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By removing the plant for at least two years, the life cycle can be interrupted, thus controlling the pest. Both organic and synthetic insect-killing materials, called insecticides, also are available to control insect pests (see Pest Control). Diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses also can damage plants (see Diseases of Plants). In most cases, once a plant has a disease it cannot be saved, though some fungal diseases can be controlled with a fungicide. The best approach to disease prevention is to provide plants with optimum soil, nutrients, light, and water so they can fight off disease, and to grow plants that have been bred for disease resistance or have natural resistance. Gardeners harvest plants at different stages, depending on how the harvested plants or plant parts are used. Crops grown for their fruit, such as tomatoes and eggplant, are harvested when the fruit is ripe. Some plants are harvested before they flower—lettuce and spinach, for example, are grown for their tender leaves and develop a bitter flavor if allowed to flower. Plants grown for their roots, such as carrots and radishes, are harvested when the root is large enough, but before it gets tough or woody and loses its sweetness. In flower gardens, the sign of maturity is the formation of seeds. Many plants stop flowering once they set seed, so to make plants produce flowers longer, gardeners can remove the faded flowers before they produce seed, a technique called deadheading. Gardeners may attempt to control the shape of woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, by removing, or pruning, branches growing in the wrong direction. They also prune to removed damaged, disease, or dead branches. Some shrubs, such as lilacs, bear the most flowers in young wood, so gardeners remove the oldest branches. Gardeners prune plants at different times of the year, depending on how they hope to affect the plant’s growth. In regions where winter is characterized by freezing temperatures, the gardening season ends in autumn. In these areas, autumn tasks for vegetable gardeners include removing old plants from the garden. This helps eliminate insects and disease organisms that may survive the winter in dead leaves or flowers. To prepare the soil for the following spring, gardeners may work manure or other fertilizer into the soil, or they may add compost, partially decayed organic material that improves water drainage in the soil. Flower gardeners also may remove annual flowers from the garden to control insects and disease. To preserve perennials, gardeners cover the ground with a deep layer of mulch to prevent the soil from thawing too early. Soils that repeatedly freeze and thaw during the winter can push the roots of perennial plants out of the soil, a process called heaving. Some gardeners try to extend the growing season by protecting vegetables and annual flowers through the first mild frosts of autumn. One popular method is to cover the plants with plastic or bed sheets when frost threatens, which traps heat that the soil gives off at night and keeps frost from settling on the plants. Another technique is to surround the plants with milk jugs or other containers filled with water. As the water freezes it gives off heat, and the slight increase in temperature is enough to protect the plants. In late winter or early spring, before new growth begins, gardeners may cut back the brown leaves of ornamental grasses and the dead branches of perennials so the plants will look tidy as the growth begins again. Water is as vital for plants as it is for other organisms. The pressure of water within the plant cells helps the plant’s leaves to remain firm. Water also is essential for most of the plant’s biochemical reactions. In addition, water stores essential dissolved nutrients. How often plants need water depends on how hot, dry, and windy the climate is, how well the plant tolerates dry conditions, and how deep the roots go into the soil. Plants can be watered at any time of day. However, to avoid plant diseases that thrive in cool, moist conditions and to reduce water lost through evaporation, gardeners water in the early morning, when the air is cool and still, but the sun will soon dry the leaves. The best method for watering plants is to apply the water directly to the soil, rather than over the tops of the plants. The water should be applied at a rate no faster than it can percolate into the soil so that the excess will not run off and be wasted. This technique reduces water lost through evaporation and keeps leaves dry, which discourages diseases. A few tools for watering the soil efficiently include hoses with tiny holes all along their surface, called soaker hoses; plastic tubes with tiny holes punched in them at intervals for drip irrigation; and plastic jugs with small holes punched in the bottom, filled with water, and set beside a plant. Watering large, densely planted areas, such as a lawn, requires a sprinkler. Evaporation of water from the soil can be minimized by covering the soil with a protective layer known as mulch. Mulch acts as a barrier that slows evaporation by reducing the amount of air and heat that reaches the soil surface. Materials that can be used as mulch include leaves, bark chips, grass clippings, and cardboard. Three types of pests can plague gardens: weeds, insects, and diseases. A weed is any plant that grows where the gardener does not want it. Weeds are undesirable because they compete with garden plants for light, water, and nutrients. Common methods for controlling weeds include pulling them up by hand; digging them out; and cutting them off using a hoe or mower. One way to slow the growth of weeds is to cover the soil with a layer of mulch, which blocks out the light and air that weeds need to grow. Weeds also can be controlled by treating them with a weed killer, or herbicide. Like fertilizers, weed killers can be organic or synthetic (see See also Weed Control). Insects damage plants by chewing leaves or other plant parts by sucking the liquid from the plant, or in some cases, by transmitting viruses. The number of damaging insects can be reduced by growing a variety of plants in the garden. Different plants attract different insects, including some that attack insect pests. Another method for preventing insect damage is to cover young plants with a floating row cover, which is a very thin, white, gauzy blanket that keeps many insects away from the plants. Another preventive method is to grow plants bred for resistance to insect pests.Some insects can be kept in check by introducing beneficial bacteria or insects to the garden. This method exploits the natural ecological relationships between garden pests and other organisms. Ladybugs, for instance, eat aphids, one of the more notorious garden insect pests, and certain types of bacteria kill insect larva. Another method to help control insects in vegetable and flower gardens is to rotate crops instead of growing the same type of plant in the same place every year. Many insects have a life cycle that depends on the presence of a certain type of plant.
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