To lower the chances of your garden becoming infested with pests and disease, it's important to begin by purchasing healthy plants. Hosts Mayita Dinos and Dan Pawlus provide a comprehensive list of tips for choosing healthy plants at the nursery.
- Avoid plants that exhibit obvious signs of pests, disease or other problems.
- Remember that certain plants and seeds such as raspberries, strawberries, seed potatoes and sometimes tomato seedlings and cabbage must be inspected and certified that they are free of common disease or pests before they can be sold.
- Always look over each plant before taking it home. Closely compare a plant's condition (color, size, etc.) to other plants of the same variety.
- Healthy annuals and perennials should not have dead leaves or leaf scars, which indicate that the plant has previously lost leaves.
- Bedding plants should be under six inches tall with short spaces between leaves on the stem.
- A plant should be symmetrical, growing straight up from the container.
- In most cases, plants that do not bloom are less likely to suffer any problems than those that are covered with flowers.
- Remember to lift up the pot to make sure that the roots are growing out of the bottom of the container.
- Try to remove the plant from the pot and examine the root ball, checking the roots on the ball's surface. Healthy roots will generally be white or light-colored on most plants. Reject any plant with dark, discolored or thickly matted roots.
