By Pat Dray
The Garden Spot
Pat Dray.
Now that all your plants are in the ground (or in the large patio pots) it’s time to begin your daily garden surveillance.
This sounds like another tiresome thing to add to your “to do” list, but basically it’s just a walk around your garden to look for any pests or weeds that may become bothersome. Does anything look wilted or like it’s beginning to turn yellow or brown? Do any of your plants have holes in their leaves? Are the weeds invading and creating competition for water and nutrients? These are all important things to notice early before they result in the loss of a plant.
Last summer, several of my rose bushes developed yellow leaves and extensive leaf drop almost overnight. Fortunately, because I check my garden daily, I was able to recognize that this was most likely a fungal disease. I pruned the shrubs back to below where the damage was and sprayed with an antifungal agent. The plants revived over the early fall and looked fine this spring.
But last week I started to see yellow, dropping leaves again. I repeated the process. Why did this happen again? The embarrassing answer: poor hygiene last year. Fungal diseases, along with many insects, overwinter in the soil. I probably had a few leaves that I didn’t clear away last year, or maybe I hadn’t sterilized my pruning shears well enough in the fall, which led to a repeat of the cycle. Fingers crossed for this year.
Most plant diseases and insects are specific to certain plant families. This does make your surveillance and diagnostic process a bit easier, since once you know what the plant is, you can research what problems are most common to that plant and treat it in a targeted manner, reducing chemical usage.
For example, the striped cucumber beetle affects the cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers, cantaloupes, squashes, pumpkins and watermelons. Most beetles overwinter in the soil and leaf litter as adults and emerge in early spring. This is the most dangerous time, since the adults will eat the emerging seedlings and leaves. You’ll see the cucumber beetle eggs at the base of the plant where they’ll eventually mature into adult beetles that will overwinter again. Other beetles lay their eggs on the undersides of plants where they’ll enjoy the shade in the underside of the leaf. You can hand-pick any beetles you find, but it’s better to plant resistant crops so you can avoid this. As a last resort, treat them with the appropriate chemical from a garden center.
One insect that is very indiscriminate is the cutworm. It will attack almost any plants. They overwinter as caterpillars and are voracious spring feeders. Since they are crawlers in the spring, if you see them now, take quick action by “collaring” the plants with broken eggshells or diatomaceous earth to deter them.
I hope that these examples help you understand why the issue of garden surveillance and hygiene is so important. Have a plant problem? The UConn Master Gardeners have a plant clinic each Wednesday and the second Saturday of the month at the gazebo on the Milford Green from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring a large sample of the plant or multiple photos showing the entire plant and the damage.
Pat Dray is a past president of the Orange Garden Club and a master gardener.