Pest and disease control in your garden - Diagnosing what’s wrong with your plants

Do your plants look unhealthy? Before you reach for a pesticide spray – play detective and work out what is wrong with your plants so you can treat them correctly.

Check the overall vigour and visual appearance of your plants - check leaves for abnormalities such as markings, discolouration, dead patches and holes; check size of fruit and flowers and whether they are developing normally; check stems and branches for lush growing tips; and check that the plants roots are strong and not on the soil surface.

Weekly inspection of your plants while you are watering is a great way to monitor for any problems and ensure that they are managed promptly. Problems to look out for in your garden during Autumn include:
Pests such as caterpillars which are about in abundance. Look for the tell tale signs of holes in leaves and droppings. Control caterpillars by hand removal or with Dipel. Also look out for distorted citrus leaves with thin silvery trails caused by citrus leaf miner, which can be controlled with Pest Oil. Keep an eye out for mealy bug especially on indoor plants. Small cottony patches on leaves and stems are signs of the pest which can be controlled using Confidor.

Disease problems such as black spot on roses can be controlled with Mancozeb or Rose gun. Look for black circular spots on leaves. Environmental problems such as exposure from wind, frost and sun. Lots of plants still have sunburnt leaves from the scorching heat on New Years Day, these leaves can be pruned off and composted.

If you are unsure what is wrong with your plants, why not bring a sample of the damage in a plastic bag to Eden Gardens for diagnosis and recommendation for treatment by one of our team of experienced horticulturists.

Healthy happy plants are less likely to be affected by problems – remember to periodically feed with a balanced fertiliser and control any weeds growing around the base of plants as they compete with plants for valuable water and nutrients. Garden hygiene is also important to stop the spread of pests and diseases between plants. If you are removing damaged leaves, flowers or stems place them in a plastic bag in the rubbish bin instead of composting, wash your hands well and clean secateurs blades with a weak solution of bleach.

To find out more about caring for your garden attend an Eden Education workshop or course.

Our next Gardening Skills 5 week introductory courses start on Wednesday 3 May at 10am.

Find out more about our Education Program

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