How to Spot Disease in Your Garden and What to do When You Find it

Unfortunately, disease is a part of every garden and needs to be managed. Taking care of the problem early is the best way to deal with disease.

* Viruses are common plant diseases. Ring spot shows up as rounded yellow spots on leaves. Mosaic, as the name suggests, shows up in mottled patches of light green and yellow on leaves. Flowers can also be deformed from this virus. Leaf curl will leave blisters on foliage, and make them curl. Viruses spread amongst plants by aphids and gardener’s hands. The only way to rid the plant of the virus is to get rid of the diseased plant immediately and disinfect tools that have come in contact with the plant.
* Bacterial disease can be detected in a plant that is dying very quickly. Be on the look out for any slimy tissue on the plant and oozing growths anywhere on the stems or leaves. Burn affected plants and disinfect your gardening tools.
* Fungal diseases. These can appear as a furry-type of mold on leaves or stems. The color of the fungal diseases can vary. A downy mildew mold will appear white or purple in color but take on a black appearance on the underside of the leaf. Botrytis mold will be a gray color and the stems of this plant will fall in on themselves. Another white/gray mold is powdery mildew but it won’t kill the plant. Rust will leave white or orange mold on leaves and stems but again, won’t kill the plant. Another fungal disease called damping off makes new plants appear pinched off at the ground.

Treatments for diseased plants:
There are many treatments available for diseased plants, other than for those plants you have to dispose of. Ask at your nursery or try these ones you can make yourself.

Baking soda spray for powdery mildew.

1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 quart of water
1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid

Put baking soda and warm water in spray bottle and shake. Add the dishwashing liquid and spray the plant thoroughly, paying special attention to the undersides of the leaves. Repeat at intervals of 3-5 days.

Here are some remedies for insect problems on plants:

White oil for scale
Mix one cup of vegetable oil with one cup of water in a bottle. Add a few drops of washing detergent. Shake until mixture goes white. Spray on the plants affected by scale.

Earwig control
Earwigs eat everything in their path but can be controlled by rolling up damp newspapers into logs and leave at the base of your plants. The earwigs will shelter there through the heat of the day. Your job is then to gather them up at night and place them in the trash.

Soap spray for insects
1-2 teaspoons of detergent mixed with 1 quart of water. Spray the whole plant every 7-10 days or until the insects have disappeared.

If disease is taking over your garden, act quickly. Get advice from the nursery if you cannot manage the problem. The sooner you rid your plants of disease, the sooner you can go back to enjoying your garden.

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