If any of the plants you are growing begin to show signs that they are undergoing some type of disease, pest, fertilizer burn, or drooping leaves and general symptoms of sickness, a separate greenhouse can be designated for these plants. There are several different options for organically sourced sprays and beneficial insects that will help the health of your garden, but it is essential that these treatments only take place in the quarantine greenhouse.
When plants are put into quarantine, it is crucial that the sickness affecting the quarantined plants does not affect the rest of the crop. Neem oil is an effective treatment for aphids. Ladybugs and praying mantises are also beneficial, as they eat aphids. If your plants are suffering from either russet mites or spider mites, a spray made from diluted hydrogen peroxide can be atomized and sprayed on the plants with mites, and this should take care of the issue if applied one to three times daily for one week. It is imperative that a separate change of clothes are worn when in the quarantine greenhouse. The same clothes should not be worn when touching or spraying plants that have mites or other pests as when going into the other greenhouses with the healthy plants.
If plants do not regain health, they should be disposed of either by submerging in water, burning, or burying in a location at least 100 feet away from the greenhouses.
Sick plants should be kept up off the moisture barrier at the bottom of the greenhouse by setting their pots on top of knee-high tables. If plants in this greenhouse are in ebb and flow hydroponics setups and they are showing signs of disease with no signs of relative health, they can be pulled out by the root from the hydroponic medium and disposed of.
Getting your plants to bounce back is a wonderful feeling. Whether you are having problems with powdery mildew or other sicknesses, taking off diseased or affected leaves, or defoliation, is a crucial practice for getting these plants back to a healthy state. Any leaf that looks unhealthy is snipped off with garden shears. Only the leaves that are healthy should be left on the plant, as excess energy to keep leaves alive that are diseased will be quite wasteful. The plant has much more energy to grow properly if diseased leaves are removed and newer, healthy leaves have more energy to thrive. Another formula for taking care of powdery mildew is three tablespoons of baking soda per gallon of purified water, evenly mixed and sprayed on the tops and bottoms of all leaves will be useful in treating for powdery mildew, with a frequency of one to two full soaks per day for up to four days.
