Sanitation Plant pathogens are less likely to survive if organic matter is quickly decomposed. Remove plant debris or infected plant parts after each growing season. Turn the soil after harvest to help break down small roots that may harbor nematodes, fungi or bacteria. Prune or remove twigs and branches of woody plants affected with fire blight and other bacterial or fungal canker diseases. Keep Gardens weed free.
Weeds often are another source of pathogens.
Eradicate weeds to break the life cycle of pathogens and control them. Weed removal also can increase air movement and thus decrease conditions that favor disease development. So pathogens do not spread from one area to another, always disinfest machinery and other tools with steam, hot water under pressure, or a 10 percent solution of household bleach and water. Crop Rotation Avoid planting the same crop in the same area of the Garden year after year. Continuous culture of the same kind of crop provides an opportunity for pathogen buildup.