The herbal plants are usually considered as the hardiest of all the green plants. These plants have comparatively few problems regarding disease and insects and luckily most of the plants naturally repel these pest and disease. This is because a few of the studies state that the taste and their smell do not attract the insects and pests. A few herbs like sage and rosemary might even prefer a condition that most of the garden vegetables might not survive in. while growing herbs you should note that they do not require much fertilizers compared to food crops and they can also tolerate drought. However there are a few plagues that you need to closely watch for in the herbal plants.
Chives – You can look out for aphids on the chives and if you find any then just get rid of them with a strong spray of water or can even apply insecticidal soap.
Basil – The Slugs and Aphids usually attract these basils. You should watch closely in these plants and treat them with organic controls when needed. You can find a planting site which can drain properly and with good air circulation in order to reduce fungal disease.
Cilantro – You should look out for powdery mildew and if you spot any then just apply some organic fungicides. The cilantro most rarely would have any problems with pest and insects.
Marjoram – Spider mites, Aphids and some other plant disease can destroy your marjoram. You can treat them with insecticidal soaps or you can also use organic insect control when needed. In order to avoid several fungal problems you should provide good air circulation for the plants and should water them on sunny mornings so that the leaves dry during the day.
Dill – Most often the regular tomato hornworm can attract the dill plant. If there is severe damage then you can use Bacillus thuringiensis to fight them.
Oregano – If you have Oreganos then you should look carefully for leafminers, aphids and spider mites and these specially tend to grow in container plants. If you spot any pests then you can use organic pesticides or least toxic when needed.
Winterizing the herbal plants
Depending on the type of climate and the type of herbal plants that you have grown the winter time can be very hard for the herbal plants. Most of the herbal plants posses deep roots which can be easily damaged because of spring thaw or because of freezing of soil during late fall. In order to ensure that you plants survive winter you can start a garden with healthy plants for the winter. This means that you should grow you plants in proper soil and offering the right amount of light. You should also avoid pruning and fertilizing late during the growing season. The leaves and some other plants usually help them insulate during the cold winter season. Apart from this you can also consider mulching in order to protect your herbal plants and keep them warm when the temperature is plummeting.
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