Plants and flowers are not immune from disease, and you should be prepared to take action to help your flowers if they fall prey to one of these diseases. Flowers and plants can succumb to diseases, like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Fungi can live dormant in the soil, even without plants, for quite a long time. Even if you grow your flowers in an area that’s been bare for a long time, fungi can still be there, waiting for you to plant something that it can attack. So don’t think starting with bare soil will protect your flowers.
Fungi are very hard to kill, because they reproduce through spores that can spread very rapidly. A single plant infected with a fungus can spread up to 100 million spores! Some fungi can enter a plan through the roots, and some enter through the leaves. You will need to work hard to get rid of a fungal infection your flowers or plants so it will not return.
Bacteria can’t live in bare soil for very long. They can’t grow and multiply without moisture and warmth. Bacterial infections are more prevalent in areas where the weather is warm and wet. In the southwestern states it is usually dry, but the monsoon seasons can be very wet.
Bacteria is often spread through things like overhead watering that causes water to splash up onto plants. Watering at night is not a good idea. Bacteria often get into a cut stem or leaf, so you should watch for damage to your plants.
Can viruses live in the soil? They are only able to reproduce inside the cells of a plant. They are usually transmitted by insects, or they can infect seeds or pollen that can be spread to other plants. Viruses usually enter plants through cuts in the stems or leaves.
You can also visit your local garden center or extension service to ask for advice. If you aren’t able to identify a problem on your own, you can visit one of these places to seek help. You can simply describe your problem, but it would be best to take in pictures of the problem if you can. Sometimes pictures can help much more than a description.
Whenever possible, you should try treating your flowers with organic methods first. Chemicals can sometimes damage your plants as much as the disease, and they’re also very bad for the environment. It is possible to treat your problem organically, fungicides and chemicals can do the job but there are organic solutions. http://www.guzmansgreenhouse.com/organicgardeningsupply.htm
Some flowers are more delicate than others. Roses, can be highly susceptible to a wide variety of problems. Roses can get a problem called black spot, blistered leaves, and flowers that won’t open due to bugs called thrips. Be sure to know what problems your flowers can be susceptible to, so you’ll already be prepared to take care of any problems by the time they occur.
At Color Your World Nurseries we can help you diagnosis your flowering, vegetable or plant problems.