Dealing With an Outbreak
Once a disease outbreak has occurred
and is correctly identified, there are
several ways to resolve the situation.
Organic options for disease control
may include manual removal of
infected foliage or plants; natural
sprays; botanical or microbial
compounds; silicon applications for
certain species; surfactants for root
rot pathogens; UV, ozone or slow
sand filtration treatment of nutrient
solutions/water supplies; or even
home remedies such as sodium
bicarbonate for mildew control.
Other growers prefer to select from a
wide range of commercial fungicide or
bactericide spray products, attempting
fast and direct control. Both of these
approaches can lead to other issues.
For example, chemical sprays for
fungus problems can cause resistance
to build up within populations of
disease pathogens, making the product
ineffective after just a few applications.
A spray program that rotates different
chemical classes for fungicides may be
required to gain consistent control of a
disease and prevent disease resistance.
Organic approaches generally take
longer to work and may not always
be effective, depending on the
environment, disease and how severe
the outbreak is.
Many different plant species can be affected by mildew disease.
“
While disease
spores may be
present in and
around a hydroponic
system, if the plants
are strong and
healthy, they may
be less susceptible
to an attack.”
Maximum Yield USA | April 2015
137