Master Gardener Decision Support Guide

Problems Affecting Mutiple Plant Species

Are there

• Identical symptoms on plants from 2 or more plant families?
• Different symptoms on plants from 4 or more plant families?
• Different symptoms on plants from 3 or less(i.e. 2) plant families?
• Situation different than those described above, or unable to determine.

Note: Explanation follows. Read if necessary. Pathogens and insects are often found only on specimens from a single plant family. When identical problems are found on specimens from more than one plant family, environmental factors are usually involved. Even when different symptoms are found on more than one type of plant, environmental factors may be the problem. Environmental factors include drought, excessive fertilizer, herbicides, overwatering, nutritional problems and temperature extremes. Environmental factors are hard to diagnose over the phone and often key to the file titled "Further Study Needed".