During periods when rainfall, heat and humidty are high, control of disease on vegetable plants can become difficult. However, the following practices will help to reduce losses organically, without use of chemical fungicides.
- Plant as early in the spring as practical.
- Plant in well-drained soil or a raised vegetable garden bed.
- Keep out weeds which harbor diseases.
- Water in morning so plants are not wet at night.
- Fungicides or Insecticides containing Neem oil are effective for some diseases.
- The best first-line method of reducing disease pressure is to use resistant varieties when available. A good example is VFN tomatoes, where the VFN stands for Verticillium-, Fusarium-, and nematode-resistant material.
- Keep the garden as free of diseases as possible. Plants with disease symptoms should be removed and destroyed. A properly constructed compost pile, which should heat up in the center, can control many diseases.
- Crop rotation also can be an important method of controlling some but not all soilborne diseases. The proper crop rotation can substantially reduce nematodes in the soil but will do little to reduce southern blight.
- Disease control begins with healthy plants. Don't bring problems into your garden - buy disease-free transplants.
Organic Disease Control Homemade Remedies
Fungal Diseases: Mix two tablespoons of baking soda into a quart of water. Pour into a spray container and spray affected areas. Repeat this process every few days until problem ceases.
Powdery Mildew: Mix equal parts milk and water and spray on infected plants. Three treatments a week apart should control the disease.
Fungal Diseases & Insects: Combine one tablespoon of cooking oil, two tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of Ivory soap into a quart of water. Pour into a spray container and spray affected areas.
