Disease Prevention

Hi All:

Last year I had some minor problems with some crop diseases, specifically powdery mildew. I've planted a much larger area this year and I'd like to put into practice a more formal method for treating and preventing diseases.

I'd like to know how some of you practice disease prevention and management. Do you only treat for diseases once they are appear.? Do you look for evidence of the causes of certain diseases and then start a treatment/prevention program? Or do you assume that disease will happen and take preventive measure much astake a vaccination for flu season?

I know that good disease management starts with good seeed and proper gardening techniques but I would like to know what some of you do over and above that.

Thanks for sharing

BB

Good questions. I'm a novice gardener, and would like to know if there's more that can be done other than cleaning up the garden well, and rotating the crops. Seems like those are the things I've heard the most, but are there some other garden "secrets" you experienced gardeners know ?

We'll get some good answers PeggieK

I don't have disease problems with very many crops. However the melons and other vine crops are something else. For watermelons and cantaloupes I pull all the old vines out including the major roots and take them away. I also inoculate the seed starting soil with Root Shield® and give a booster drench with that later to guard against harmful soil fungals.

I had a serious problem with powdery mildew, which is thanks to the humidity. You have to be careful not to get the leaves wet when watering if the humidity is really high, and the plants are already moist.

Powdery mildew spreads like lightening. I started on one small cucumber, and I ended up with it on all of my tomatoes, beans, squash and other cukes, even though I used Messenger as a disease preventative.

A solution of 1 tablespoon dish liquid in my 32oz spray bottle filled with water did wonders. Just be sure to spray lightly and evenly. I also use neem oil solution, but only in the evening, because if used in the morning, when the sun comes out, the neem will burn your leaves.

This should help.

kanita

Thanks All:

Kanita:

Does it matter what kind of dish detergent?

No, just your plain basic Dawn, Pomolive, Joy etc. I used Dawn because I use Dawn.

kanita

I planted 2 strawberry plants and they are full of berries but when I touch the plants lots of little bugs fly off. are they aphids and what do I do about it. HELP!

BB. I use IPM techniques. http://www.gaipm.org/vegetable/index.html http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-708/426-708.html http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2205.html http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/topics/vegetable.php http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/sustainable/peet/
http://vegipm.tamu.edu/ http://ipmnet.org/cicp/vegetable/vegindex.htm

Because there are few growers in this area, I have few problems, that can not be handled with proper soil preparation and sanitation. I rarely have Powdery Mildew problem, I do grow mostly resistant cultivars, On the rare occasion that it does occur, I control it with baking soda. http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/qt/PowderyMildew.htm I don't use it as a preventative, but do attack at the first signs of invasion.

Unlike Indy's situation, melons here are pretty carefree. I do rotate to avoid build up of soil borne diseases.
I do have problems with southern blight and other soil borne diseases on tomatoes and peppers. I have cultivars that have some resistance but other that that no effective controls.

Kathi, aphids are not very mobile, so if the bugs are flying off your strawberry plants, they are most likely something else. Flea beetles, leaf hoppers, and thrips are possibilities, but if the plants have strawberries on them I am at a lost as to what can done about it at that stage. I have never had any major damage to strawberries from these, so it may be possible to live with them.

Thanks Farmerdill:

I am moving to an IPM based method at our gardens. Worked hard on building soil fertility this year and will continue to do so. Also planting a lot of beneficial plants this year. Something I hadn't done at all before.

I also noticed that some very small things obviously had some effect. I individually staked all my tomato plants last year and because I increased the number I planted and put them in the same area, they attracted a lot of birds especially jays and robins. I noticed that my Japanese Beetle populations were drastically reduced over previous years. Not sure if this is the reason but I will see this year.

When do you plant your melons?

BB

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