To Spray or Not To Spray

That is the question!  Here at the garden center we often get calls or visits from concerned gardeners regarding holes or spots in foliage, or unhealthy/distorted growth.  Sometimes the first response on the part of the gardener has been to pull whatever she or he happens to have hanging around on a garage shelf and spray the plant.  Often no treatment is even needed and spraying, especially with a chemical insecticide or fungicide, is best done as a last resort rather than a first reaction.

It’s important to first determine the cause of the problem so that the method you choose to address the damage is effective.  Spraying an insecticide when the problem is caused by a fungus will do no good!  Get in touch with your inner detective and do a little investigating.  Holes in the leaves or notches in leaf edges are often caused by insects but can be a disease symptom as well. Unhealthy or distorted growth or an off-colored plant could be an insect problem, a disease, chemical damage, or a nutrient deficiency.  Weather, time of year, and the likes and dislikes of your particular plant are also factors to consider.

With so many possibilities it can be a bit confusing to figure out what’s going on and whether or not treatment is necessary, but I hope this gives you an idea of why reaching for that bottle of insecticide is not a cure-all.  There are many helpful online resources to aid you in your investigation and the staff here is always happy to help.  Send some photos to cu*************@ki***********.com or bring in some samples of what you’re seeing (in a plastic Ziploc-type bag, please!)