Preventing disease in a prepper garden is crucial for maintaining a healthy harvest. That’s why preppers must learn to diagnose and treat plant diseases before it’s too late to save the crop.
Garden Diseases and Bacteria
Even savvy gardeners and farmers are challenged with plant diseases throughout the harvest season. In fact, a crop can be wiped out in the blink of an eye if the disease spreads. This could prove catastrophic for a prepper that is counting on sustainable gardening as a source for food during an unexpected disaster or emergency scenario.
Plant diseases can be classified as bacterial, viral, or fungal. Symptoms of vegetable garden diseases may include wilting, dropping of leaves, discoloration, mold, mildew, or lesions. But if you see signs of disease, know that many can be managed or treated. As part of prepping, it’s a good idea to gain knowledge about plant diseases, so you’ll know what to look out for, how to avoid each disease, and when to begin treatment. Keep in mind, not all plants are susceptible to the same diseases so gaining some prepper garden skills can go a long way toward a healthy harvest of vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Let’s delve into the most common garden plant diseases.
Recognizing Common Garden Plant Diseases
Aphid-Transmitted Viruses – Aphids are more than garden pests as they transmit viruses that can destroy your plants. The disease shows up in the form of curled, yellow leaves. Note that this virus spreads quickly.
Bacterial Leaf Rot – This disease can destroy your vegetable garden because it can target just about any type of plant species. Soft rot is caused by overwatering, and you’ll see water-soaked spots near the leaf veins that appear brown and unusually soft in texture.
Bacterial Wilt – This disease typically affects younger plants, noticed through leaf and stem wilting or shriveling, in addition to a dark green drip from the plant.
Basal Rot – This disease, also referred to as “bulb rot” can affect both flowers and bulbs. This can be recognized by a plant that is stunted in growth with colors from yellow to red-purplish shades.
Black Spot – This disease is exactly as the name implies. It creates black spots on leaves that will then turn a yellow color and drop. Regular pruning and good airflow can benefit the plant.
Blight – Also, known as “gray mold,” you’ll see a gray fuzzy texture covering plants, flowers, and leaves. Prune the affected plant parts immediately or the plant will quickly experience wilting, yellowing, browning, and potentially die. Blight is a serious concern as it can literally happen during the overnight hours, immediately wiping out a crop.
Cercospora Leaf Spot – This disease shows up as small, dark spots on leaves because of disrupted photosynthesis. Prune affected leaves.
Crown Rot – This disease caused by overwatering affects leaves that will quickly turn yellow and brown and lead to the plant’s demise.
Damping Off – When seedlings collapse it’s called “damping off.” This disease is caused by soft rotting seeds that fail to germinate or die just as they emerge from the soil.
Downy Mildew – This is caused by a fungus disease, leaves look yellowish with a slight gray fuzz appearing on the leaf underside, leaf edges curl downwards. It can even spread through the entire plant causing it to fall over. Prune the affected leaves.
Fungus – A fungal infection can rapidly spread from one plant to another through spores in the soil or on the plant itself. It can be treated with an organic fungicide. It shows up as yellowing leaves and wilting stems.
Leaf Mold – This disease creates black patches on leaves, affecting their function. Leaf mold develops is caused by wet, shaded areas, so proper sunlight can help. Remove affected leaves promptly to prevent further spread.
Leaf Spots – This disease caused by fungi or bacteria gives the appearance of tiny spots all over the leaf, starting out as a yellow shade and then darkening to a brown color. The leaves typically wilt and then fall to the ground.
Mosaic Virus – Recognized as a mosaic patchwork design of discolored leaves, this virus affects plants, spreads through insects sometimes by way of unclean garden tools.
Powdery Mildew – Caused by a fungus and spread in the air, the plant’s leaves, stem, and shoots are covered in a white powdery film. This disease takes away the plant’s nutrients and stunts the plant’s growth.
Pink Root – This fungus causes plant roots or the outer layers of a plant bulb to turn pink, then darken to a deep purple shade. Pink root can cause the roots to die.
Purple Blotch – This fungus caused by moist and humid conditions is exactly as the name implies, shows up as purple blotches on a plant’s leaves.
Pythium Root Rot – This disease is caused by the Pythium fungi that affects roots, causing plants to wilt and decay. Remove affected plants immediately to prevent spreading to healthy plants.
Root Rot – Typical root rot differs from Pythium root rot because typical root rot can be caused by many different types of fungi and bacteria. Root rot turns healthy roots into a black mush texture. Affected plants appear wilted.
Rust – This disease appears as orange/rust-colored spots covering leaves. This can be prevented simply by spacing plants efficiently and not overwatering.
Scab – This disease is caused by bacteria showing crusty lesions on any part of the plant. Leaves typically fall to the ground and sadly there is no treatment so remove the infected plant right away.
Sclerotinia – Also referred to as white mold, this disease appears as a white, cottony mold on stems and leaves. Remove affected plants to prevent further spread.
Smut – This disease is caused by a fungus that specifically attacks seedlings. The disease appears as a dark patch on the leaves, sometimes resembling a spec of dirt or blister.
Verticillium Wilt – This disease makes its home in the soil, attacking a plant’s vascular system, with symptoms of unusual leaf coloring and stunted growth.
White Rot – This disease is caused by a fungus, appearing as tiny black dots (not white dots as the name implies) on the leaves and the plant’s body. White rot often remains in the soil for years to come.
12 Ways to Prevent Garden Diseases
Now that you’ve learned that there are dozens of plant diseases to look out for, there are some helpful strategies that you should consider making part of your garden routine.
<1> Use Resistant Plant Varieties
Choose disease-resistant plant varieties to minimize disease risk in your prepper garden. Do your plant research and check plant labels, before buying and building your garden.
<2> Purchase Good Quality Plants and Seeds
Shop at a reputable garden center and select plants that appear healthy with hearty leaves and strong stems. If you’re creating a garden from scratch using seeds, to avoid transmission of an existing plant disease, be sure to purchase fresh seeds rather than potentially collecting seeds from an already diseased plant.
<3> Water Correctly and at the Right Time
Did you know that you should not spray the entire plant when watering? The correct way to water a plant is to simply aim for the base and roots, not the leaves. By doing so, you can help to prevent many diseases, especially the growth of fungi. Also, be sure to water your plants early in the day so the plant dries efficiently. Note that many plants develop disease because of excess moisture during the overnight hours.
<4> Improve Soil Drainage
Proper soil drainage is a huge factor as overwatering and moisture are common culprits of plant diseases. To prevent diseases like root rot, it’s essential to monitor the soil texture for water retention and treat the area accordingly. Hint: You can add mulch to soak up the moisture.
<5> Healthy Soil
Healthy soil is a great way to promote strong, healthy plants that are disease resistant. You can maintain healthy soil with mulch or compost but be careful not to compost diseased garden scraps or cross contaminate the soil when walking from a diseased area to a healthy planting area.
<6> Prune Diseased Plant Parts
Never compost an infected plant as the disease can spread to healthy plants. Instead, prune or remove infected leaves and flowers, or any dead parts of the plant. Pruning can improve air circulation and promote plant growth.
<7> Completely Remove and Discard Diseased Plants
Be sure to rid diseased plants so you stop the disease at the source. Do not compost a diseased plant. Toss it in the trash. After you remove the disease host species, do not plant the same type of plant as you already know the species is susceptible to that plant disease.
<8> Rotate Crops Annually
Rotate crops annually to help keep soil healthy and manage diseases. You see, crops use different nutrients from the soil, so planting different crops helps replenish the soil’s nutrients while confusing garden pathogens and pests, breaking their life cycles.
<9> Ensure Adequate Spacing, Avoid Overcrowding Plants
Spacing plants properly is crucial for efficient air circulation around each plant. This can help reduce the spread of bacterial diseases. Bacteria thrives in oxygen depleted plant tissue. Crowded plants also promote fungal growth.
<10> Add Mulch to Create a Barrier
Mulch works as a barrier to prevent “soil splash” which can spread disease. Mulch can also hold moisture and regulate the temperature of the soil.
<11> Clean Garden Tools Regularly
Did you know that plant diseases can be spread though garden tools? That’s why it’s imperative that you clean dirty garden tools to stop the cycle of infection. Simply use a bucket full of soapy water or disinfectant, rinse thoroughly and dry the tools.
<12> Apply Organic Fungicides or Pesticides
Organic treatments can help to control plant diseases without the use of harsh chemicals. Organic fungicides and pesticides can protect plants and new seedlings by preventing the spread of disease. Just always be sure to follow label instructions for effective results.
A Little Effort Can Go a Long Way to Protect Your Prepper Garden
Implementing a combination of these gardening strategies can help ensure a thriving prepper garden, one that will continually yield a bountiful harvest of vegetables, fruits, and herbs year after year. The most important thing to remember is to be alert. Regular inspection of plants is mandatory to spot signs of disease and unwanted pests early. The quicker the response, the more effective your treatment will be.
