Bye Bye Fungi

Just like you wash your clothes, your silverware, and your bedroom you must also clean up when you garden! The importance of cleaning your tools and your work area can help prevent plant diseases.

Plant diseases can be caused by many different things, such as insects or bacteria and fungi that come in contact with a plant.

We can bring plants into contact with bacteria and fungus by not washing our work gloves, cleaning our shovels, or leaving our garden hose on the ground the using them again.

There are many different kinds of plant diseases and it’s important to be able to know what they look like and how to prevent them.

Some common diseases on plants are Sooty or Powdery Mildew, Black spots, and Mold. The easiest way to identify these diseases is to look for the symptoms of each.

Black Spot

Black Spot is a common disease found on Roses, it is caused by a fungus.

Symptoms include large black spots on leaves.

To treat this disease you must remove affected leaves and spray plant this an fungicide.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew is one of the most common plant diseases caused bu fungus, no plant is immune to it.

It affects mostly the top leaves of plants with a powdery white or gray look substance.

To treat this disease you must remove the affected area of the plants, create good air circulation by pruning plants and do not get water on the leaves of plants.

How to prevent plant diseases:

  • Wash tools after every use with anti-bacterial soap to kill bacteria.
  • Wash or replace dirty gloves.
  • Keep garden hose off the ground .
  • Wash pots and replace soil when replacing plants.
  • Purchase fungicide spray to kill bacteria and other pests.

Activity:

Practice safe sanitation by cleaning off your tools and picking up the garden hoses. Throw away old gloves and make sure your work area is clean!

Share what you learned about preventing plant diseases with your friend and family!

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