Common vegetable garden diseases and how to treat them

Gardening should be a relaxing hobby but it sometimes becomes a stressful chore especially when you’re tasked with fighting off bugs and diseases killing your veggie garden. Here is a list of the most common diseases affecting your veggies.

Powdery mildew fungal disease affecting plant

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Bacterial wilt

This type of disease is caused by soil-borne bacteria. It starts affecting the root system of your vegetables.

The bacterial wilt attacks more than 200 species of vegetable and is common in tropical areas of the world where temperatures reach around 25 – 35 degrees. Once infection has occurred you will notice symptoms of plant wilting and yellowing of your plants.

How to treat bacterial wilt

Bacterial wilt is difficult to control and eradicate because of the soil-borne nature of the bacteria.

Avoid deep ploughing
Inspect crops regularly for disease symptoms
Check your soil for any bacteria-borne diseases

Powdery mildew

This disease will present itself later in the gardening season as flour-like dust on the leaves of your plants.

Powdery mildew will cling to newer, less mature plants, making them weaker and less likely to grow.

This plant disease can be caused by many races of fungal species. Once these fungal spores land on your plant, they will quickly germinate and start a new infection.

How to treat powdery mildew

Maintain healthy plants by removing dead or leaves with diseases
Don’t over-fertilize your plants
Maintain adequate spacing between plants (for good air circulation)

Plant rust

This common veggie disease is notorious for latching onto vegetables like asparagus, carrots and onions. The rust starts as light spots on the leaves and stem, and over time will turn into reddish-orange spots.

This disease will strip your plants of their nutrients, making them less likely to grow. Rust thrives in the summer when the climate is warm and humid.

How to treat plant rust

Spray plants with a suitable rust control product
Remove and destroy all leaves badly infected by the
Try to not overwater your plants

Early blight

Commonly known as target spot is one of the most common diseases attacking the leaves and stems of plants. It usually manifests and spreads during the autumn months.

Caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, the disease starts as small circular dark brown to black spots on the plant’s leaves. The leaves will sunken and eventually die if left untreated.