Ruud Kleinpaste: The perils of too much water

So far, this winter of ours has been pretty wet. Yes, complaining might not help at all, but it pays to do something about the soaked soil.

Inundation is a health hazard for plants: constant wetness causes a range of diseases, many of which will be fatal.

Drowning roots stuff the oxygen balance, causing severe stress, discoloration of leaves, blisters on stems and leaves, leaf-fall, and die-back of branches.

Often the plant, shrub of small tree will become infected by one of the root-rot species.

The name Phytophthora comes to mind as it is quite violent in the way it attacks whole rows of plants.

Once a tree is infected there is very little you can do to “save its life”. If you are quick to diagnose this root rot fungus, you can try some Plant Health Buxus Blight Buster – follow label instructions and spray the affected trees/shrubs regularly.

I reckon that a prevention of stagnant water is the best way to save you a heap of trouble: dig some narrow ditches that will take the water away to lower levels. It pays to have a garden with a decent amount of “fall”, allowing the water to move off the premises.

Then there are plants we keep in large outdoor pots. And like our indoor plants, the most common cause of death is overwatering of those plants.

Our winter deluges outside can be lethal.

Ensure that your large outdoor pots have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom

Check that those holes are not clogged – check them every now and then

Remove the trays or saucers (which are handy to keep moisture around the roots in summer but not in wet old winter).

Our climate disruption is becoming worse every year, and I don’t see it turning around any day soon.

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