Common Garden Diseases

Common garden diseases are common for a reason. These diseases are the ones that can be found in most gardens at some point or another. Knowing what these diseases are will help you to prepare to combat them, as well as identify them when they do show up. Here is a quick list of some of the more common garden disease, what they look like, and even a method of treating them.

• Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is actually a type of fungus that can be found on almost all kinds of plants, such as trees, vegetables, flowers, and even fruits. When it shows up this fungus will typically show up with, believe it or not, powdery white spots. Since this is a fungus, using fungicide can usually treat it. If you don't handle the problem you can easily find entire plants, or simply large sections of the plants, dying off.
• Downy mildew. Downy mildew is another fungus, this one is more often found on vine plants than other kinds. That being said, it can still be found on most types of plants. While this type of fungus is fairly similar to powdery mildew, it does have a different look since it will show up as a yellowish green color rather than white. Treatment is pretty much the same.
• Blossom end rot. This particular garden disease is exceptionally common with fruits such as tomatoes. When it appears, it generally shows up around the middle of summer and will have a reddish color. As the disease progresses, the area that is afflicted will sink in, and eventually end up causing the fruit to fall off the vine. The best way to deal with this problem is to add a bit of bone meal to the soil, and also applying a bit of fungicide (since the disease is a type of fungus).
• Bacterial blight. Bacterial blight is a disease that is fairly common east of the Rocky Mountains, though it can also be found west if the circumstances are right. This particular disease commonly affects beans, and shows up as lesions or cuts that look like a burn. If it is not treated when it first shows up, you can easily find your entire bean crop gone. This is another disease that can be easily treated with the help of fungicide.

While these may be some of the more common garden diseases, they are by no means the entire list. That list would be one that takes up a book. One thing to keep in mind about garden diseases is that they tend to be more common in some areas than in others. For regional help, it is always a good idea to talk to your local nursery for some advice.