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Gardener Core Manual  Preventing and Managing Plant Diseases
Simeon Wright and Christopher Starbuck Division of Plant
Sciences  Diseased leaf  Gardeners' first and best defense
against plant diseases is to create the right conditions for
vigorous, healthy plants. Thus, preventing and managing plant
diseases begins even before planting.  When a plant does not
look "normal," or as expected, the gardener often assumes the
plant is diseased and that control measures are needed. This may
or may not be so. To understand plant problems and determine the
best course of action, it helps to have background knowledge
about the plant and the typical diseases or other problems to
which it is susceptible. Such information can help avoid an
inaccurate diagnosis that can lead to wasted time and expense,
unnecessary use of pesticides or even damage to the plant.  This
publication provides an introduction to help gardeners establish
and maintain healthy plants, and