DEALING WITH PLANTS' DISEASES
A majority will agree that plant disease is a severe problem that causes excellent damage to plants. Plants' diseases are caused by disease fungi that can thrive in a plant's body. Numerous ways enable one to tell that a plant is affected by a plant's disease. These ways are broadly categorized into one group called symptoms. A variety of symptoms will show the extent of the infections and thus can determine the most suitable measure to combat the supposed infection. These symptoms could either be: rusts, wilting, moldy coatings, blotches, rot, and scabs.
As said earlier, this is a serious problem and could end up ruining your whole garden when not addressed effectively. In this regard, being in a position to deal with these disease-causing organisms calls for prior knowledge on how they can infect your crops. These circumstances/environment favors their existence, among many other factors. For starters, being able to deal with this problem effectively entails having the capacity to identify the crops that can resist the disease-causing organisms. That implies that whatever you are planting must be disease-resistant: this will ensure you have reduced disease infection cases.
It does not stop here. After ensuring that your crops are disease-resistant, it is time to prepare a garden that does not encourage the growth of these organisms. It is worth noting that these organisms thrive in poor drainage areas and are characterized by wet weather. Disease fungi also thrive in dirty, poorly watered gardens and unfertilized crops. Additionally, these microorganisms will also thrive in gardens that have infected seeds.
If you notice the presence of these organisms, there are several steps to take to control their resultant problems. Identifying that your garden has fungal-related problems and controlling your garden's moisture level will help reduce the growth of these organisms. More specifically, reducing the moisture level and controlling air circulation, usually by disposing of infected parts of a plant. It is worth noting that certain instances require more advanced techniques. Depending on the extent of the infection, you could opt for a fungicidal spray.
Diagnosing plants' (vegetables) diseases
This section covers diagnosing common vegetable diseases prevalent in most gardens. While there are many diseases, we will look at the three most common vegetable diseases. These include Anthracnose, Alternaria bright, and bacterial spots.
Anthracnose
Not every plant is infected with this kind. Plants such as beans, cucumbers, melons and
Tomatoes are mostly affected. If the above crops have been affected, they will have dark spots in color. Other symptoms include sunken spots and pink spores. The latter will only appear when there are wet weather conditions. Depending on the extent of the infection, you could either apply a counterattack spray (ideally sulfur) or destroy the whole lot.
Bacterial spots
Plants exhibiting this kind of infection will tend to have small leaves that are somewhat dark-watered. After some time, these spots tend to dry up, leaving holes. It is also worth noting that these kinds of spots can form on fruits. These bacteria will affect a particular group of vegetables, including cabbage, tomatoes, and pepper. As of now, there has not been found a specific drug that can address this particular condition. As such, after identifying this condition, it is highly recommended that you apply a copper spray to avoid further spreading. Other preventive measures include limiting the use of fertilizers with high nitrogen content and effectively rotating crops.
Alternaria Blight
That is a common one and is also easy to identify. Once it has affected your garden crops, the leaves will often have black or, at times, brown spots. After some time, these spots will mature into a ring, kind of the one resembling a target. After your garden crop is affected by this disease organism, please remove it from the lot.
