Plant Diseases
There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of plant
diseases. Some broadly affect many types of plants- trees flowers,
vegetables, shrubbery and anything else. Yes, disease even affects weeds.
Other diseases affect more specific types of plants or classes.
Here are some things which will help you should overcome
or at the least help to manage your disease problems.
Types of Disease:
Causes of Disease:
In the plant world as in the animal world, disease occurs
when a plant is exposed to a virus or a bacteria . Exposure can occur in a
variety of ways as described below. And also like the animal world, there
is a lot you can do to help avoid disease, and to help your plant to fight
and overcome an illness. Once infected, early treatment may help your
plant to overcome the disease. But not all diseases are curable.
Spreading Disease:
Most often diseases are either airborne or transmitted by
insects and other animals. In the case of airborne disease, the only way
to stop it is to take away it's breeding ground or treat it with chemical
fungicides.
For transmitted diseases, much can be done. Insects often
pick up disease and spread them as they move from plant to plant. Often
times the easiest way of controlling a plant disease is to control the
insects.
Disease can also harbor in your soil and especially mulch
and compost. Plowing or tilling infected plants into your garden can cause
the disease to overwinter in your soil. Crop rotation is an important part
of your disease prevention program. Make sure you do not plant the same
plant family in the same spot year after year. Putting diseased plants
into your compost piles can also helps diseases to spread from year to
year. The control method here is quite simple: throw away any diseased
plants.
Controlling the Spread:
Remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
There is a lot you can do to control the spread of plant
disease. Fundamentally, this starts with understanding the cause of plant
disease and how they spread. (as discussed above) It equally important to
understand the environment that nurtures diseases and to take their
environment away.
Here are some things that will minimize the environment
that diseases thrive in:
-
Proper air circulation cuts down disease. Do not space
plants too closely.
-
Do not water at night. Water, heat and humidity
promotes diseases. Water at the roots if at all possible.
-
Rotate your crop. Disease can overwinter in your soil
and in the remains of diseased plant tilled into the soil.
-
Discard diseased plants. Do not put them into the
compost pile as you could infect next years' crop.
-
Select disease resistant varieties. The inexperienced
grower will benefit most by selecting varieties that are resistant to
a variety of plant diseases.
-
Promote healthy plants. A healthy plant is more able
to ward off disease.
Treatment for Disease:
If disease strikes, do not wait. Treat immediately with
fungicide. If the plant does not respond to treatment, remove and destroy
it. Not all plant diseases are curable. As mentioned above, do not throw
diseased plants on the compost pile.
In future years, look for varieties that are disease
resistant, even if it costs a little more. Rotate your crops each year.
Proper rotation is a three to five year cycle.
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