Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
you can determine whether there is a threat to the plant and act
quickly.
If the problem is not obvious, you will need to be a detective to
find out what could be wrong.
Questions to Ask
•
Is the problem affecting the whole plant or just part of it?
•
Is the problem on one plant or on several plants?
•
Is there a pattern to it or is the problem random?
•
Is only a certain area of the garden affected?
•
Are only young plants affected?
•
Is there anything unusual on the underside of the plant leaves?
If you can see an insect or pest but do not know what it is, try to
take a sample of the problem to your local nursery to see if they can
identify the problem for you. A healthy plant will be able to fight a lot
of problems, so give the infected plant a little more care and atten-
tion. Does it need more or less water? Has it been fertilized recently
or is it overdue? If the plant is too damaged, pull it out and immedi-
ately place it into a garbage bag and remove it from your garden site
so as not to spread the problem to other areas.
Smoothie Garden Solution
Ladybugs are a gift to any vegetable garden. They eat unwanted
pests like aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies.
To attract them to your garden, plant marigolds, goldenrod, or
butterfly weed. They can also be purchased at most garden centers
or from seed catalogs.
