HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-04-24, Page 63HURON
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By John Hughes
Extension Horticulturist
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Diagnosing houseplant problems can be
frustrating for the hobby gardener. A sickly
wilted appearance could be caused by lack of
water, poer soil structure or a host of other
conditions.
Common plant problems can be divided
according to the different components of the
plant. Lot'stake a look at coMmon problems
that affect these plant parts and determine
the probable causes.
Tools
y common
ROOT'S
The problem is that the roots are
protruding from the drainage holes •at the
bottom of the pot. The most probable cause is
that the plant is root bound, and needs a
larger pot.
The roots of the plant appear brown,
blackish, or dead. There are many possible
causes - overwatering, poor soil structure,
excessive fertilizer, and -or root rot disease.
STEM
If your plant has spindly stems it is
probably suffering from insufficient light or •
;Continued from Page 27)
preparation, including such organic matter as
compost, leaf mould,• peat or manure; the
proper amount of the light fertilizers in the
correct amounts; and insuring soil drainage
by deep digging or raised planting beds; is a
good start towards successful gardening.
Gadgets are appearing in the plant world
too, and many are worth investigating.
Hybrid forms of vegetables and flowers are
replacing some of the old familiar cultivars.
. There are distinct advantages to many
hybrids. The most obvious is vigor. Hybrids
usually grow faster, -stronger and produce
more or bigger flowers than the regular
cultivars_
Hybrid vegetables often grow more vigor-
ously and produce earlier or larger returns
than cultivars commonly grown., Check the
gadget vegetable seeds recommended for
home gardens. Often these produce over a
longer period' of time than commercidl
varieties.
A healthy garden rarely suffers from
disease or insect pests, but occasionally
chemical control measures are needed.
Choose a gadget that applies pesticides
uniformly and safely. Choose your pesticide
carefully.
Many pesticide combinations are available
but why use a chemical to control a fungus
disease when an insect is thy-ggulprit, or why
kill beneficial insects when you- are trying to
controla fungus disease? Select suitable
pesticides - malathion, diazinon, and sevin to
control insect pests; captan and benlate to
prevent most plant fungus diseases. When
necessary, the two products (insecticide and
fungicide) can be 'combined to _control both
insect pests and -diseases.
Many useful garden gadgets have been
introduced in the past. No doubt, more will
appear and be touted as the answer to better
gardening, Successful gardeners don't rely
on gadgets. Gadgets may help, but they can't
make up for common sense and garden know
how.
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rc4".9P,
roiiems
overcrowding.
Stems that become dark and soft are
•usually a result of overwatering, excessive
light, or sandy soil.
LEAVES
Yellowing leaves is a problem that affectF
many houseplants. This condition is usually
caused by lack of light, root rot, lack of
fertilizer, or `red spider' damage.
When only the lower leaves yellow, the
problem is most likely too much water or lack
of light. However, when the lower leaves.
yellow and suddenly fall off, the cause is
usually a rapid change in temperature, light
or humidity.
There are a number of causes for brown
edges on plant leaves. This condition could be
caused by Insufficient humidity, too much
fertilizer, excessive pesticide use, soft water,
excessive soil salts, or `red spider' damage.
Brown or yellow patches on the leaves are
•'sually caused by sun scorch (too much light )
or excessive soil salts.
General leaf drop usually results from mot
rot, overwatering, poor drainage and low
light. It can also occur if plants are ieft
standing in water, or if plants are poorly
conditioned.
When leaves on the new stems are
pale -colored and small, the plant needs more
(Continued on Page 32)
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