Prevention is much easier than treatment. This is true for our own health, as well as our garden's health. Just as eating right and getting regular check-ups is vital to preventing health issues, providing a healthy environment for your plants is also essential for preventing plant health issues. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the ways to prevent diseases in your garden. If you do these things consistently and take time to observe your plants regularly, chances are good that you will have very few diseases to contend with.
Fertilize to Keep Your Plants Healthy
That is, fertilize just enough to keep plants healthy, and no more than that. Over-fertilizing often leads to more problems, because then your plants put out lots of weak, fresh growth that is attractive to pests and diseases. The right amount of organic fertilizer (or regular applications of compost or composted manure) will help your plants stay healthy. Healthy plants are better able to fend off diseases.
Allow Your Soil to Warm Up Before Planting
Some fungal diseases get their hooks into our gardens because we plant when the soil is still too cool. Our plants are stressed, which makes them less able to fight off diseases, and before you know it, we're dealing with sick plants. The easy way to eliminate this problem is to ensure that you're not planting until the soil has warmed in the spring. A soil thermometer is an inexpensive gadget that can save you a lot of headaches later on. Another way to do this is to look to phenology to know when to plant. For example, tradition says that when the lily-of-the-valley is in bloom, it's time to plant tomatoes.
Water In the Morning
This is one of those old tried-and-true bits of advice that just makes sense. Many fungal diseases need damp, cool environments to thrive. So if our plants' foliage is wet overnight, that gives these diseases a chance to really get a good start in our gardens. The easiest way to prevent this is to water as early in the day as possible so that your plants can dry off before nightfall.
If you are concerned about diseased plants, or need help to prevent diseases, we would love to help. Simply click the contact tab to give us a call, email or chat with us!