Your perfect garden can turn into a total ruin if attacked by plant diseases. So, knowing to tend your plants so that they grow properly is not all it takes to have a great garden.
You have to keep them safe from diseases that can completely ruin their health and negate all the effort you have made to have a healthy and vibrant garden. Diseases suck the energy off your plants, causing them to wilt, have scrubs, rot, and even develop blotches and so forth.
We are going to have a look at some plant diseases that can destroy your garden and how to deal with them. Obviously, you can try to get plants that have better resistance to diseases, but if you can’t help it, you have to be ready to deal with the diseases at some points during their life cycle.
Plant Diseases that Can Destroy Your Garden
1. Bacterial Leaf Spot
Plants having this problem have small, dark spots on the leaves that dry up and leave holes. The fruits can also fall victim to this problem. The plants most susceptible to this issue include tomatoes and cabbages.
While there is no way to treat this disease after it has had its effects, you can stop it from causing further damage by dealing with it as soon as its first signs emerge.
A copper or sulfur based fungicide can get this done. Plant rotation and limiting the use of fertilizers rich in nitrogen can also help a big deal in keeping your garden free from bacterial leaf spot disease.
2. Early Blight
This disease can actually kill the leaves on your plant. Its effects include brown and black spots on the leaves that can be sunken on the fruits and tubers. This problem often comes about during wet weather.
Therefore, when the disease is projected to appear, the plants should be treated using a copper-based fungicide. The importance of doing this cannot be overemphasized, because, according to gardeninginfo-online.com, blight is very hard to control once it sets in. So, take charge of it early to keep it from ruining months of gardening effort.
3. Mosaic Virus
Tomatoes, beans and even peppers can suffer from this disease. When this disease attacks, these plants usually get yellow veins and a mottled green appearance. The plants can also suffer stunted growth, and the leaves can curl up and wrinkle.
Downtowngal [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
There is no cure against the disease, but you are not completely helpless either. You can go for plant varieties that have greater resistance to the disease, get rid of the affected plants, and deal with pests that spread it around.
4. Club Root
Your vegetable garden can fall victim to this devastating disease, which makes the roots distorted and swollen. Some of the plants that get affected by this disease include vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower. The plants end up wilting during the day and older leaves turn yellow and drop off.
Rasbak [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
5. Rusts
A lot of plants can suffer from rusts, such as onions, carrots, beans and even corn. With this disease, the plant often turns reddish-brown on the leaves and stems. The problem is brought about by circulation issues, and getting rid of affected plants and dusting them with sulfur can prevent the problem from getting worse.
Plant diseases can turn your beautiful garden into a horror show as you watch your plants get diseased and even die off. That is why every gardener should know a thing or so about handling plant diseases. Above are common plant diseases and how to deal with them to keep your garden healthy.