You're probably aware that diseases can spread more readily in wet conditions so you need to be careful when working in your garden during the wet season not to transfer disease from one plant to the next.

If you find any parts on your plants that have disease you should cut them out and discard them in the rubbish.

If the plant is too far gone to recover you should remove the whole plant but always be careful that in doing so the diseased portions don't come into contact with the other plants, as this will cause it to spread.

You should never use plants that have diseases for compost. It is better to send it out in the trash or burn it to ensure it doesn't spread any further.

Many diseases in the garden are spread by insects so keeping control of the insects in your garden will reduce or eliminate the incidence of disease.

There are suitable sprays that will help you to eliminate insects in the garden but even these sprays can cause problems.

It is essential that the spray dries and the foliage is not left damp because damp foliage can cause disease. Spraying should therefore be done early enough in the day to allow for the foliage to dry out before night.

Another area that can harbor disease is in pots that have been used with plants that have had some form of disease. By repotting other plants into these pots you run the risk of those plants also becoming infected.

Simply wash out all pots before reusing them. Bleach will generally kill any fungus or bacteria and then rinse the residue out and all traces of the bleach.

Garden hygiene is essential if you want to have a healthy garden. Many people assume that due to the fact that you are working with soil/dirt cleanliness is not important but it is this lack of care that is responsible for the transfer of diseases in the garden.

Editor
Peter Charalambos