This question is for ornamental plant growers.
Have you had an experience with a soil-borne disease that you can share with me, or do you know of some soil-borne diseases that are out there that may or may not worry you?
Thanks for your time!
This question is for ornamental plant growers.
Have you had an experience with a soil-borne disease that you can share with me, or do you know of some soil-borne diseases that are out there that may or may not worry you?
Thanks for your time!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
There are several soil-borne diseases that are able to destroy ornamental plants very quickly if left untreated;
1) Pythium
2) Phytophthora Root Rot
3) Fusarium
4) Sclerotinia
5) Verticillium wilt
6) Thielaviopsis
7) Rhizoctonia
As for my personal experiences with one of the aforementioned diseases…..I’d have to say Pythium is quite unique since it can remain dormant for many, many years in the soil. Growers can fumigate with methyl bromide yet it remains viable. It can be killed by subjecting it to steam. Their spores can be triggered by being exposed to simple sugars in the soil. The disease is spread quite quickly by water and can kill many plants in a relatively short amount of time. It’s a problem in turf as well as in ornamentals.
There are many chemicals that are able to prevent it from becoming established or can eradicate it once it germinates.
The other 2 most commonly found soil-borne diseases are Phytopthora and Fusarium. Both are more difficult to eradicate and have cost many nurseries lots of money to control. Fusarium oxysporum, in particular, was one of the main reasons why carnations are not commonly grown in California these days. It killed devastated the carnation-growing industry and caused most growers to seek other crops as a means of making a living.
FYI– In the late ’90’s, there was an excellent natural product developed by Cornell University which is sold as “Bio-trek”, “RootShield” or “PlantShield”. It is a beneficial fungus called “Trichoderma harzianum”, that has been found to effectively control Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Pythium and Phytopthora in oramental and turf situations. I’ve used it many times and it’s done a wonderful job preventing the establishment of those diseases in my plants and lawn.
Hope this answered your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or need additional information.
-Certified Professional Crop Consultant with over 30 years of experience and a Degree in Plant Science