PLANT DISEASES: PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE

PLANT DISEASES: PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE
A number of plant diseases are the result of
unfavorable growing conditions, but many are caused
by parasitic bacteria and fungi that cannot produce
their own food and rely on the plant for nourishment.
Some diseases are airborne, and others can live for
years in the soil, so it's difficult for the gardener to
predict or control them.
As a matter of policy, prevention is better than
cure — or attempting a cure — where plant diseases
are concerned. You can try to avoid the conditions
that promote disease by choosing your planting sites
wisely. Primarily you want to avoid the combination
of too much moisture, too much shade, and soil that's
too cool — the three conditions that provide an
ideal environment for the propagation of diseases.
You can also plant disease-resistant varieties, rotate
crops, and take steps to keep your garden clean and
healthy.
If your preventive measures don't work, you'll
have to cut your losses. There's little you can do to
save a plant that has been attacked by a parasitic
fungus or bacterial disease, and your best bet is to
remove the affected plant as soon as possible
before the disease has a chance to spread to healthy
plants. This may seem drastic, and you may be
tempted to save the plant, especially if it's near
harvesttime. Don't give in to temptation —you're
risking the rest of your crop. Remove the diseased
plant and burn it, put it in the garbage, or dispose of
it elsewhere well away from your vegetable garden.
Don't leave it lying around the garden, and don't
put it on the compost pile.
Protecting your garden from disease
Maintaining a healthy garden requires you to be a
conscientious gardener. Here are methods you can
use to keep your garden free from disease:
Prepare the soil properly. Make it easy for your
plants to grow well. Plant vegetables in full sun if you
can; strong sunlight is a great disinfectant, and the
energy plants draw from the sun gives them extra
strength. Make sure the soil is well-worked, has
good drainage, and is high in organic matter so the soil
moisture will remain even. Do not plant the
vegetables when the soil and air are too cold. Place
plants far enough apart so to avoid crowding; this
will allow good air circulation, and the plants will be
able to dry out after a rain.
Select disease-resistant varieties. Where possible,
buy seeds that are certified as disease-free. Use seeds
that have been treated with fungicide, or start your
seeds in a sterile soil mix. Your local Cooperative
Extension Service can supply you with a list of
disease-resistant vegetable varieties for your area.
Rotate your crops. Do not grow the same plant
family in the same spot year after year. Repetition of
the same crop gives diseases a chance to build up
strength. There are three major vegetable families:
cole crops (cabbage family) — broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, rutabaga,
and turnip; cucurbits (cucumber family) —
cucumber, gourds, muskmelons, pumpkins,
summer and winter squash, and watermelons; and
solanaceous plants (tomato and pepper family) —
eggplant, Irish potato, pepper, and tomato. After
growing a crop from one of these families one year,
choose a variety from one of the other families to
plant in the same spot the following season.
Don't work with wet plants. Do not work the soil
when it is wet. When you're watering the garden, try
not to splash water on the plants, especially in hot,
humid weather. Handling plants when they're wet
spreads diseases.
Control garden pests. Keep insects and other small
pests under control. Some insects spread disease;
sometimes insects just weaken the plant so that it
becomes more susceptible to disease.
,Don't infect your own plants. If you smoke, wash
your hands well with soap and hot running water
before working with tomatoes, peppers, and
eggplant. Smokers can infect these plants with
tobacco mosaic virus, causing them to mottle,
streak, drop their leaves, and die.
Keep your garden clean. Always keep the garden
clear of weeds, trash, and plants that have finished
producing. Remove infected plants. If you have a
sick plant in the garden, identify the problem. If it's a
virus or fungus disease, remove the affected plant
as quickly as possible. Destroy the plant; do not put it
in the compost pile. This removal of infected plants
Is called "culling." Don't think of it as killing a plant;