Improve Air Circulation Around Plants

Space your vegetable plants according to the recommended distances on seed packets or plant tags, and prune excess foliage so air flows freely through the canopy. For indeterminate tomatoes, remove suckers and lower leaves that touch the ground. For dense crops like squash, thin overlapping leaves selectively.

Why It Works

Fungal pathogens such as powdery mildew, early blight, and downy mildew thrive on moist leaf surfaces. When air circulates well, leaves dry faster after rain or morning dew, drastically reducing the window during which spores can germinate and infect tissue.

Tips

• Stake or cage tomatoes and peppers to keep foliage off the ground
• Prune in dry weather to avoid introducing pathogens through fresh cuts
• Orient rows to follow prevailing winds where practical
• Avoid working among wet plants to limit mechanical spread of disease