Healthy communities, whether of humans or any other living forms, have no place for diseases. In eco-friendly communities, growing disease-free crops is the main focus of farming. It is true that microbes are part of our ecological space but those bad ones, which have evolved to flourish by destroying crops, are never welcome. Shutting them out is integral to green living. How do we manage it? Following are some common methods employed widely for growing healthy crops without spending much or risking the quality of our environment.

Growing Disease-Resistant Plants

Just like some people have stronger immunities than others, there are plants that are more resistant to the diseases prevalent in the same farming community. This, in part, is also determined by the climatic conditions as some plants prove more disease-resistant in a particular kind of climate. As a general rule, F1 hybrid varieties are mostly immune to diseases and they produce a healthier and greater yield, in addition to blooming earlier.

Getting Greater Sunlight

Crops which are grown in brighter and sunny locations are most often healthier than those grown in shady places. Sunlight not only boosts photosynthesis (natural food-making inside plants) but also evaporates the moisture, which blankets the cultivated land. This latter role of the sun is important in preventing plant diseases since most of the pathogenic microbes thrive and spread in moisture. By drying the surface of the grounds, sunlight eliminates the growth medium of harmful organisms.

Watering Properly

Water is essential to plants as blood is to animals. It is the medium of circulating nutrients and oxygen. But more so for plants since water is part of the chemical process whereby glucose is prepared by the plants in their leaves. Too much and too little water are both harmful to crops. It is important to get information on the right quantity of water for different kinds of plants, soils, and climatic conditions. Watering the foliage (leaves) is usually not advisable and it is generally recommended to water the crops early in the morning. Working in the garden, while the plants are still wet, is also not recommended. This is because water droplets can carry infectious microbes from one plant or part of the land to another and cause diseases.

Providing Healthy Soil

Healthy plants grow in healthy soils and there is no exception to this rule. Healthy soils are fertile (usually with natural organic matter), well-drained, and have a growth-friendly chemical nature (a pH between 6 and 7). Lime or any other additive should not be added to soil without first testing the soil for its pH value. The structure or tilth of the soil also counts in hosting healthier crops. What we need here is some expert opinion.

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