A variety of plant diseases may lurk in the garden, but the odds are against it. Many professionals in the horticultural field estimate between 80 and 90% of all problems occurring in the garden are abiotic or non-infectious. In other words, 10 to 20% of the problems are actually caused by some organism, some living creature – a rat, a bug, a fungus, a virus. The rest of the problems are caused by too much or too little of an important environmental component that supports plant growth. Some examples are nutrient deficiencies OR excesses, a lack of water OR over watering, along with pesticide toxicities, air pollution, sunburn, frost and wind. So, when problems arise in the garden, investigate these noninfectious causes.
