Pests And Diseases

In “Pests and Diseases,” I provide clear gardening tips and accessible knowledge to tackle gardening challenges. Expect practical advice on identifying, preventing, and treating a variety of garden pests and diseases to keep your green space flourishing.

The topics we cover here are Diseases, Pests, Pest and Disease Control, and Beneficial Insects.

The Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Soil Mites

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A close-up photograph of a soil mite crawling on the ground. Fascinating Facts About Soil Mites: Discover the tiny world beneath our feet!

Learn about the essential role of soil mites in soil and plant health. Discover the different types of soil mites and their functions, as well as how to manage them. Soil mites are beneficial to the soil ecosystem and killing them would require killing the soil.

Japanese Beetles Stop Them in Their Tracks

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A close-up image of Japanese beetles on a leaf, highlighting the need to stop Japanese beetles from causing damage. Stop Japanese Beetles: Effective strategies to protect your plants.

The Japanese beetle has become a significant plant pest hazard to American agriculture and turf. Adults skeletonize the leaves and consume the fruit of several types of fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, and vegetable crops, while larvae feed mainly on turf roots.

How To Stop Cats Using The Garden As A Toilet.

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A gray cat exploring a lush garden, showcasing measures to prevent cats from using it as a toilet.

Stop cats fouling in your garden with one or a combination of the following.

Prevent access with plastic spikes, or roller fence tops, stopping them from getting a grip.
Grow herbs such as Thyme, Rosemary, Wintergreen, Mint (Smells Cats Hate).
Spray down areas cats have defecated with DIY sprays to prevent them from returning
Set up motion detection sprinklers (Cats hate water).
Set up motion detection noisemakers
Set up ultrasonic cat scarers
Add netted balls of human hair around the garden.
Protect growing areas with wire mesh to put cats off fouling.
Use river rock as a mulch to prevent cats from burying their feces.
Place citrus peel around your garden. Cats’ senses are many times that of ours. Citrus is overbearing,

How to Prevent Seedlings from Damping Off?

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A healthy seedling with vibrant green leaves and roots growing in nutrient-rich soil, demonstrating effective measures to prevent seedlings from damping.

Soak pots and trays in a 10% bleach solution for 30 minutes to sterilize them.
Use pots with proper drainage holes.
Warm soil to 70-75˚F or 21-24˚C
Use clean, warm (68–77˚F) or (20-25˚C) water to hydrate seeds and seedlings.
Fill trays with fresh potting soil. Don’t reuse old soil and never use garden soil.
Sow seeds thinly to prevent overcrowding which leads to humid conditions.
Use a potting mix that drains well.
Avoid over-watering. Keep the soil moist but not sodden with water.
Sterilize all tools that you will use in seedling planting and maintenance.
When not in use, store plant containers, and tools in a clean environment.
It would be best if you kept hoses and water heads up off of the floor.
When sowing indoors, make use of a small fan for proper air circulation.
Consider a systemic, broad-spectrum fungicide as a soil additive or soil drench.
When direct sowing, check your seed packet for optimal soil temperatures

How To Get Rid Of Aphids From Your Garden Plants.

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Close-up of aphids infesting a garden plant. Learn how to get rid of aphids in your garden.

Insecticides, herbicides, and pesticides have been linked to cancer, congenital disabilities, autism, brain damage, and depression, to name a few. If you plant organically, you will not want to treat insects with any type of chemical. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep aphids naturally away from plants. These are some of the best natural ways to get rid of aphids.

How To Control Allium Leaf Miner. Protect Your Plants!

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Close-up photo of an Allium leaf miner larva, a pest that damages Allium plants, positioned on a decaying leaf. Learn effective methods to control Allium leaf miner and protect your plants from infestation.

How to control allium leaf miner? The only surefire way to control allium leaf miner is to cover the plants before they are affected. Enviromesh, insect mesh or even fleece can be used with great effect. Prevention is much better than cure. If crops do have allium leaf miner the safest bet is to burn and destroy the plant to prevent its spread.

What Causes Powdery Mildew? How to get rid of it?

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Close-up of hands holding a spray bottle, treating powdery mildew on a plant leaf. The hands are spraying a solution to combat the causes of powdery mildew.

What Causes Powdery Mildew? Powdery mildew is a fungus caused by micro-organisms. It is problematic when there are damp humid conditions. This fungal disease can affect a wide range of plants leaving behind powdery substances that block the leaves from photosynthesizing.

Proven Methods, How To Get THRIPS Off Your Plants

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A close-up photo of a thrip insect crawling on the leaves of a houseplant. Get thrips off your plants.

How To Get THRIPS Off Your Plants? Thrips can be controlled by timely pruning, good husbandry, good soil nutrition, along with ensuring good ventilation and watering habits. But one of the very best ways to get rid of thrips is to use predatory insects.

Deal With Septoria Leaf Spot On Tomatoes Leaves

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A person's hand holds a tomato leaf with septoria. Learn how to deal with septoria on tomato leaves.

Tomatoes suffer from all sorts of diseases. Septoria Leaf Spot on tomatoes is no exception. Caused by a fungus called Septoria lycopersici. It is very destructive to the foliage of your tomato plants. It is caused by damp humid conditions and is more persistent when this sort of weather persists for long periods of time.

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