How to Control Disease In Your Greenhouse
Disease is one of the most worrying things for the greenhouse gardener. First, what is wrong with your plants ? and secondly how do you cure it without having a detrimental effect on the balance of nature that you have created in your Greenhouse?.
There are six main diseases you are likely to encounter, as well as any diseases specific to the plant types you are raising.
Greenhouse supply companies, nurseries, and garden centers will always give advice about specific problems you may be having
Damping Off In The Greenhouse
If you are new to Greenhouse gardening, this is the most likely problem you are first going to face. It is a fungal disease affecting seedlings and shows as a blackened area at the base of the stem. However, you may never see this effect. Affected plant just topple over and die. The first thing you know about it is when your young healthy seedlings just keel over and die. The plants are already dead, so there can be no cure. You can, however, prevent the disease. Sometimes the disease is carried in the soil and you should steralize the soil by heating to kill it. Clean and steralise your trays and pots after use. Raising the temperature in the greenhouse can help, as can sowing more thinly, and watering less.If the disease seems to be spreading, try watering with copper fungicide.
Botrytis In The Greenhouse
The more common name for this disease is grey mould. It is quite a common fungal disease and symtoms are a dirty-white or grey-brown mould on leaves and stems. You may have already met this disease since it also afects plants grown in the garden.Botrytis grows in low temperatures and poor ventilation. Affected leaves and stems wil not recover. Do burn any parts of plants which are afected. Do not try to compost them. Then increase the temperature in your greenhouse and provide better ventilation.
Mildew In The Greenhouse
Mildew is a white powdery coating on leaves which causes them to pucker and become distorted. Affected leaves will not recover, so remove them as son as you see affected leaves and burn them. Leaving them on or around the plant will encourage the disease to spread. Unlike Damping Off and Botrytis, mildew is most likely to occur if the soil is to dry, so make sure your plants never go short of water. If the mildew is whide spread, then water with copper fungacide or dispersible sulpher.
Blight In The Greenhouse
If you have brown marks on leaves and sometimes fruit, the chance are you have blight. The marks may spread and turn black. Immediately remove and burn all parts of plants that exhibit symptoms. If the disease persists, spray with copper fungicide.
Leaf Mould In The Greenhouse
Brown mould and yellow spots on leaves are indications of laef mould. It is caused by poor ventilation. The answer is to space your plants out to give them more air, then adjust your greenhouse ventilation if necessary.
Virus Diseases In The Greenhouse
Virus Disease afects many plants including tomatoes and cucumbers. They exhibit a number of symptoms including a “fern-like” appearance, or yellow mottling of the leaves. Sometimes leaves will appear to wilt, then recover and do it again regularly. Affected plants will lose vigour and will crop poorly.
It is terminal! So dig up and burn affected plants. If you get virus attacks on plants set in the ground, then you should use growbags for a few years. You need to be extra vigilant about hygene, since virus diseases are spred by insects, garden tools and also by hand.
Diseases in the Greenhouse may seem daunting, and most of us will sufer from them from time to time. However, if you look at your plants regularly, you will spot the symptoms early and will be able to take the measuires necessary to prevent widespread attacks. Most of these diseases are preventable by the right watering and ventilation and this really only comes with experience. So just deal with problems as they occur, Enjoy your greenhouse gardening, and don’t be over concerned.
