Understanding your crop

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Understanding your crop
The first step in any horticultural enterprise ought to be making sure that your plants are understood.

What do they need in order to be healthy?
How do they react to environmental changes and pressures?
How does your crop actually function?
What does it require to undertake its normal physiological functions of respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration, cell division and differentiation (growth)?
When are your crops vulnerable and what effect will pests will have on them at all stages of their growth, or during different environmental conditions such as wet, warm weather?
What is your crop being grown for?
Will the pest actually create any real problem for the product?

Remember: Long term health may be affected in subsequent seasons. For example, if a dormant plant was unable to store adequate resources, due to its photosynthetic capacity being reduced, the following year's growth will probably be affected.

It may not always be necessary to undergo an expensive control campaign if your crop has the ability to function normally with a level of weed, pest or disease infestation.