Home gardeners rush to nurseries as high humidity leads to surge in plant fungal diseases | Pune News

Pune: Home gardeners have been making a beeline to nurseries and horticultural stores to buy fungicides in recent times, with high humidity and heavy rainfall causing frequent eruptions of root rot and fungal disease in their plants.“Rain has been unpredictable this year, leading to constant dampness in the air. A lot of my plants have caught fungal infections and been destroyed,” rued Kishore Mukhiya, a gardening aficionado residing in Hadapsar. “There was a week earlier in July where we had very heavy rainfall in the city, and soon after, I noticed root rot in many of my plants, especially the bigger potted ones,” said Shalini Desai, a resident of Wanowrie.Nursery owners testified to an increased demand for fungicides, pest control chemicals and drainage solutions. “Potted plants are particularly vulnerable to these conditions due to waterlogged soil and poor air circulation, especially in this season. We are getting many inquiries for fungal sprays and pest control chemicals,” Shabir Adam, who works at a garden nursery near Salunkhe Vihar, told TOI.Some vulnerable plants frequently grown in home gardens include hibiscus, roses, tomatoes, chillies, capsicum, tulsi (holy basil) and jasmine. Common diseases and infestations acquired by plants in the monsoon include powdery mildew, leaf spot, mealybugs and more. “My hibiscus plant got infested with mealybugs, which then spread to all the surrounding foliage. I’ve since had to get rid of all the plants on one side of my terrace,” said Divya Ganguly, a resident of Pashan.Solutions being deployed by home gardeners include replacing infected plants, repotting with well-draining potting mixes, and seeking preventive treatments to protect balcony and terrace gardens during the peak monsoon. “I just purchased some neem spray and have repotted all my plants with a good mix of coco peat, so that there is effective drainage,” said Kondhwa resident Dhara Shah.Sunil Ghatge, who owns a garden nursery in Baner, echoed that there is an increased demand for neem oil and other plant protection sprays at present. “If humid conditions persist through Aug, we could expect higher fungicide sales than last year. While there is usually demand for flowering plants during monsoon, home gardeners may delay buying new plants this year until the weather becomes drier,” he said.