately with the regular household
trash. It is important not to mulch the infected plants, or
add them to a compost bin. While many disease causing
organisms are destroyed by the heat of decomposition in the compost
bin, some are able to survive. It is always best to not take
the chance that composted materials could reinfect the garden bed.
- Keep your garden
clean. A clean garden is less susceptible to
infection. It is always a good idea to perform a thorough
cleaning after every growing season. This includes removing
weeds and dead plant parts, since some plant pathogens are able to
survive the cold of winter.
Click here for more Articles:
Annuals
in
your garden
The
proper way to divide perennial plants
Gardening
with bulbs
The
correct way to start seeds
The
organic way to flower garden
Proper
soil chemistry for a healthy vegetable garden
Landscaping
with roses |
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