Purdue Extension Service

Vanderburgh County, Indiana

Sanitation in the Garden

By Larry Caplan, Extension Horticulture Educator, Vanderburgh County, IN

For the Evansville Courier and Press, January 18, 2009

One technique for controlling pest problems in the garden is sanitation. At its most basic level, sanitation means removing a pest's food and shelter, and taking steps to avoid introducing the pest into the garden.

A good example of the need for sanitation should be familiar to anyone who starts their own vegetable seedlings. Damping off is caused by any or all of three groups of fungi. Depending on which fungus is present, either the seedlings rot in the ground, or they wilt and die soon after emerging from the soil.

To prevent damping off, first start off with uncontaminated potting soil. Avoid reusing old potting mix, especially if the plants died. Home gardeners and commercial growers alike are advised to use a commercially prepared soilless growing mix that is sold in 3-4 cu ft. bales or bags. A common mistake is to open a bag of "clean" soil mix and place it on a dirty floor or some other unclean surface prior to planting. Remember, your soil is only as clean as the dirtiest surface that it has come into contact with.

Next, make sure that none of your tools or containers are contaminated with fungi. Wash all pots and flats in warm soapy water, making sure to dislodge and remove all caked-on dirt. After rinsing, dip the containers in a 10% bleach solution (one part household bleach in 9 parts water). Drain and let dry in a clean location.

Outdoors sanitation is also important. Remove dead garden plants after the season is over, so that disease organisms and insects can't shelter in the garden over the winter. If the garden plants were heavily infested with disease or insects, don't put them in the compost pile, because the organisms may still survive. Rake out dead leaves from under roses and fruit trees, both of which can be heavily damaged by overwinter disease organisms.

Pruning can be another form of sanitation. Certain diseases, such as fire blight, survive the dormant season by hiding in cankers on the branches. As soon as the weather conditions are right (warm and wet), the fire blight bacteria will begin oozing out of the cankers. Pruning out the cankered wood now will reduce spreading the bacteria. Be sure to cut at least 6 to 8 inches below where you see dead wood to remove all the bacteria. Sterilize your pruning equipment after every cut by dipping it in rubbing alcohol.

Other ways to practice sanitation in the garden: control weeds to reduce places for insects to overwinter; remove debris and brush piles to control rodents; and don't move firewood around the state, to avoid bringing the Emerald Ash Borer into our community.

For more information on pest control techniques, contact the Purdue Extension Service at (812) 435-5287.