Pests & plant diseases every gardener should know

No matter how much you care, if you can't spot plant disease, your garden could be a disaster. Here's some plant pests and diseases that every gardener should be able to spot, and eliminate.

• Appearance: Small black spots followed by yellowing and leaves dropping off.
• Cure: Spray with a fungicidal soap or a fungicide containing mancozeb, or chlorothalonil.

• Appearance: Sudden withering and dying of leaves or stems.
• Cure: Trim and destroy the diseased plant portions; pull and destroy affected annuals; spray other plants with copper hydroxide.

• Appearance: Fine, gray residue on leaves.
• Cure: Spray 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) baking soda, 3.5 litres (one gallon water), and one millilitre (1⁄4 teaspoon) insecticidal soap every two weeks; or spray with fungicide containing sulfur or triforine.

• Appearance: Crusty, orange spots; sometimes dark purple or dark brown patches on leaves.
• Cure: Spray with sulfur, lime sulfur, mancozeb, chlorothalonil or triforine during growing season.

• Appearance: Dark, scabby, cracked spots of various sizes, often enlarging.
• Cure: Remove diseased parts or fruits as is practical; spray with a fungicide containing mancozeb or chlorothalonil the following spring.

• Appearance: Wilted, yellow flowers and leaves, sticky spots that can become infected with black sooty mold.
• Cure: Spray with a hard blast of water. In severe cases, spray horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, malathion or rotenone.

• Appearance: Yellow patches of lawn where their grubs are feeding; large, chewed holes and skeletonized leaves.
• Cure: Release parasitic wasps or spray with Neem. For severe infestations, spray with carbaryl.

• Appearance: Can often see clusters in red, green, brown or yellow. Spider mites also make webs.
• Cure: Spray with hard blast of water every few days. For severe cases, spray with horticultural oil, insecticidal soap or Neem.

• Appearance: Large, ragged holes in leaves, especially on low-growing plants.
• Cure: Spread sand, cinders or diatomaceous earth around plants; put out a shallow pan buried to the rim and filled with beer for slugs to fall in and drown.

All the fertilizer and consistent watering in the world won't stop plant diseases. Be sure to watch out for the signs when gardening and help protect your garden from disaster.