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Spring
Chores - Preventing Gardening Problems |
One of the simplest and the best ways to avoid disease and insect problems in your garden is prevention. The warm weather that is returning to our area should remind gardeners that now is the time to locate your shovels, hoes and rakes stashed behind the snow thrower and begin spring cleanup. We don't want to point fingers, but some chores aimed at preventing diseases should ideally be done in the fall. Removing diseased plants is a good example. Blight-laden squash or tomato vines are easier to pull and discard when they come out in one, big unit rather than in bits and pieces as they do in the spring. The less time over-wintering microbes hang around in plant debris, the less chance they have at re-establishing themselves in this year's crop. Many diseases have tough, specialized structures that enable them to outlast the coldest winters. But in any case, removing and discarding last season's dead plants will go a long way in preventing disease recurrence.
Weedy areas often harbor diseases and insects populations, so remove any leftover patches from last year. Many weeds are cool-season plants and will be the first ones out of the ground in the spring, providing a ready food source for insects such as aphids and grubs.
When planting up decorative containers, it's best to clean the insides with a mild bleach solution. Diseases can over-winter in the leftover soil clinging to the sides and bottoms. If there is a thin green line remaining on the inside rim, it's probably algae from last year. Scrubbing this off will ensure it won't get an early foothold on the top of the dirt. Shore fly and fungus gnat larvae feed on decaying organic matter, including algae, and they are well known to transmit plant diseases. In high populations, the larvae will also feed on developing roots, thus stunting young garden plants as they are trying to establish themselves.
Pruning back dead, diseased or insect-infected branches on ornamental trees and shrubs prior to leafing-out will prevent a lot of potential problems. The stem damage caused by rose cane borer, which has become more prevalent in recent years on Rugosa roses, can be easily seen before foliage comes out. Removing these infected canes below the stem swelling and disposing them either through your trash or burning them, will prevent re-infestation this year.
Finally, getting out into your yard and garden beds and taking a look at your investment will give you a good idea of what needs to be done. Walk around and try to spot problems early. Don't wait until diseases and insects are running amok through your prize plants. At that point, quick fixes are out of the question.
There is no perfect plan for trouble-free gardening, but we all will have plenty of opportunity for enjoying the benefits of our work this summer by taking the time in spring to prevent potential problems. |
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