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Edible gardens are certainly not immune to pests and diseases. Pests can take out tender young plant shoots in one night, eat holes in mature leaves and fruit, and leave slimy tracks all over.
Frost injures plants by causing ice crystals to form in plant cells. This makes water unavailable to plant tissues and disrupts the movement of fluids. Frost-damaged leaves appear water-soaked, shrivel, and turn dark brown or black.
Wilted, drooping leaves are signs of heat stress in plants. Photo credit: Pikist.com Plants are sensitive to both air and soil surface temperatures. Temperatures ranging from 60 to 85F are optimum for plant growth and development.
Richard Bell, Unsplash Most landscape plants will survive a few days of flooding. Photo credit: Iowa State University Plant roots need air too. Good garden soil contains a network of pore spaces filled with water and air. Both are necessary for healthy roots and beneficial soil-dwelling organisms.
Plants can dry out quickly when exposed to constant wind. Photo credit: UC Regents The force, direction, and persistence of the wind determine the type of damage plants may suffer. Most damage occurs with winds above 30 miles per hour.
Drought stressed leaves may curl and look scorched. Photo credit: UC Regents Water is essential for the chemical and physical processes that plants need to survive and grow. Healthy plants depend on the movement of water from the soil through the roots and up into the leaves.
> Figuring out what's wrong > Most common: nitrogen & iron deficiency > How to address nutrient deficiencies Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow, and reproduce. Too little or too much of one or more nutrients can cause problems for plants.
Weeds, ants, rats and gophers, snails, and slugs these are just a few of the pests that may take up residence in your garden. A fast and easy way of dealing with unwanted creatures is to spray or bait them with a poison.
Too much water is the most common cause of decline in landscape trees and shrubs, either through directly killing plants or making them more prone to disease. Too much watering can result in fertilizer runoff into storm drains and pollutes waterways.
