Pest and Disease Prevention
Spring Tasks for Preventing Pests and Disease
The saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” relates just as much to your garden’s health as it does to your own. We’ve gathered info and tips on our top ‘preventable’ pests and diseases for you so you can head them off at the pass!
Pests
Cranberry Mite
Scale on Apple Tree
Leafhopper
• Slugs – scratching up the top couple inches of soil helps destroy and expose slug eggs to hungry beetles and birds
• Delphinium Worm – cut those stems right to the ground – the larvae overwinter in hollow stems
• Mites on maples and cranberry – apply horticultural oil now
• Leafhopper on virginia creeper and grapes – apply horticultural oil now
• Scale and mealybug on fruit trees, cotoneaster etc – apply lime sulphur now
• Lily Beetle – apply diatomaceous earth around base of lilies and on foliage as they emerge
Diseases
Black Spot on Roses
Black Knot
• Black spot on roses – apply lime sulphur now
• Black knot on mayday and Schubert chokecherry – prune out now
Miscellaneous
Corn Gluten
• Weeds – aerate the lawn, apply corn gluten and hand dig as soon as they arrive!
• Soil amending – as soon as you can turn the soil, top dress flowerbeds and veggie beds with compost