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How to Control Bacterial Leaf Spot in Plants

Gardeners must always be alert to any signs of disease in the landscape.  One sick plant can infect surrounding plants, spreading the disease and multiplying the amount of damage caused.  If you're observant enough to catch a problem early, you can often minimize the harm and protect the rest of your plants from getting sick.  Bacterial leaf spot is a common disease that you may encounter while caring for your flowers and vegetables.  Here are some tips for diagnosing and controlling bacterial leaf spot. Bacterial leaf spot can attack many different types of plants.  Flowers and vegetables such as geraniums, poinsettias, celery, cucumbers, and others are all susceptible to this disease.  Symptoms vary depending on the afflicted plant.  It may be characterized by flat or sunken spots that start small and increase in size, forming papery translucent areas that are confined by leaf veins.  Spots may also appear on fruit and vegetables.  The disease is caused by the Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas bacteria, which can be harbored in plant debris and survive for months as a potential danger. Once a plant is infected, there is no effective remedy.  However, it's important to take immediate steps to stop the bacteria from spreading through the ...

How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden

If you possess a lush, beautiful garden, you are likely to have a few unwanted visitors.  You know the type - they sneak in when you're not around and begin chomping on the most delectable greenery and edibles they can find.  Depending on where you live, some of those unwanted visitors may be rabbits.  Even in the city you can find a substantial rabbit population and this may present a big problem for gardeners.  You probably don't mind sharing a small portion of your harvest with these cute, furry creatures.  But when rabbits start to think of your backyard as their very own 24-hour grocery store, you may feel the need to take action.  Here are some proven tips for keeping rabbits out of your garden. Rabbits are small prey animals that are vulnerable to many predators.  As a result, they like staying close to bushes and ground cover and they don't like to cross large open areas.  If you have a large property, try to situate garden beds away from convenient hiding places to deter rabbits from approaching.  It's also not a bad idea to place old shoes or boots in strategic locations.  The scent will cause the rabbits to ...

How to Control Gray Mold in Plants

Many types of fungi serve a valuable purpose in the garden.  They contribute to healthy soil and they have a symbiotic relationship with plants that allows both types of organisms to thrive.  However, some fungi are harmful in the garden.  These destructive types, called pathogens, invade healthy plant tissue, weakening the plant and slowly killing it.  In fact, the most prevalent cause of plant disease is harmful fungi.  One fungal condition that you should know about is botrytis, commonly referred to as gray mold.  Here are some tips on identifying and controlling this disease. Gray mold can strike a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, and fruits.  It is widely seen in cool and damp climates.  The disease is characterized by a tan, gray-brown, or gray fuzzy mold that shows up on plant leaves and stems.  There may be brown blotches surrounding the moldy areas.  Fruit and vegetables are also susceptible, often exhibiting tan blotches that turn into rough gray mold.  The fungus usually starts on old plant material or fruit and spreads to healthy growing plants, causing the tissue to rot.  The spores are spread by the wind and by splashing water. Many new varieties of ornamental plants and vegetables are resistant ...

How to Get Healthy Soil in Your Garden

Even if you don't consider yourself an organic gardener, you may still choose to adopt growing methods that have the least harmful effect on the environment.  The first step towards gardening in an eco-friendly way is to build up the health of the soil using natural materials.  This is important because good soil produces strong plants that are less susceptible to disease and insect pests.  Improving the soil is something that should be done every year, because each crop and planting depletes the earth of nutrients.  Here is some advice for achieving rich, fertile soil in your garden. Test the soil Soil testing is becoming a more commonplace practice, even among hobby gardeners.  This procedure will tell you the levels of essential minerals and the amount of organic matter in the soil, as well as other useful information.  When you know what the soil needs, you can take the correct steps to bring it back into balance.  There are many mail-in soil testing services available to gardeners.  You can also look in the phone book for local soil testing companies.  Garden supply centers often sell home test kits that let you assess certain important soil qualities such as the pH level. Get air ...

How to Keep Wild Animals from Becoming Pests in the Garden

As an enthusiastic gardener, you put a lot of work into growing plants for your own pleasure and use.  The problem is that a yard bursting with healthy plants, flowers, and food crops is downright irresistible to many animal pests.  Mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and skunks are common backyard visitors even in urban areas.  You may even see foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyotes if you live closer to the outskirts.  As much as you appreciate wildlife, you probably don't want animals ravaging your garden and eating up this year's harvest.  Here are some tips for keeping wildlife pests out of the garden. Put up physical barriers.  This strategy will work better for some animals than for others.  For example, a tall fence will help keep deer out but will be no obstacle to climbing mammals like raccoons.  If you attach chicken wire to the bottom of the fence, burying it one foot deep into the ground, it will deter some smaller animals and burrowing rodents.  As an alternative, plant thorny plants or prickly hedges around the garden beds.  Roses, barberry, holly, or gooseberry bushes will work for this purpose. Set up a sprinkler with a motion detector so that animals ...