Sanitation & Quarantine
Cultural control that stops soil-borne bacterial and viral pathogens from spreading.
For diseases with no chemical cure — bacterial wilt and mosaic viruses among them — sanitation isn't a supplement to treatment, it is the treatment. Every step here is about stopping spread rather than curing an already-infected plant.
Step-by-step protocol
- Rogue and burn symptomatic plants — never compost.
- Disinfect tools between plants with 10% household bleach or 70% ethanol.
- Solarize infested beds for 4–6 weeks under clear plastic in peak summer.
- Quarantine new transplants for 2 weeks before field planting.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't infected plants be composted?
Home and farm compost piles rarely reach the sustained temperatures needed to kill bacterial and viral pathogens, so composting infected material just relocates the source of reinfection.
How long should new transplants be quarantined?
Two weeks is standard — long enough for most latent bacterial and viral infections to show visible symptoms before the plants go into the main field or garden.
Best for these diseases
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