On Purdue University’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, lies a unique and intriguing “disease garden” created by Janna L. Beckerman, a plant pathology professor. This garden serves as an educational tool for botany and horticulture students, allowing them to intimately interact with troubled plants and gain a deep understanding of their ailments.
Unlike traditional ornamental landscapes, this garden showcases disfigured hollyhocks, roses, and peonies that have seen better days. Amongst these struggling plants, disease-resistant varieties flourish, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right plants from the beginning. The garden is constantly refreshed with new plant samples from the nearby Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, ensuring a steady supply of fresh material for students to analyze.
The garden also attracts entomology students interested in studying insect pests. Clifford Sadof, an entomology professor, and his students find the garden to be an informative stop in their course on pests of urban landscapes.
However, Dr. Sadof and Dr. Beckerman envisioned something more expansive than the physical garden. They wanted to reach a wider audience and provide a virtual disease garden. This idea materialized in the form of the Purdue Plant Doctor website, which launched in September. The website features 325 ornamental plants commonly found in the Midwest and East and utilizes photographs to sharpen users’ observational skills. By better understanding plant problems, users can accurately diagnose and develop effective management plans.
Both scientists often come across stories of gardeners, both amateur and professional, who hastily jump to conclusions about plant problems. Such haste can lead to missed opportunities or even worsened situations. To combat this issue, the Purdue Plant Doctor website includes a section on beneficial insects, ensuring that users don’t mistakenly assume every insect is a threat.
The scientists recall a tragic story involving dawn redwoods. These trees were mistakenly deemed dead and cut down because they shed their needles during winter, which led to the assumption that they were evergreen conifers. However, these trees are deciduous conifers, resulting in their premature demise.
Imprecise diagnoses can prove counterproductive, costly, and potentially harmful. Thus, cultivating curiosity and embracing the unattractive aspects of plants is key. Rather than succumbing to disgust, taking a closer look can lead to important discoveries.
The process of diagnosing plant ailments involves several steps. Firstly, accurately identifying the plant is crucial. To aid in this process, popular apps like iNaturalist or PictureThis, as well as Google Lens, can assist in uploading photos for plant identification. Identifying conifers, in particular, can pose a challenge as pines are often mistakenly identified when they are, in fact, spruces or firs. The number of needles per bundle is a key characteristic, with pine trees having two, three, or five needles, while spruce and fir trees have individually attached needles.
Once the plant is identified, the next step is to examine the details of the abnormality. Is the problem limited to one plant or spread across multiple species? This distinction can help determine if the cause is a pest, disease, or an environmental stressor like drought. Is the problem affecting the entire plant or just one part? These observations allow for further narrowing down of possibilities.
Careful observation of pest damage or symptoms, such as leaf mines or holes made by Japanese beetles, can provide valuable clues. Looking for additional evidence like eggs, insect excrement, or fungal fruiting bodies can point towards disease. By thoroughly examining the plant from top to bottom, starting with the primary problem, a more accurate diagnosis can be reached.
Employing a 10x or 15x magnifying hand lens allows for a closer look at the plant and potential pathogens. While many pathogens are microscopic, magnification can reveal previously unseen details such as distinctive margins or concentric rings within spots. Noticing patterns like yellowing due to sucking insects or mosaic-patterned discoloration caused by viruses can further refine the search for a diagnosis.
It’s important to note that not every abnormality signifies a problem. Conifers shedding innermost needles in late summer or fall is a natural occurrence. Discoloration or browning at the tips may be more significant, and paying attention to the time and location of discoloration can provide valuable information.
If a diagnosis remains unclear, it is advisable to seek confirmation from a nearby plant diagnostic lab. Many labs across the country offer diagnostic services, and their reports include targeted treatment recommendations. When applying recommended products, it’s essential to carefully read and follow the instructions on the label.
Following these steps and maintaining a dated journal of observations can aid in future prevention and management of plant issues. The entire process, from initial observation to diagnosis, requires curiosity, patience, and attention to detail. By embracing and exploring the unattractive aspects of plants, individuals can develop a deeper understanding of plant health and contribute to successful gardening practices.
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