Root Rot
You can fight root rot - and win!
Root rot comes in many shapes, sizes, and degrees of virulence (big word for "plant killing capability"!).
As you might expect of killers, the various forms of root rot have big, nasty-sounding names, too - names most of us are hard-pressed to pronounce: try "phytophthora", "pythium", "fusarium", "rhizoctonia", and "verticillium", for starters!
No matter what you call it, though, root rot in any form can do enormous damage to your garden. Every year root rot robs growers of countless billions of dollars, not to mention their pride.
So, what is root rot? It's a group of diseases brought on by fungi - bad-guy fungi that are very good at dissolving cell walls and root tissue. They produce enzymes that, under severe conditions, can dissolve cell tissues in a matter of minutes. These fungi thrive in areas of high moisture and generally warm temperatures. Thus, removing excess moisture quickly from the root zone is one excellent strategy for helping control fungi and keeping them from spreading.
© 2012 Garden Vigor
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