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Getting diligent about disease

Getting diligent about disease

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Regular checks and clean ups are the key to keeping diseases at bay, especially during wet weather, writes PHIL DUDMAN

I never feel right complaining of too much rain, but where I garden in the northern rivers, the rain has been fairly constant of late and it’s causing all sorts of problems, especially in terms of plant disease.

Lettuces have turned to mush, zucchinis are covered in powdery mildew (and failing to set fruit), blight is starting to take over my tomatoes and my strawberries are simply rotting on the ground.

Still, “better moist soil than dry soil” I say.

Yesterday, I spent an hour or two cleaning out any dead plants and removing diseased foliage and fruit. This sort of cleaning up is important for successful organic gardening and should be done on a regular basis. When ever you see a sick and spotty leaf, get rid of it. It’s a simple way to reduce the spread of disease.