The most frequently asked questions about pests and diseases are ‘What is it?’; ‘what do I use to control it?’; and ‘how do I apply it?’ All keen gardeners worry about the health of their plants, and most are able to recognise many common pests and plant diseases. When it comes to the more unusual plant problems there is unfortunately no good advisory service at the end of the telephone. There are of course many self-styled experts in all walks of life, but one has to be very careful of those as they can turn out to be very expensive.
Good growing weather for plants is good growing weather for pests and diseases as well. Growth rates quicken up, and in no time at all a small attack of greenfly, scale or mildew becomes a major problem if you ignore it. The Golden Rule is: keep your eyes open and kill them as soon as you see them. Someone with fewer plants than the owner of a large collection can usually give them personal attention. And someone with a large mixed collection of plants is going to be better off than someone with a large collection of one type of plant when it comes to pest and disease problems. Black spot or rose mildew will rampage through a collection of roses if not tackled quickly, whereas a couple of roses among a hundred other species of plant are not going to cause or attract much of a problem.
Small-scale gardening means that expensive chemical and machinery is not required at all; simple methods of control can be used. A couple of greenfly, red spider mites, mealy bugs or scale spotted on plants can be rubbed off with the finger. Mealy bug and scale will expire on the spot if dabbed with a paintbrush dipped in methylated spirits. Small amounts of chemicals can be applied with an old Windex spray bottle or something similar.
Gardeners having large collections are probably going to be obliged to use a range of chemicals at some point, and may buy a piece of equipment to apply them quickly and efficiently. That means money and danger. Buying sophisticated equipment and modern chemicals is costly. Mixing and applying them can be very dangerous and very hard work, for a gallon of water still weighs 10lbs and a backpack normally has a capacity of 2 gallons. That is 20lbs plus the weight of the machine, not to mention the noise if it has a two-stroke engine.
Here are some Golden Rules. Do not apply chemicals in strong sunlight. Wait until the late afternoon before spraying. Put a squirt of dish-washing liquid into the mixture to help the chemical stick to the leaves. Make sure that the underside of the leaves get sprayed as well. Make sure you give special care to weak plants as they are more likely to become infected. Give fertilizer with a high potash content occasionally. Potash thickens the cell walls and helps them resist attack. Keep infected plants away from healthy ones. Don’t keep on using the same chemicals, as insects and diseases may develop resistance to them and grow to like them.
Cleanliness about the garden means less risk. Take off and burn dead leaves and prunings. Wear rubber gloves when handling and mixing chemicals. Wash any splashes off the skin at once, and only spray when there is no wind. The very last thing you want is for spray to drift into the house or into your neighbour’s house.
Meanwhile may your God go with you wherever you live in Guyana.