[ad_1]
It’s the internet. Full of advice on everything including plant care.
such as Director of Plant Testing Laboratory And as a herbalist, I help people manage their plant health. Here are four trends I’ve seen online recently that seem particularly misleading or potentially harmful to plants.
Watering orchids and other plants with ice cubes
Several sites say that ice cubes can be used to give orchids the “correct” amount of water. The fact is that tropical plants hate cold temperatures. leaving Frost near the roots of the orchid can damage it.
Almost all houseplants, including orchids, prefer a temperate or room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). Use fact sheets from educational institutions and reputable organizations to determine the correct amount of water and water for the types of plants you are growing and then set a reminder on your phone.
Use a pot that drains well and quickly. For orchids, A mixture of bark chips and sphagnum moss is much better More than 100% soil or coco core.
‘No Mouse May’
Recently, many campaigns have been launched.There is no MayHe said. The idea is to delay regular mowing until May, to provide more foraging sites for pollinators trying to store calories after dormancy.
Unfortunately, this practice often does not benefit pollinators and can harm the health of your lawn. This is the reason.
Mowing more than 30% of the lawn at one time is never good. Grasses depend on their gills to photosynthesize and meet their energy needs. When more than 30% is lost at a time, the plant may not have enough remaining leaf area to properly photosynthesize.
Overgrown lawns have excessive root systems, which require more energy. Failure to deliver leads to it. Increased susceptibility to diseasePoor water management and potential failure. Such damage is inevitable after a month of “non-harvesting” period.
In any case, few lawns contain enough flowers, and any pollinators will be useful. For many people, the “perfect lawn” is an unshakable green carpet. But that similarity has no meaning for bees and other pollinators that need it Other plants can provide pollen and nectar.
It’s great. Prioritize pollen healthBut the “no scythe” trend is best implemented in prairies, fields and wetlands, where there is a lot of plant diversity and flowering plants.
If you want to support pollinator health in your own backyard, Planting native wildflowers Pollinators really want to visit. Most require less water and management compared to lawns. Replace the entire lawn or even a small patch. Any lawn replacement is worthwhile – and saves you water and money.
Be sure not to mow wildflowers until the flower is finished. Wildflower patches usually only need to be cut once or twice a year. Mowing after the last frost in early spring spreads last year’s seeds and Give insects a home to spend the winter.
Using hydrogen peroxide to ‘cure’ plant diseases
Hydrogen peroxide It can sterilize areas and reduce bacteria and some fungi. However, the rapid reaction that gives hydrogen peroxide its sterilizing properties occurs immediately after it comes into contact with other compounds. This does not allow hydrogen peroxide to move in a plant.
Therefore, most pathogens – pathogens – are not affected if they are not on the outside, but in the plant tissues. Overuse or misuse of hydrogen peroxide can even be Exacerbate plant health problems By drying areas and killing beneficial microbes.
While there is a time and place for sterilizing surfaces in plant care—just like pruning and propagating equipment—the best defense against plant disease is proper care.
Water your plants only when necessary and provide them with proper light and nutrition. Research what your plant likes from educational institutions or other reputable sources. Regular pruning to increase air flow, proper plant spacing, avoiding monocropping and crop rotation are some of the chemical free techniques. Reduce plant stress and reduce disease susceptibility.
Diagnosis of diseases using phone applications
There are many applications that use user-supplied photographs to identify plant diseases and provide solutions.
In fact, to diagnose most plant diseases, a scientist needs to culture plant tissue to accurately identify the pathogen. Only after proper examination They can recommend management solutions. I have a very strong opinion here because diagnosing disease is something I do every day. Vegetative symptoms associated with one disease may be practically identical to another.
For example, herbicide exposure, viruses, insect feeding, and fungal infections can all cause twisted and deformed leaves. In order to properly diagnose a case, the plant’s own history, location, site history, time of year, and other factors must be considered before determining what may be contributing to symptoms.
Don’t rely on an app to predict what disease your plant might have — and don’t act on false recommendations. Instead, contact your local university laboratory or extension office for support.
Don’t know where to go? Start with National Plant Testing Network Laboratory Directory. Many, including mine, offer free consultations and recommendations. If you end up submitting the sample to a lab for testing, most are affordable—my lab fee is $20—and worth it, especially considering the cost of replacing the plant with something that could eventually cause the same problem.
This article was originally published by The conversation By Nick Goltz at the University of Connecticut. Read The original article is here..
[ad_2]
Source link
