Container Principles: Prevention of Pest and Disease Damage
There is an entire list of diseases and pests that can negatively affect the growth of your plantings. Container plantings are more susceptible to these attacks because of their confined space. The disease or pests can quickly infect all the plantings in the area. Although this is a high risk associated with container plantings, you can fight these pests off developing and producing healthy plants from the start. Healthy plants grown from the beginning will posses natural assets to combat diseases and pests. It is always a good idea to observe your garden and container plantings regularly to make sure there are no signs of damage or ill health.
Types of Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Vine Weevil
These little buggers like containers and planters because the natural sterile nature of soil eliminates the vine weevil’s enemies. The vine weevil has a brown head, is C shaped, and is a grub that eats the roots of plants. They usually sprout up around late spring and last until late summer. When vine weevil grubs mature, they evolve into flightless beetles that chew on the edges of foliage and flowers. Plants such as Violas, Dahlia’s, and Verbena’s are highly prone to these attacks.
Slugs and Snails
You can usually tell if it’s these pests just by the slime trail residue left behind. Their typical damage includes eating away leaves and leaving irregular looking holes. You can use non-chemical means to get rid of these pests such as setting up slug traps where they fall into beer and drown. Always check pots to see if any slugs are present and if they are, just pick them off. Plants such as Cannas, Hostas, and Impatiens are the usual targets of slugs and snails.
Aphids
These pesky creatures multiply rapidly when exposed to warm weather. There are both winged and flightless variations, depending on the time of season, and they mainly attack the soft growing tips of plants to cause the destruction of leaves and flower buds. You can use chemical sprays to thwart these pests but for small infestations, you can just clip off the damaged portion of the plant. Plants that are prone to aphid attacks include Verbena’s, Viola’s, and Argyranthemum’s.
Prevention Techniques
It is not possible to fend off against all the pests and diseases in the environment but there are methods you can use to make your plants resistant to infestations and infections. Healthy plants that have a rich supply of nutrients and are watered regularly will be less likely attacked as compared to a drought ridden unhealthy plant. Insect and disease growth increases and the temperature rises. That’s why it is important to make regular check ups with your plants to observe any infestations because if you catch it early on, it will be easier to save the plant. Find any pests and remove them by rubbing, spraying, or wiping them off. If the infestation is situated to one area, try to prune that affected area.
Infestation Activity
Most insects situate themselves underneath the leaves near the main leaf veins. Observe the plants carefully because certain pests, like green caterpillars and aphids, can be overlooked.
Fungal activity and the spread of diseases are increased when wet foliage is present. When watering plants with dense foliage, be sure you place them in sunlight to allow the water accumulation on the leaves to dry up.
When you deadhead flower heads, be sure not to leave it lying in the midst of the foliage or soil or else it will rot and encourage bacterial activity. Keeping the plantings neat and tidy, with regular deadheading, will create a beautiful display and decrease the spread of bacteria.
Certain potting mixes in the market today contain systemic insecticides. The plants absorb the insecticide up through the soil and it provides them with long term protection against most pests and diseases. Be careful that you do not use this insecticide with culinary herbs or food crops you might eat later on because it can be quite poisonous.
