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Gardening Resources on the Internet

Problem Solvers: Garden Pests, Weeds & Plant Diseases

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Pest & Disease Identifier, or "What's wrong with your plant?", from BBC Gardening
There is an interactive Flash version which launches in a pop-up window (BBC Webwise has information on Flash and how to download it This "will initially ask you to select the plant part affected by the problem and because many pests and diseases cause multiple effects on different plant parts, it will then ask you a series of questions relating to the whole plant and its growing conditions, before identifying the most likely cause of your problem."
There is also a non-interactive version which is essentially an 'A - Z of (Gardening) Pests and Diseases'. For each problem it gives:
1. Common name and Latin name
2. Symptoms to look for and a photograph
3. Plants likely to be affected
4. Some general information about the pest or disease
5. Methods of Treatment, both chemical and organic
6. Preventative measures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/ - Pest & Disease Identifier
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/askbruce/articles/download/howdoidownloadflashplayer_1.shtml - Advice on downloading and using Flash

Also from the BBC Gardening website's Advice section:
- Module 6 of Alan Titchmarsh's How to be a Gardener covers Problem Solving, an introduction to pests, diseases and weeds and how to treat or prevent them. Includes audio and video clips and interactive games as well as plenty of textual information.
  Covers:
  1. Pests & Diseases
  2. Weeds
  3. Problems caused by growing conditions covers plants affected, symptoms including photographs, and information on prevention and control.
  4. Help with the Flash player and RealPlayer Plugins, used in the interactive and audio & video clip sections, is also provided.
- Common Problems includes:
  1. Back problems includes tips on prevention and care and how to make life easier gardening with a bad back. Also some useful links.
  2. Garden Safety tips on making your garden safer and accident prevention. Includes tips on Pond Safety
  3. there is also a 'Garden Clinic' Message Board
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/ - Problem Solving (module 6 of 'How to be a Gardener')
Includes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/pests_and_diseases.shtml - Pests & Diseases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/weeds.shtml - Weeds

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/problems_caused_by_growing_conditions1.shtml - problems caused by growing conditions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/help.shtml - Help with Flash player & RealPlayer Plugins

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/problems_index.shtml - Common Problems
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/ - BBC Gardening Advice section

The RHS Problem Solver, from Royal Horticultural Society, RHS, part of the RHS Advice Service covers:
1. Top Pests includes information about each pest, and, as releevant, plants that may be affected, symptoms to look for and advice on prevention, treatment and control (usually both chemical and non-chemical)
2. Top Diseases type of advice given varies according to the problem
3. Weeds includes advice on dealing with particular weeds, or types of weed as well as some more genral advice on e.g. Garden Invaders, Invasive non-native plants and Dealing with perennial weeds
4. Problems: What's wrong with my plant? advice on identifying the cause of a problem from the syptoms it presents.
5. Conservation & the Environment The RHS has published 18 conservation and environment leaflets on the following topics:
  1. 'Responsible Use of Resources', including peat, water, limestone, energy etc.
  2. 'Biodiversity in the Garden', including wildflowers & wildlife in the garden, Wild and endangered plants in cultivation, Bringing plants in from abroad etc.
  3. 'Other Topical Issues', including Genetic modification, Potentially harmful garden plants, Hedges and even Noise
6. Planning a garden and choosing plants includes advice on different types of gardens, e.g. gravel gardens, drought resistant gardens, allotments, pergolas and arbours etc. and on different types of pants and plantings, e.g. trees, vegetables, cut flowers, hedges etc. as well as such topics as European Union - moving plants in and out of the EU, Electricity in the Garden and Sources of Information on Garden Design etc.
7. Caring for Plants includes:
  1. General Care of Popular Plants
  2. Successful Sowing & Planting
  3. Propagation: seeds, cuttings, grafting etc
  4. Pruning includes both general advice and advice for specific plants
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problem_solver/index.asp - RHS Problem Solver
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/index.asp - RHS Advice Service

Crocus, launched in 2000 this now well established commercial site offers "the biggest choice of plants in the UK." It also provides an Articles & Advice section, including Tips & 'How-tos'from Alan Titchmarsh
The Problem Solving section (which can be found bottom right of the home page or at the top of the Articles & Advice section), or includes advice on:
1. Pests & Diseases with a useful 'symptom selector' to help you identify the cause of a problem, along with advice, often both organic & chemical, on how to deal with it. There is also a photogallery of the 'Top 12 pests and diseases' and a more extensive A - Z listing, all with related information and control tips.
2. Weeds Again there is a photogallery of the 'Top 12 Weeds' (6 lawn weeds & 6 others) followed by a more extensive A - Z listing with photos, information and advice on controlling them.
The site has been recently re-designed (summer 2007) & the 'Your Questions Answered' and the 'Searchable Faq' sections appear to have been discontinued.
http://www.crocus.co.uk/pestsanddiseases/ - Pests & Diseases
http://www.crocus.co.uk/pestsanddiseases/weeds/_/all-weeds/artcat.7/ - Weeds
http://www.crocus.co.uk/articles-and-advice/ - Articles & Advice
http://www.crocus.co.uk - Crocus

Garden Advice is another commercial site offering free membership and paid subscription services, but also includes plenty of free advice, "from our team of expert, professional gardeners", on its website. In the context of problem solving this includes:
1. Pest Control covering slugs, vine weevil, moles, rabbits and deer. There is also an Organic Pest Control section focused on the vegetable plot.
2. Plant Diseases provides advice on dealing with Blossom-end Rot, Potatoe Blight and Clematis Wilt
3. Controlling Garden Weeds, covering Horsetail, Hedge and field Bindweed and Couch Grass, with a slightly more extensive guide available in pdf format.
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/pests/index.html - Pest Control
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/organic/pests/index.html - Organic Pest Control
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/disease/index.html - Plant Diseases
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/gardenplants/weeds/index.html - Weeds
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk - Garden Advice

The RSPB website's Gardening section has some useful tips on how to solve some garden problems, including:
1. Advice on dealing with Unwanted Garden Visitors, including:
2. an extensive article on Non-Toxic Slug Control
3. a more general article on Chemical-free Pest Control
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/index.asp - RSPB Gardening Advice
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/index.asp - Unwanted Garden Visitors
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/index/slugs/index.asp - Non-Toxic Slug Control
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/chemical_free/index.asp - Chemical-free Pest Control
http://www.rspb.org.uk - RSPB

Burton Manor run a wide range of Lifelong Learning Courses, including Gardening Courses throughout the year

Created on ... February 24, 2007, Last Updated October 3, 2007