Common Plant Disorders

Understanding common plant disorders is essential if you want to save money on your plant medicine bills. A simple glance at your garden plants, their leaves, and flowers can give you a clue of what could be wrong with them. Most garden plants have a series of flowers, leaves, and fruit which all appear healthy when they grow and bloom. If you do some inspecting, however, you’ll soon learn that there are a few common problems that afflict many of the plants in your garden.

1. Root Knot

The root knot is one of the most common plant disorders. It occurs when the strong roots of a plant become interwoven together. This often occurs when there is excess stress caused by soil compaction, plant disease or poor drainage. pathogens causing these diseases can make the roots weak and easily break free from the structure. When the weak roots break off, the entire plant can die. It is important to prevent the occurrence of root knots.

2. Powdery Mildew

It is one of the most widespread, difficult to control and common plant disorders affecting plants grown in soil. This fungal infection occurs when a fungus penetrates the surface of the leaves and then attacks the plant’s root system. It commonly occurs on young stems or leaves, causing dry, flaky lesions that gradually harden into a hard deposit. The fungi that cause this condition typically exist in soil that has been heavily weeded and burned, or in poorly drained fields. The fungi that infect plants with Powdery Mildew include Allicinferoxytidase, Alternaria powdery, Alternaria latifolia and Ochre Mania.

3. Thatch

It is one of the common plant disorders that can be controlled by applying a natural organic fertilizer. Commonly found in floodplains, fields and sandy soils, Thatch forms when plant growth takes a head start, before the turf dries up. This often happens during humid, wet seasons when plant growth is stimulated to rapidly spread across the landscape. Common plants affected by Thatch are lawn grass, rye, bluegrass and clover.

4. Phytoseum

Yellowing leaves and yellowing of the stems are common symptoms of Phytoseum. Common plants affected by Phytoseum include: buttercups, Canterbury bells, fiddlehead fern, ragweed, phlox, anethum, sage, Valerian, bladderwrack, chickweed and witch hazel. If you see yellowing leaves and yellowing of the stems of your plants, you should consult a local nursery to identify the problem. Common symptoms of Phytoseum include wilting and leaf fall. If you have not identified the root cause of the wilting, you will need to isolate the plant to a susceptible area of the garden and apply a fungicide.

5. Black Spot

Mint and cardoon are succulents, which makes them susceptible to a common fungal disease known as “black spot” fungi. Black spot fungi can infect leaves, stems and roots of plants, causing dead spots, brown or yellowish spots that spread rapidly. Common species to infect Mint leaves include: Belladonna, Diplocarpon, Equisetum, Hypomonium, Latiflora, Microcorynum, Pterocarpus and Quercus. To prevent infestations of these fungi, keep plants cool and moist; mist the tops of leaves and do not over-water.

6. Botfly

Botfly is a plant disease that destroys young shoots and leaves. It flourishes in humid weather, because it thrives on moisture. A small number of species are susceptible to this insect’s larvae. The adult forms can fly at night, but the small night-flying larvae feed on the leaves during the daytime.

7. Seborrheic Dermatitis

Another common leaf disease is seborrheic dermatitis, or the presence of yellowish, flaky lesions on the leaves. This can occur on a wide variety of plants, including heartbeat, lily, freesia, iris, and thymes. This is most often seen on the stems of trees and shrubs. As this disease progresses, it results in the death of the affected plant and can spread to other plants.

8. Rust

It is a perennial plant disease that occurs when iron oxides combine with other elements to form iron salts. These rust minerals attach themselves to the leaves and stems of plants, destroying them. Rust typically appears on plants during dry spells when the soil is moist. As this fungal infection spreads, it eventually affects all parts of a plant, causing the leaves to become distorted and falling off.

9. Other Diseases

Several other plant diseases are on the list of common plant disorders that may threaten plants in your yard. To protect your plants, you should be knowledgeable about them. You can find out about them from local nurseries, reading books about them, or watching for plant symptoms. If you’re not sure whether a plant you happen to notice has a particular disease, it’s best to take the time to visit a local garden center or nursery and have the plant checked out before treating it with chemicals.