A Beginners Guide to Plant Disease

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A Beginners Guide to Plant Disease

Plant diseases are caused by organisms such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. While disease-resistant plant strains are available for almost any species of plant today, plant diseases still occur in even the best gardens. Once plant infections become well established, they can be extremely difficult to control, so it is wise to monitor your plants frequently for signs of problems.

Removing a section of a plant or sometimes even the entire plant may be necessary to keep diseases in check. If the entire plant must go, gardeners should also replace the topsoil as it may be infected as well.

Here are a few common plant diseases and the methods used to treat them:
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Deer Resistant Plants

Deer Resistant Plants

Having a garden can sometimes be a frustrating endeavor, especially for those of you who have chosen to live away from the big city and bright lights. Gardening in suburbia has its own set of unique problems including plant eating animals, namely deer. Nothing is more frustrating than the anticipation of your rose bush blooming and the next morning finding a decapitated flowerless plant. Yes, lovable Bambi really likes your plants, all of them. And unless you enjoy having to replant your garden every day, you should choose plants which deer do not find irresistible ? no, not cactus. There are beautiful plants and flowers available that those pesky critters won?t eat.

One thing you need to remember, these are deer resistant plants not deer proof and there is a reason why the term ?deer resistant? is used. Deer eat plants, period. Some plants are less tasty than others, but depending upon your current area conditions (drought, deer population, abundance of undeveloped land, and entrapment), even the least appetizing foliage will be eaten. So do not expect these plants to always ward off your antlered friends forever. But as long as there is available water, abundant native foliage and a low deer population, the following plants will remain a part of your garden and landscaping:

Sages (Salvia, Meadow, Russian, Jerusalem)
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Deer Resistant Plants: Planning a Garden that Lasts

Deer Resistant Plants: Planning a Garden that Lasts

Deer are graceful and elegant creatures aren?t they? The way they leap elegantly, and the soft expression in their eyes takes you back to when you first saw the Disney movie ?Bambi? when you were a child. However, deer are also gourmet diners, nibbling everything from fragrant herbs and grasses to the roses in your garden, the one you worked so hard to plant!

Unfortunately, this problem is becoming worse as housing developments keep being built farther out into deer habitat and as deer keep multiplying rapidly from lack of natural predators to keep herd sizes in check.

Gardeners who live in areas with deer can testify to the relatively uselessness of deer fencing, which was allegedly designed to be deer proof and which only fence salesmen. Essentially, unless you build it 10 feet high, a height that is banned in many communities with home ordinances, it is not the solution. Deer do their worst garden damage from late fall through early spring, and that damage is most severe during very cold winters when snow covers the ground for long periods of time, increasing the difficulty for deer in search of ready consumables.
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Organic Gardening: Natural Pest Control

Organic Gardening: Natural Pest Control

Another thing that new organic gardeners become confused about, and sometimes even frustrated with, is figuring out how to control pests and bugs in their gardens. It doesn’t matter if you’re growing roses, annuals, perennials, bushes, trees, vegetables or something else… all plants have one or more bugs which seem to like to feed on either the plant leaves and stems, the flowers themselves, or both.

The most natural way to control pests in your garden is to simply hand pick the bugs off of leaves and flowers as you find them. This is a time consuming process for large gardens though, and many people do not like controlling pests this way alone. Thankfully there are many other things you can do to help with the process naturally though.

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Natural Pest Repellant Plants

Natural Pest Repellant Plants

Mother Nature has a wonderful way of balancing things out. And as avid, capable gardeners, we can take advantage of some of the natural balancing tools she has given us.

Take mosquitoes for instance. Anyone who is driven inside regularly at twilight, or has been unable to enjoy a nice midnight barbecue, swim, or family gathering in the garden because they’re eaten alive by these pesky little biters will be happy to know: There are several natural ways you can keep them away from your outdoor living spaces. And these natural ways of course involve putting in certain types of plants, which tend to be natural pest repellants.
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