Vegetable Gardening
Diseases And Control Treatments
by Moses Wright

Having a vegetable garden means that you will need to be on top of the situation - when it comes to checking and ensuring that your vegetables are disease free. It is an ongoing process to keep the fruits of your labor free from potential threats. Here are a few tips you can use.

With any type of gardening, it all begins with good soil preparation and choosing the right seeds. Also try to select the healthiest looking plants when transplanting. Immediate removal of diseased plants will protect your other vegetables as well.

Proper watering practices will help as well. You should give the plants moisture early to allow them time to dry before the sun sets. It would be helpful to your vegetables to water them with care.

If a plant is diseased, and water splashes from it to another plant, it could spread that disease. Think about how a cold is spread from a sneezing person to someone else. Ensuring that there is proper distance between vegetables can help with this.

Diseases are transferable between plants. Some are spread by insects, so controlling them will aid you in disease control. Other animals, as well as humans can spread harmful diseases among your plants as well. Tobacco mosaic virus is an example and it is transmitted through animals that venture through your vegetable plot or even from contact with your garden gloves.

Keeping weeds under control will also reduce the risk of disease. It makes your garden look nicer while keeping it healthy.

Different types of microbes can be transferred from the weeds to your vegetable plot. They are also transferable via other medium such as air, water and living organisms like bugs.

Knowing which diseases to look for on certain plants will give you a head start.

When you notice that there is a damp, rotting spot at the base of the lettuce where it meets the ground, that is lettuce mold. The white mold is called Sclerotinia, and the gray is Botrytis. Remove the affected areas, or if it's too bad, take out the entire plant.

Lettuce is also susceptible to the spinach mosaic virus. They begin by showing blotchy leaves that yellow over time. The plant will begin to take on a wilted appearance. Some varieties are more resistant to this disease than others, so keep that in mind.

Wilting or rotting of asparagus may be caused by something called Fusarium. The shoots start to yellow and the spears that appear look think and weak.

Discolored and rotted roots may also show up. Remove the affected plants as necessary. The Puccinia fungus will cause another problem with asparagus called rust. This problem will result in reddish spots appearing on the shoots and spears. Excess watering is sometimes the cause of this.

Tomatoes are commonly susceptible to blight and leaf spots, as well as others. Especially in cool summers, these diseases will usually show up by mid August. Tomatoes are affected by soil fungi.

The roots of walnut trees sometimes carry a toxin that is potentially dangerous to nearby tomatoes. Making sure the leaves are dry before nightfall will help reduce this.

Being aware of the signs and symptoms and methods to steer clear of such troubles can allow you to produce beautiful vegetables come harvest time.

Moses Wright loves to help fellow vegetable garden enthusiast. You can find more free resources at: http://www.homelyfamily.com/vegetable.htm

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