The garden has friendsand enemies.

A good horticulturistneeds to get to knowthem in order to take

proper care of hisvegetables.

1 - W a t e r i n g .

2 - W e e d c o n t r o l .

3 - C u l t i v a t i n g

4 - P e s t c o n t r o l

5 - D i s e a s e c o n t r o l

- F o r s e e d s t ogerminate….

- For plants to growand produce well….

Well watered soil.

In rainy areas you onlyneed to water when theweather is dry.

In dry areas (arid and semiarid) you should waterfrequently throughout theyear.

You need

I t i s important towater only as muchas necessary, notmore or less.

Caution!If you water too much: The excess water will take

nutr ients deeper and out ofreach of the roots. Besidesthat, too much water makes iteasier for diseases to develop.

If you do not water enough: The roots grow onlynear the surface and cannottake advantage of the so i lnutrients. The plants wil l besma l l e r and p roduce l ess .

nutrients

How much and when depends on:

1- The weather: If it is hot and dry you

need to water more often.

2- The type of soil: If the soil is sandy

and loose you need to water more often,

with less water.

3- The type of vegetable to be watered:There are vegetables with deep roots

and others with shallow roots. The

deeper the root is the less often you

need water, but with more water.

Test 18

Without looking at the previous pagecircle the correct word.

1- If the weather is cool and wet youneed to water – more – less – often.

2- If the soil is heavy (clayey) you needto water – more – less – and with– more – less – water each time.

3- Vegetables with short roots need– more – less – water and moreoften.

Answersfor test 18

You can do the following test:

Two days after watering, make ahole near the plant.

The moisture should be below theplant's roots.

Water should not be accumulatedat that depth.

Important!

If the plant’s leaves look droopyand lifeless you should water themimmediately, but it is better toprevent this from happening . Theplants should always look firm. 1 - L e s s

2 - L e s s

M o r e

4 - L e s s

Irrigation watering is easy but youneed t o t a ke t he f o l l ow i ngprecautions:

- The furrows should have very littleslope, so that the water does notcarry away the soil or seeds.

- The water should run slowlywithout becoming stagnant orbreaking the furrow.

- The water should not directly touchthe plant.

- It is better to water in themornings.

- While watering, watch thewater’s pathway and guide it witha shovel.

You can water your seedlings and smallgardens with sprinklers. This is the mosteffective method when the there is asteep slope and when there is not muchwater.

With what do I water?You can use:- A watering can- A hose- Perforated cans

How do I water?Water with a fine mist.When the seeds are just planted youshould avoid heavy gushes of waterbecause they can damage the seedlingsby uncovering the seed.

You can build a mini drip wateringsystem with a used 200 liter tank, atap and some PVC pipes.

The drip emitters can be wood screws.

Test 19Connect the following withlines.

If you water less… You have to watermore often.

If the plants arel imp and wi lted…

It is more effectivet o w a t e r w i t hsprinklers…

If the weather is hotand dry….

The roots grow onthe surface.

It the garden has asteep slope.

You have to waterimmediately.

Caution!When you water with sprinklersyou wet all of the foliage whichmay cause diseases to appear.This is why it is best to waterin the morning so that the airand sun can evaporate excesswater during the day.

Answersfor test 19

When plants that you havenot planted and do not want,grow in your garden, theyare: weeds.

Weeds t a ke away l i g h t ,nutrients and water from thep l a n t s i n t h e g a r d e n .

If you water less… You have to watermore often.

If the plants arel imp and wi lted…

It is more effectivet o w a t e r w i t hsprinklers…

If the weather is hotand dry….

The roots grow onthe surface.

It the garden has asteep slope.

You have to waterimmediately.

Weeds cause more damage when thevegetables are small and unable tocompe te fo r wa te r and l i gh t .

You need to control weeds from thevery beginning by doing the following:

- Tilling the soil.

- Covering the soil with mulch.

- Being careful not to infect thegarden with seeds of weedsduring the watering or fromw e e d s n e a r t h e g a r d e n .

- Prevention control.

Tilling the soil to remove weedsconsists of:

1- Stirring up the soil between thefurrows with a rake.

2- Cleaning near the plants with aweeding hoe.This should be done only on thesurface to avoid damaging theroots.

This job is only done when theplants are still small.

The best cover ing is organicfertilizer or compost. You apply a5 to 10 cm. thick layer between thefurrows and around the plants.

You can cover the soil between the furrows withany of these materials.- Organic compost- Black plastic- Dried grass- Newspaper- Dry leaves

What are the advantages?- Weeds cannot grow because of the lack of

light.- The soil remains moist.- The soil does not over heat during the day or

get too cool during the night.- The plant’s leaves and fruit stay c l e a n e r

since mud does not splash.

W h a t i s p r e v e n t i o n c o n t r o l ?It is the measures that should be takento prevent an excessive increase in thegrowth of weeds on the soil.

What are they?- Using good quality seeds that are not

mixed with weed seeds.- Using organic compost.- Plant in crop rotation.- If necessary, use something like nylon

stockings to filter out weed seeds fromwater that is used for water ing.

- Keeping the garden clean of weeds.- Not using weeds with seeds when you

make the organic compost.

What is cultivating?It is bringing up the soil close to thebase of the plant.

What tool is used?The hoe.

When do you do it?On most plants it is done only once inthe season, when the plants are fullygrown and strong.

The advantages of cultivating:

- It helps control weeds

- It improves the so i l aerat ion.

- Preserves moisture.

- It helps to hold up the plants,making them more resistant to thew ind and the i r own we igh t .

- It minimizes the attack of diseases.

Pests are small insects that reproducequickly causing serious damage tocrops because they feed off theplants.

In many cases the plants cannotresist the attacks and die.

Would it be worth it to take somuch care of your garden ifyou did not control the peststhat can destroy them as well?

“Do not just follow the advice offriends or neighbors. Rememberthat chemica l products aredangerous”.

It is not good to totally eliminateall the pests.

You need to reach a “Balance”. Thenumber of insects that remain in thegarden after control should not betoo high so that they do not causedamage to the plants.

Preventive Control:

There are some things you can do tocontrol pests before they become aproblem.

Avoid the use of chemical insecticideswhich are very dangerous to yourhealth.

Consult with the local technician ifthe use of chemical products isinev i table, and se lect non-tox icproducts.

Recognize some beneficial insects.

Recognize some harmful pests.

Beneficial insects:

Not all insects feed off plants, somefeed off other insects so they helpcontrol infestations.

Harmful insects or pests:

Harmful insects almost always feedoff of plants. But be careful, it isnot always easy to see where andhow they feed.

There are many things that can bedone to “Avoid or Prevent” thedestruction of plants by pests:

- C r o p r o t a t i o n p l a n t i n g :r emember tha t you shou ldchange the kind of vegetablesyou plant every year, as we sawin chapter 2.

- Remove all vegetable scraps:I n s e c t s m a y s t a y t h e r emultiplying. Use vegetable scrapst o make o rgan i c c ompos t .

- Use Interplanting: it will bemore difficult for insects to spreadif the plants are separated byother vegetables.

- Choose vegetables that aremore resistant: some insects donot cause too much damage onsome vegetables.For example: Swiss chard, leeks,lettuce, onion, parsley, peas,spinach and others.

- Take good care of the garden:if the plants are big and strongthe insects will not cause so muchdamage.

Traps: To catch some pests betteryou can use traps.

- For slugs: Place boards on the soilbetween garden plants. During theday the slugs will hide under themwhere you can trap them easily.

- For white f l ies, aphids andthrips: Paint the inside of a nottoo deep can a bright yellow. Half-fill the can with water then hang iton a pole. The insects wi l l beattracted by the color and will drownupon falling in the water.

- Barriers: You can prevent grubsfrom damaging small plants byplacing rings made of cardboardaround them.

When the plants grow and bypassthe ring they are strong enoughto r e s i s t t he g rub a t t a ck .

- S p r a y s : T he r e a r e s omesubstances that do not damageplants or people yet help controlinfestations.

Example: Soap so lut ion, tocontrol aphids, spider mites andwhite flies. Mix 2 spoonfuls ofdetergent or liquid soap in 4 litersof water.

Use this liquid to spray plantscompletely.

Test 20

Circle the correct word:

1- It is better to plant vegetables that are more – resistant –common – to pests.

2- If you use chemical products you have to – consult – avoid– the local technician.

3- There are insects that help – increase – control – pests.

- Collection: The whole family cantrap insects by hand. Cutworms,weevils, chinch bugs, beetles andmany others are easy to trapbecause they are large.

There are many diseases thataffect plants damaging crops andstored vegetables.

When is a plant sick?

Sick plants look:- Yellow or other unnatural colors.- Faded or wilted.- Weak- With rotten fruit.

Answersfor test 20

Healthy plants Sick plants

1- Res istant2- consult3- control

Caution!When a plant is sick you cannotheal it.

You must prevent the disease fromspreading and affecting other healthyplants in the garden.

P r e v e n t i o n c o n t r o l i s v e r yimportant.

You need to take the necessaryprecautions. There should not beconditions which are favorable fordiseases in the garden.

Some measures are:

Crop rotation: Do not plant vegetables fromthe same family in the same spot. Diseasescan remain in the soil from one year to thenext. (Consult Chapter 2)

Resistant varieties: In many vegetables thereare varieties resistant to one or more diseases.If necessary consult the local technician to findout if the vegetable varieties you want to useare resistant or not.

Do not leave vegetable scraps lyingaround: Always use vegetable scraps toprepare organic compost. If you leave themon the ground they can contaminate nextseason’s crops.

Insect control: Insects can also transmitdiseases like viruses.

Weed control: Weeds help to create a humidenvironment that encourages the developmentof diseases.

Be careful that water does notstagnate: Water must not stagnate inthe furrows. If this happens you shouldmake exit channels.

Do not plant too densely: Plantsshould not be to close to each other(dense). This encourages humidity anddisease development.

Protect the fruit: You can protect fruitsthat bend towards the ground becauseof their weight with guide stakes ortrellises.

For example: tomatoes, melons, pumpkinand watermelon.

Using good quality seeds: Seedscan also bring diseases that appearafterwards in the garden.

Planting in the right season:Each vegetable should be grown atthe correct time. Consult the chartat the end of the Manual.

Caution!

There are chemical products toprevent diseases but it is better notto use them because the majority aredangerous to your health.

Consult your local technic ian, i fabsolutely necessary, about non-toxicproducts.

Species:

Variety name:

Production year:

Brand name

Germination ability:

Date of the germination:

1- Watering.2- Weed control.3- Cultivating.4- Pest control.5- Disease control.

Test 21

Place “T” if the sentence is true and an “F” ifit is false.

1- It is important to add the necessary water tothe soil.

2- Sandy and loose soils need to be wateredless frequently.

3- Deep rooted vegetables need more water atevery watering.

4- If you use an irrigation watering system, thefurrows should have a slight slope.

5- Decomposed manure has more weed seeds.

6- Weeds take away nutrients, water and lightfrom garden vegetables.

7- Sick plants can be healed.

8- Yellowing and wilting may be a symptom ofa disease.

In this chapterwe have seen:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Answers for test 21

1- T2- F3- T4- T5- F6- T7- F8- T

If two or more of youranswers were incorrect youshould review the materialin Chapter 6.