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Diseases
Diseases in
plants can come from many sources, including bacteria, viruses,
mold, poor environmental conditions, and inadequate feeding. Even
professional plant pathologists who spend every day diagnosing plant
problems often have trouble figuring out what's wrong with a plant.
So, if you think your plant is sick, but you're at a loss as to
what to do, at least know you're not alone. The best you can do
for your plant is pay attention to the signals it's giving you -
and use the diagnostic charts to narrow down the possibilities.
Some basic rules
of thumb for preventing diseases are:
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Check plants
carefully before you buy them to make sure they are healthy.
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Give plants
enough breathing room to avoid moist conditions that encourage
molds and other diseases.
-
Water in
the morning, and avoid getting foliage wet.
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Cut off
diseased parts of plants to prevent spread.
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Keep sick
plants away from other plants.
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Buy plants
resistant to whatever virus or other pathogen is common to your
area.
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Sterilize
all containers before you use them.
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Throw out
old soil if you are re-using containers.
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