How to Keep Your Garden Healthy

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In your garden, you will save unlimited amounts of time, energy, money and frustration if you take some basic steps to prevent pest and disease problems before they strike.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• time and a plan

1. Choose Disease-Resistant Plants Some plants are more prone to disease than others. Read labels and plant descriptions carefully for mention of disease resistance. Look the plants up online, in a plant encyclopedia, of ask garden center staff when considering a purchase.
2. Avoid Monoculture Monoculture- extensive plantings of the same thing- can be TOO much of a good thing. A garden planted only with roses is like a flashing sign welcoming Japanese beetles, aphids, and black spot pathogens. However, if you break up the rose plantings with annuals, perennials, or flowering shrubs, it's tougher for disease to spread from plant to plant.
3. Rotate Plantings Avoid planting annuals in the same spot year after year. A good rule of thumb is to wait three years before planting in the same spot. This allows disease spores and overwintering insects to disperse. This also allows the soil to recover if a plant drains specific nutrients.
4. Keep Plants Watered Avoid letting your plants wilt. This weakens them and makes them more susceptible to disease and pest. Water the soil instead of the plant, keeping the leaves and stem dry to prevent fungal disease. If you have to water from overhead, water in the early morning so the sun can quickly dry the plants. Otherwise consider installing an irrigation system that will water the plants at soil level.
5. Keep Plants Weeded Weeding prevents competition for water, nutrients and sometimes even light.
6. Provide the Right Light Fungal diseases take over when plants get too little light. On the other hand, if a shade loving plant is placed in too much light, it will wilt and may even suffer leaf burn.
7. Provide Good Air Circulation Adequate air flow prevents fungal and other diseases from getting a foothold. Space plants according to label directions and avoid placing plants against walls of fences.
8. Mulch Mulch prevents soil borne pathogens from splashing onto stems and leaves, especially with annuals and perennials. Mulch 1 to 3 inches deep, and keep 1/2 inch or so away from the plant to prevent excessive moisture on the stem and possible rot.
9. Trim Off Problem Parts PRUNE!! If any plant has a dead or damaged area, cut it off. It will only invite disease or insects.