Treating diseases and pests

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

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.

Crown gall is the formation of rough, woody galls. Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes tumors on roots, trunks, and sometimes branches of many trees and shrubs.

Phytophthora is a word used to describe more than just a single disease. The term refers to many different plant pathologies which have more or less severe impacts (crown rot, mildew, ink disease, etc.) It’s more accurate to use the phrase “phytophthora diseases”.

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.

Whitefly is a tiny insect that attacks all kinds of plants, particularly: hibiscus, geranium, greater celandine, fuchsia and certain vegetables

Black spot disease is a plant sickness where black or brown spots appear on leaves. It impacts many trees, but usually doesn’t cause critical

Red spider mite is a tiny mite of the Tetranychidae family. This sap-sucker infects indoor and outdoor plants.

Beans are a favorite in the veggie patch, and not only for us! Many types of bean blight exist, caused by fungus, viruses, mites and bacteria. They infect bean plants and trigger brown or yellow spots,wilt, and other issues on bean leaves, bean pods and vines. Here are the main culprits responsible for bean blight.

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

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.

Scale insects appearing on a ZZ plant is a rare occurrence. Getting rid of them isn’t too difficult on

Scale insects like mealybugs are among the most common parasites on indoor plants.

Weed tea, prepared by simply fermenting weeds in a pail, is excellent to treat plants against diseases. Here are the different types of weed tea and their uses.

Biological control against pest insects is all the rage, and pheromone traps are proving to be effective and natural solutions.

Even if you try your best to be an animal lover, voles still tend to get on your nerves. This short-lived rodent has the annoying habit of turning the ground in your vegetable garden into a vast network of tunnels. And to make matters worse,

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.

Armillaria (or root rot) is a disease caused by a fungus that attacks ligneous plants. Ligneous plants are all those plants made of wood.

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

Like quackgrass, field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) and hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) belong to this category of weeds that are hard to get rid of. Vigorous and fast-growing, bindweed winds and twines around plant stems, climbs up fences, creeps along the ground in vegetable gardens… And it teases the gardener with its pure white or pink […]

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

Among the weeds that invade flowerbeds, lawns, or vegetable gardens, quackgrass (Agropyron repens or Elymus repens) is surely one of the toughest.

I’ve spotted some sort of frothy bubbles on a few of my plants, it looks like “spittle”, is it a problem? → Shared by Dominique, France No doubt, you’re dealing with a spittlebug.

Caterpillars are butterfly larvae that come in many different shapes, colors and sizes, but the damage they do is always the same.

This well-known oak tree parasite is a caterpillar that devours leaves.  It then gathers into a nest that looks like a spider web.

Cabbage moth (Pieris brassicae) is a large white butterfly species. It uses cabbage leaves as food for caterpillars of the next generation. Wings are white with black spots on them.

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

The bug often called “cherry fruit fly” is a tiny fly that lays eggs on ripening cherries. It’s also called the “cherry maggot“. Generally, this happens end of May or beginning of June, and can last until July.

These little striped beetles are definitely a hassle! The Colorado potato beetle devours leaves with terrifying speed!

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?

With immense pride, you’ve sown seeds for either a veggie patch or a showy garden. A steady shower of water brings forth the first timid shoots. But –wait– those young sprouts don’t look so good! They’re feeble, soft… probably suffering from damping off!

When seedlings die off at an early stage in life, chances are it’s due to fungus. “Damping off” is the term to describe this infection.

Fermented horsetail tea is an effective fungicide that helps avoid most fruit tree and vegetable patch diseases.

Whether in the vegetable patch, around fruit trees or near rose trees,

Prepare your own magic potions! Infusions, decoctions, fermented tea… take advantage of natural plant properties to easily prepare organic fertilizer and treatments at a very low price.

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

Many natural pest control methods exist for the garden but have somewhat fallen into disuse with the rise of chemical products.

Olive tree blight is a merciless killer. Protect your orchard against Xylella fastidiosa. Key facts Botanical name – Xylella fastidiosa Common name – Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), Pierce’s disease, Olive tree blight Family – Xanthomonadaceae Sub-species – fastidiosa, multiplex, pauca and sandyi Type – Bacterial disease Symptoms – leaf scorch, chlorosis, stunting, twig desiccation […]

One of the most aggressive killers in the garden, Botrytis is a fungal disease that can attack all sorts of plants. It forms gray mold after it enters through wounds

Green, red, or brown, the stink bug feasts on garden vegetables! Discover how to recognize shield bugs and which organic treatments work best against these pests.

Very fragrant, wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) forms the base for an effective liquid manure, serving as a repellent to push away certain pests, and also as a curative treatment against certain fungal diseases.

This little jumping flea beetle is especially fond of vegetable garden foliage, which it cheerfully perforates! Discover how to recognize flea beetles and which natural treatments to use to eliminate them.

Today, chemical insecticides are no longer an option for gardeners. And that’s a good thing! But pests haven’t gotten the message that they’re not welcome… An invasion of pests can destroy a crop in a few days or weeks, to the gardener’s great despair.

Leek is fairly susceptible to pest attacks. The leek moth is clearly one of its main enemies! Here’s how to identify Acrolepiopsis assectella  and fight it better.

Your carrot plants look sad? The roots are dug up and blackened? It’s probably the carrot fly!

Diatomaceous earth is a completely natural product that can assist you in growing beautiful, healthy gardens. There are many uses of diatomaceous earth in the garden.

On the balcony, in the ornamental garden or in the vegetable garden, one accessory proves indispensable: a sprayer.

If you are a fan of natural and environmentally-friendly detergents and cosmetics products, you probably already came across black soap to maintain your home. But did you know that black soap is also very useful in the garden as an insecticide and fungicide? We will explain its different uses and dosages. What is black soap […]

Though the adult cranefly doesn’t harm plants in the garden or vegetable patch, the same cannot be said for its larva. Cranefly larva (leatherjacket is a common example) will indeed devour roots of plants, killing them from below. Luckily this is not inevitable. There are ways to limit the damage they cause. Cranefly key facts: […]

Every gardener has that dreaded experience: beautiful cabbage, lettuce, or carrot crops destroyed in mere days by some horrible pest.