Treating diseases and pests

Gall wasp is an insect that lays eggs in soft tissues in trees, flowers and other plants. As the larvae develop, a gall forms and

When leaves are covered with a blackish substance, similar to black soot that would have collected overnight, it is a sign of sooty mold.

For citrus trees, root rot leads to trunk rot. It’s sometimes detected on fruits, too. The disease results from an infection by Phytophthora, a rot fungus.

Erineum gall is a disease that is often encountered on trees, but the grape vine also falls victim and the distinctive gall growths appear on the leaves.

Organic gardeners favor it above all others: fermented comfrey tea is one of the most effective organic fertilizers for gardens and vegetable plots.

Famous for being vineyard owners’ #1 enemy, downy mildew is a constant threat to grape harvests. This blight also threatens certain other vegetables from the vegetable patch such as tomato and potato, too.

Here’s how to control gall wasps so they don’t endanger

Photinia shrubs sometimes catch a fungus called Photinia leaf spot or black spot. Leaves are dotted with black spots that slowly spread

Also known simply as spot anthracnose and black spot, this disease infects strawberry trees. Symptoms are the presence of brown spots with a red or purple

Stephanotis often falls sick because of diseases and pests. This mostly happens at the beginning: in time, you’ll strike the perfect balance between water, sun and fertilizer and your plant will resist all these problems!

Sunpatiens is a type of impatiens bred to resist most diseases. However, it still occasionally falls sick and has to deal with pests! More about sunpatiens: Sunpatiens: Impatiens for sun Cuttings and propagation Wilting sunpatiens Pests on Sunpatiens Tiny bugs on sunpatiens Although generally not so vulnerable to diseases and parasites, occasionally you’ll notice an […]

Peach leaf curl symptoms are waffled reddish leaves appearing on the peach tree. Preventive care is required to avoid it.

Thrips are tiny insects. Those considered pests on crops or in greenhouses feed on plant sap, but that’s not their only food. Read also: Thrips in the garden Natural thrips control What do thrips eat? There are different types of thrips. Pests, for instance, feed on plant material. Predator thrips eat other small insects and […]

Weeding has always been the starting point of many questions: how can undesired growth be removed without polluting the Earth and our environment? Can we weed naturally and efficiently, without using noxious herbicides that would seep into our plants and our bodies? There are a great many ways today to succeed without using chemical products […]

Thrips cause damage to crops and ornamentals. Symptoms depend on the species of both plant and thrips. Key thrips damage symptoms Sunken streaks, patches → leaves Colored spots on leaves → white Stunted growth → buds (flower/leaf) Curly, waffled, crumpled → leaves Carrier/vector for – plant virus, fungal diseases (tomato spotted wilt virus) Read also: […]

There are nearly 6,500 identified species of thrips, but many more have yet to be discovered and named!

Thrips reproduce through egg-laying. Learn to recognize these tiny egg nests to prevent the pests from spreading across your plants!

Thrips exist by the thousands, but they can all be sorted out into three major types of thrips: pest thrips, predatory thrips, and

What do a vacuum, aluminum foil, and a hose have in common? They’re great tricks to get rid of thrips – naturally! Thrips are teeny-tiny bugs that are sometimes dangerous for your plants. When you’ve got a small colony on a houseplant or just the start of an infection in the vegetable patch, these handy […]

Thrips are often considered pests for gardens, vegetable patches, and houseplants.

Thrips are tiny insects – nearly microscopic – that either destroy or protect plants.

Western Flower Thrips is a type of thrips common on leaf plants, flowers, and

There is, as of now, no perfect solution for biological control Russian olive through predators or parasites.

The Russian Olive tree, as opposed to native American silverberry, is a highly invasive species in some parts of the United States and Canada.

A fungal disease that strikes terror in the heart of orchards, scab can be diagnosed when brown spots appear on fruits.

Silverberry is a resilient shrub, but in this case tiny bird droppings nearly killed it…

Does your Sunpatiens look wilted? Does it seem like it’s rotting away?

Transplant shock is inevitable when you need to move a plant around. Some plants, though, are more vulnerable than others. Here is a short guide

Damage and wounding cannot be avoided when transplanting a favorite tree, shrub or plant. But there are definitely ways to reduce

Minimize transplant shock upon purchasing or moving a new tree or shrub. This will make your garden a welcoming place

Transplant shock is a combination of three causes. Upon moving a tree or plant, it undergoes:

Red spider mite is a tiny mite of the Tetranychidae family. It attacks leaf and flower plants, indoors and outside.

It protects the ground from weeds and enriches the soil with nitrogen and humus: green manure scores perfect on all counts!

Cabbage moth (Pieris brassicae) is a large white butterfly species that naturally reproduces in cabbage leaves. It uses those leaves as food for caterpillars of the next generation. Wings have a few black spots on them.

This fungus impacts the leafage and forms black spots on the topside of maple tree leaves. Black fruiting pods may appear on these leaves,

Codling moth is often called “fruit worm”. It is actually a type of caterpillar that feeds on the fruit’s flesh.

Have you sprayed too much insecticide on your tree? Applied too much fertilizer? There may still be a chance to save your plant. Here is how to save a poisoned tree.

Aphids are fearsome insects that attack leaves and feed on plant sap. There are natural ways to treat against them. Leaves curl up and become sticky.

Many houseplants come from tropical areas where air moisture levels are very high. In apartments and homes, increase air moisture

Bordeaux mixture is an effective fungus treatment authorized for use in organic farming.

European brown rot is a fungal disease caused by fungus that attacks fruit trees and can seriously impact harvests. 

Do you have a garden with fruit trees and you’d like to get a bit more organic? Preserving and protecting nature is getting more and more attractive, most of all for our own dear little children.

Black spot disease is diagnosed when black or brown spots appear on leaves. It impacts many trees, but doesn’t usually present any critical

Cypress canker is really the only disease known to this conifer. Although generally quite hardy, a canker infection can devastate

The Boxwood tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis, is an insect of the Crambidae family in the Lepidoptera order.

Typical of many insects (and even more so for butterflies), adult bollworms won’t cause any damage in the garden or vegetable patch. However, caterpillars and larva that emerge from their eggs can devastate nearby plants.

Rose trees are most certainly among the most beautiful flower-bearing shrubs, but they are also among the most vulnerable to diseases.

Chlorosis isn’t actually a disease. It is actually a physiological deficiency that plants endure when certain minerals or trace elements are found lacking in the soil. This occurs often when there is too much active lime.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, iron… plants need nutrients to grow. Yellowing leaves might be due to lack of one of them!

Fermented tea from weeds is an effective and environment-friendly resource to fight most insects, pests and plant diseases.

Fireblight is a fast-spreading bacterial disease. It’s crucial to cut off and remove any infection before it spreads too far.