How to prevent flower diseases and pests? Good cultivation techniques are key

For the prevention and control of flower diseases and pests, it is not always necessary to use a lot of pesticides. As long as we pay attention to certain methods during cultivation, we can cleverly prevent flower diseases and pests.

Using cultivation techniques to prevent and control flower diseases and pests is an economical and basic control measure. The following aspects should be noted:

1. Practice crop rotation. Practicing crop rotation in flower nurseries has a good control effect on flower diseases that occur year after year, such as seedling damping-off (rhizoctonia rot), southern blight, and bacterial wilt, as well as monophagous pests.

2. Rational companion planting. For rust diseases that have alternate hosts, such as Chaenomeles lagenaria (flowering quince), apple, and pear, avoid planting them together with Sabina chinensis (Chinese juniper) or other junipers, otherwise it will cause severe occurrence of rust disease on flowering quince and other ornamental trees and shrubs.

3. Disease- (pest-) resistant varieties. According to local conditions, select and breed varieties with resistance to diseases and pests. Especially for certain diseases and pests that are difficult to control or for which there are no effective control methods, breeding disease- and pest-resistant varieties is even more important. When selecting and breeding varieties, attention should also be paid to selecting other excellent traits of the variety, such as long flowering period, large flowers, bright flower colors, and resistance to cold and drought, so that the selected varieties can both resist diseases and pests and have high ornamental value.

4. Scientific fertilization. Scientific fertilization can regulate the nutritional status of flowers and enhance their ability to resist diseases and pests. For example, using reasonably prepared potting soil for potted Chinese roses can reduce the occurrence and harm of black spot disease on Chinese roses. Appropriately increasing the application of ferrous sulfate (commonly known as black alum) or chelated iron can control chlorosis in gardenia and camellia. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers should be reasonably combined, and farmyard manure must be fully decomposed before use.

5. Rational watering. Soil that is too wet and poor drainage are triggers for seedling damping-off and direct causes of root rot in flowers. Promptly draining accumulated water from flower nurseries and potting soil has an obvious effect on preventing root rot. Pathogens such as the pathogen of cherry root cancer and jasmine southern blight can spread with flowing water. When irrigating, pay attention to the direction of water flow to avoid pathogens spreading with flowing water to nearby healthy plants. Timely watering to relieve drought can reduce the occurrence of powdery mildew on Chinese roses.

6. Cultivate strong seedlings. Some diseases and pests spread with propagation materials such as flower seeds, seedlings, tubers, bulbs, scions, and cuttings, such as root cancer, root-knot nematode disease, and certain viral diseases. Therefore, selecting healthy materials free of diseases and pests for sowing and propagation is the key to cultivating healthy seedlings free of diseases and pests.

7. Thorough disinfection. ① Greenhouse disinfection is mostly carried out by fumigation. The specific method is: in the evening, close doors and windows and ignite the agent for fumigation, and the next day open windows for ventilation. For example, use 2-3 grams of 20% procymidone smoke agent per 10 cubic meters, fumigate once every 7-10 days, for 3 consecutive fumigations. ② Soil disinfection is generally divided into two types: disinfection of soil for flower cultivation and disinfection of soil for field-grown flowers. Disinfection of flower cultivation soil mostly uses high-pressure steam and chemical treatment. Soil disinfection for field-grown flowers can also be treated with chemicals. Choose an equal mixture of 70% quintozene and 80% zineb wettable powder, apply 8-10 grams per square meter evenly and turn it into the soil, or use 50 milliliters of formalin and add 8-12 kilograms of water for irrigation.

8. Timely clean the garden. Combined with shaping and pruning of ornamental trees and shrubs, thoroughly and promptly remove diseased fallen leaves, diseased (pest-infested) branches, and diseased plants, and destroy them centrally, which has a twice-the-result-with-half-the-effort control effect.