Do not Panic Over Greenhouse Diseases
Gardening in a greenhouse can be fun but if a disease hits, it can be worrying. How do you fix the problem without destroying the balance you are so carefully trying to maintain, and how do you determine what the root cause of the problrem is?.
Apart from the diseases specific to the plants you are growing in your greenhouse, there are six main diseases that are general.
Greenhouse supply companies, nurseries, and garden centers will always give advice about specific problems you may be having
Damping Off In The Greenhouse
Damping Off is the most likely problem to be faced by the new greenhouse gardener. 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. Prevention, however, is possible. The desease can be soil bound, so do not reuse any soil in which you have seen this. Clean and steralise your trays and pots after use. Sow seeds more thinly, water less and raise the temperature of you greenhouse.If the disease seems to be spreading, try watering with copper fungicide.
Botrytis In The Greenhouse
Grey Mould is the more common name for this disease. 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 parts should be removed, since they will not recocer.Infected parts should be burned and never put on the compost. Then increase the temperature in your greenhouse and provide better ventilation.
Mildew In The Greenhouse
Mildew causes distotion of leaves, and shows as a powdery white coating. Affected leaves should be removed, and burned, since they will not recover. The disease will spread if you leave infected leaves in the greenhouse. 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
Blight is shown as brown marks on fruit and leaves. These marks can spread and later turn black. Remove and burn affected parts of the plant immediately. If the disease persists, spray with copper fungicide.
Leaf Mould In The Greenhouse
Leaf Mould causes yellow spots and a brown mould to appear on the leaves. 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. Loss of vigour and poor cropping will occur.
It is terminal! Affected plants should be removed and burned. If virus attacks tomatoes, grow them in grow bags the next year. 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 can be devastating, and we all get 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. Good housekeeping, together with the right watering and ventilation routine will prevent most problems. So just deal with problems as they occur, Enjoy your greenhouse gardening, and don’t be over concerned.
