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Helping plants avoid the fluAs I was lying on the couch amongst my misery, I looked at my dog and wondered "'How come you don't get the flu?" I've been breathing on you for three days now, and you look perfectly fine. I, on the other hand, resembled something that should be tossed to the compost pile. On day four, somewhere between daytime television and strong medication, I began to wonder about the immune system of a plant and if it was as resilient as that of the pug-nose Boston Terrier that had been nursing me back to health. Plants get sick all of the time; fungus, bacteria, insects and even viruses attack them. While it may not be the same pathogens that knock us gardeners down, it still gets them off track. Truth be told, plants and people have an awful lot in common. It is common knowledge that when people are pushing themselves too hard, not eating right, not sleeping enough and not drinking enough water--the body gets stressed. The immune system can't keep up, a virus is introduced, and the perfect storm begins to churn. So what are the stresses that can get your plants down? There are several things that can happen to make a plant more susceptible to having problems--surprisingly, most of them are human induced. The most common problem that I have seen in other gardens, and committed in my own is placing a plant in the wrong location. The perfect example of this happened last year in one of my flower beds. I had two separate Verbena bonariensis plants, also known as verbena on-a-stick. They were about six feet apart, but one was receiving full sun and the other has some shade cast on it. The plant with the shade developed a nasty case of powdery mildew; and the other, just feet away, was spotless. It absolutely proves that the cultural requirement of this sun and heat loving plant was the key to its ability to fight off the powdery mildew. Not planting at the proper depth is another kiss of death that we often give to our green friends. I was once asked by a home builder to take a look at two 25' tall Blue Atlas Cedars. Both of the grand specimens had been planted at the site for about five months. One was looking great and the other was losing needles, becoming brittle and obviously under some heavy stress. Upon further inspection of the healthy tree I could see a nice root flare at the base of the trunk. The trunk of the sickly tree resembled a telephone pole; straight in the ground with no flare. Trees that are planted too deeply are not able to function properly and will surely decline. The absence of a root flare lets one know that the tree is too deep. Once the tree was excavated, the flare was found twelve inches from the surface. The final consideration of stress on plants, at least for this article's purpose, is poor air circulation. It is fun to mess with people's head sometimes; let me explain. Red-tip Photinia or Fraser's Photinia is one of the most common plants in Oklahoma landscapes. It is a good, fast growing, and evergreen option for our gardens. But it comes with a price if not placed properly. Entomosporium Leaf Spot is a fungal disease that, I believe, comes free with the plant when purchased. When a sample comes in with this fungus and I can begin to describe where the photinia is planted in their lawn; beside a stockade fence, or in the corner between the house and a fence, it starts to make the homeowner a bit suspicious. But it is guaranteed that if the plant is exposed to the wonderful Oklahoma winds, the fungus will not rear its ugly little head. Air movement is the key to a healthy plant canopy. At this time of year, our plants are fairly safe from the flu bug that we gardeners are sharing with one another. They are still resting and waiting for the right time of year to spring back to life. But the next time one of your beloveds is sick, stop and question what stresses might be dragging down your plants that you could improve. And cover your mouth when you cough. 2/25/08 Date: 2/18/08
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