Growing a vegetable garden can reduce your grocery bill, but only if you can keep plants healthy enough to produce. Dr. Alan Windham of the Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service offers information on preventing diseases and keeping plants healthy. Right from the beginning seedlings are susceptible to a fungus disease called damping off, caused by contamination of the potting soil. Damping off can spread from one part of a flat to the rest, eventually killing all the seedlings. To help prevent damping off, always use fresh, sterile soilless potting mix, and don't overwater. The older a seedling gets, the less susceptible it is to damping off. If you prefer, you can plant seedlings in peat pellets rather than flats filled with potting mix. Just soak the pellets in water for 20 to 30 minutes, then plant a seed in the depression at the top of the pellet. If you need to hold your plants for a while before planting because of bad weather, set the pellets on a bed of sand. The young plants' roots will grow through the peat and into the sand, and plants will be ready for planting when you are. Peat pellets may be placed directly in the soil. To prevent disease, plant only in sterilized containers. If you plan to reuse plastic cell packs and 4" pots from the nursery, first soak them in a weak bleach solution (1 part bleach, 9 parts water) to kill any fungus spores. Botrytis is a fungus disease caused by inadequate air circulation in combination with too much moisture. To help prevent botrytis, make sure seedlings have adequate air circulation by propping open the lid of the portable greenhouse or setting a fan near your growing station. Downy mildew, also caused by a fungus, is prevalent in cool, wet weather. To help prevent it, select plants with healthy green leaves, or purchase seeds that have been treated with a fungicide.
GUESTS :
Alan Windham
UT Agricultural Extension Service
5201 Marchant Drive
Nashville, TN 37211-5201
Phone: 615-832-6802
Fax: 615-832-0043
Email: awindham@cru.gw.utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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