Eco-Friendly Disease Control
Prevent disease problems with proper plant selection, care and clean up.
Plant diseases occur when you have a susceptible plant, the disease organism such as a fungus, bacteria or virus, and the right environmental conditions for the disease to occur. Remove one of these and you avoid the problem.
We can't control the weather, but we can reduce the risk by selecting disease-resistant varieties.
Always provide the proper growing conditions and give plants enough room so they receive the right amount of light and air circulation.
Use a soaker hose or watering wand to apply water directly to the soil, not on the leaves when supplemental water is needed.
Remove and dispose of diseased material as soon as it is found and do a thorough cleanup in fall. Do not compost diseased material, rather discard as directed by your municipality.
A bit more information: If disease problems are a yearly event, consider replacing the infected plants. Avoid replacing them with other plants susceptible to the disease. Select the most disease resistant variety of plant that is better suited to the growing conditions.
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