Disease Issues with Vines

As with insects, vine growers need to know about the potential damage that diseases can cause. Since many vines live for years in one spot, you must address disease issues immediately, so they don’t take down your plants in their prime.
While each variety of vine is susceptible to specific diseases, there are some that tend to impact a disproportionate number of species. Here are some worth knowing about now.
Vine Downy Mildew
Vine downy mildew and its close relative, powdery mildew, are two common fungal diseases that destroy innumerable vines each year. They tend to attack cucumber, squash, and grape vines, and spread fast in damp conditions. A fungicide might help keep mild infestations under control, as can switching up your planting space each year.
Anthracnose
You can identify this fungal disease by the dark circular spots left on leaves and the blackened fruit that falls off infected plants. It spreads in wet conditions, so refrain from working in the garden immediately after rain, so you don’t disperse the spores.
Bacterial Wilt
As the name implies, bacterial wilt causes leaves to dry up and wilt. Entire sections of the plant will wither and then die without treatment. It’s spread by a bacterium that lives in the gut of cucumber beetles, so focus on treating this pest problem to keep it under control.
Fusarium Wilt
Another fungal disease, fusarium wilt will cause vines to develop water-soaked streaks before stunting growth and wilting sections of the plant. It can build up in the soil, so seasonal rotation may prevent it from becoming a chronic problem.
Mosaic Virus
As a common name for dozens of different vine diseases, the mosaic virus will lead to dwarfing and distortion of leaves. It’s spread both by insects and gardeners touching infected plants in wet conditions. For the best chance of avoiding it, plant resistant varieties.
General Tips for Avoiding Disease
No matter what vine variety you’re growing, there are strategies you can follow to reduce disease problems. Here’s the shortlist of general tips.
  • Allow plants to dry out between watering
  • Prune for maintaining good airflow
  • Rotate annuals seasonally
  • Avoid touching plants when wet
  • Sanitize tools between plants
  • Cut off diseased sections immediately
  • Destroy any infected plant material (don’t turn it into compost)