Protect your garden in disease-susceptible Hawaii | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Protect your garden in disease-susceptible Hawaii | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Saturday, June 6, 2009

HAWAI'I'S GARDENS
Protect your garden in disease-susceptible Hawaii

By Jayme Grzebik
Special to The Advertiser

Hawai'i's consistent year-round temperatures make most people think that we are a jackpot for growing vegetables and fruits. However, with the exception of some of our higher-elevation residents on Maui or the Big Island, we live without a winter chill to keep unwanted diseases in check. The absence of a true winter creates for a very habitable environment for diseases, which can settle into gardens throughout Hawai'i's growing season. Therefore, it is important to understand practices that can prevent diseases.

Know which diseases and viruses are associated with your crop and prevalent in your region.

Diseases are specific to individual crops. For example, pole beans are associated with powdery mildew, a white fungus that settles on wet leaves. Being aware of this fact means preventive measures can be followed. To find out which diseases are associated with specific vegetables, click on Home Garden Vegetable at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/FreePubs.

Monitor plants regularly for early disease symptoms. If feasible, remove plants that show the most damage to prevent the spread of the disease or virus to healthy plants.

Design the vegetable garden to minimize the likelihood of disease development. Practices such as amending the soil before planting, applying a layer of mulch to the garden and using drip irrigation to avoid wetting leaves (or at least watering in the early morning) will prevent disease development. In addition, maintain a consistent watering and fertilizing schedule (not too much, not too little), and control weeds, which can harbor diseases and viruses.

Practice sanitation. Sanitation is the practice of picking up decayed fruit or vegetables that may harbor plant diseases. It also includes burying dead plant debris in the compost pile (away from the garden) after it has been pruned or the entire plant is removed.

Select adapted, disease-resistant varieties. Vegetable seeds that show resistance to certain pests or diseases are available in your local garden centers. The University of Hawai'i produces vegetable seeds that show resistance to some forms of garden pests and diseases local to our islands. For a list of seeds available from the UH Seed Lab, visit www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/.

When sharing plants or propagating plants from seed or cuttings, use plant material that is free from disease. For example, bananas can be infected with banana bunchy top virus or BBTV, which results in the removal of all affected plant material. The UH Banana Tissue Culture Program produces BBT Virus-free plants.

Next Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City celebrates another Second Saturday at the Garden program featuring UH vegetable seeds, with special presentations by Desmond Ogata of the UH Seed Lab at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

In addition, the Banana Tissue Culture Program of UH will have three banana cultivars available: Ice Cream, Lady Finger (also known as True Apple/Amorosa/Manzano), and Williams. Plants are tested to make sure they are free of banana bunchy top virus, micropropagated in tissue culture media, and established in 3-by-5-inch plastic bags with soilless media. Plants will be sold at $7 per plant (potted with roots well established). Free education materials on some banana pests and different varieties of banana will also be distributed, organized by Dr. Koon-Hui Wang and Eden Perez. Visit www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ougc for directions or call 453-6055 or 453-6050.

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