Catch Garden Pests, Diseases Early to Save Plants
2023-08-01
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1In her latest gardening story, Jessica Damiano tells of the garden pests and diseases she has seen in her plants.
2The Associated Press writer suggests acting quickly when combatting garden pests and diseases.
3When not dealt with quickly, pests and diseases can quickly grow and reproduce.
4That can result in less plant growth and worse health, less flower and fruit production, or even death of your plants.
5Her measure always begins with the gentlest treatment possible.
6She only intensifies her treatments when necessary.
7Even then, she has her limits.
8Damiano says she would rather lose a flower or vegetable plant than use strong chemicals.
9In the case of her tomato plants, Damiano caught the aphids, a pest, early.
10She washed them off and removed the ones that would not come off by using her fingers under moving water.
11They have not returned in the week since removing them, but she looks out for them every day, just in case.
12Had the invasion been severe or the water and finger removal method been ineffective, she would have used Neem oil.
13The organic oil, which comes from the seeds of the Neem tree, kills aphids by not permitting them to breathe.
14It is safe to use on plants that will be eaten and it is not harmful to people, animals, and birds.
15Still, it should be used after the sun has set when helpful insects are less active.
16The same day Damiano found the aphids, she found another pest called scarlet lily beetles on her Asiatic lily plants.
17The adult red insects feed on a grouping of plants called true lilies and fritillaries.
18In an earlier stage of life, called the larval stage, they cover themselves in waste.
19This makes them less appealing to those that would want to eat them.
20But the coating also protects them from chemicals, making them difficult to remove.
21The pests had already damaged some of her plants.
22To prevent more damage, she removed them by tapping them off of the plant into some water with soap and vinegar, or household cleaners.
23Her rhododendron, a flowering plant, were attacked by a pest called azalea bark scale last summer.
24She saw the white insects had come back this year.
25Some of the leaves were infested, so she cut them off.
26But because most of the leaves only had a few of the pests, she was able to remove them by touching each insect with some rubbing alcohol.
27By working early, Damiano slowed or stopped infestations that could have killed her plants.
28The same would be true for diseases, many of which also respond better to early treatments.
29I'm Gregory Stachel.
1In her latest gardening story, Jessica Damiano tells of the garden pests and diseases she has seen in her plants. 2The Associated Press writer suggests acting quickly when combatting garden pests and diseases. When not dealt with quickly, pests and diseases can quickly grow and reproduce. That can result in less plant growth and worse health, less flower and fruit production, or even death of your plants. 3Her measure always begins with the gentlest treatment possible. She only intensifies her treatments when necessary. Even then, she has her limits. Damiano says she would rather lose a flower or vegetable plant than use strong chemicals. 4In the case of her tomato plants, Damiano caught the aphids, a pest, early. She washed them off and removed the ones that would not come off by using her fingers under moving water. They have not returned in the week since removing them, but she looks out for them every day, just in case. 5Had the invasion been severe or the water and finger removal method been ineffective, she would have used Neem oil. The organic oil, which comes from the seeds of the Neem tree, kills aphids by not permitting them to breathe. It is safe to use on plants that will be eaten and it is not harmful to people, animals, and birds. Still, it should be used after the sun has set when helpful insects are less active. 6The same day Damiano found the aphids, she found another pest called scarlet lily beetles on her Asiatic lily plants. The adult red insects feed on a grouping of plants called true lilies and fritillaries. 7In an earlier stage of life, called the larval stage, they cover themselves in waste. This makes them less appealing to those that would want to eat them. But the coating also protects them from chemicals, making them difficult to remove. 8The pests had already damaged some of her plants. To prevent more damage, she removed them by tapping them off of the plant into some water with soap and vinegar, or household cleaners. 9Her rhododendron, a flowering plant, were attacked by a pest called azalea bark scale last summer. She saw the white insects had come back this year. Some of the leaves were infested, so she cut them off. But because most of the leaves only had a few of the pests, she was able to remove them by touching each insect with some rubbing alcohol. 10By working early, Damiano slowed or stopped infestations that could have killed her plants. The same would be true for diseases, many of which also respond better to early treatments. 11I'm Gregory Stachel. 12Jessica Damiano reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 13_________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 16pest - n. an animal or insect that causes problems for people especially by damaging crops 17stage - n. a particular point or period in the growth or development of something 18tap - v. to hit (your fingers or feet) against something lightl 19infest - v. to be in or over (a place or an animal) in large numbers 20__________________________________________________ 21What do you think of this story? 22We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.