What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?): A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies [Paperback]

David Deardorff (Author), Kathryn Wadsworth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2009

Dealing with a sick plant is one of the most frustrating situations a gardener can face. More often than not, we have no idea what is causing the problem, or how to fix it. Fortunately, help is at hand. What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) provides an easy system for visually diagnosing any problem, and matching it to the right cure.

This innovative and easy-to-use guide is split into three parts.

Part One presents easy-to-follow, illustrated flow charts—organized by  where on the plant the symptoms appear—that allow readers to accurately diagnose the problem. The format is so simple it doesn't even require knowing the name of the plant; all you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stem, flowers, or leaves. It does not matter whether the plant is a houseplant, perennial, vegetable, tree, or shrub.

Part Two offers a 100% organic way to fix the problem.  From improper growing conditions and environmental factors, to molds, pests, and diseases, every problem has a safe, natural solution.

Part Three shows photographs and drawings of stressed, damaged, and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison.

Whether your garden consists of herbs on a kitchen windowsill, a vegetable garden, an elaborate backyard border, or a container on a patio, What's Wrong With My Plant? is an indispensable resource. If you can see it, you can fix it. Curing a sick plant just doesn't get any easier.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I wish I had [this book] sooner, so I could have prevented the spread of fungus. This is a valuable reference for gardeners of virtually any skill level and experience." (Mr. McGregor's Daughter Blog )

"Where does this book belong on my bookshelf? Front and center."
(May Dreams Gardens Blog )

"[The book] is almost as good as having your own consulting plant doc at hand." (Valerie Easton Plant Talk blog )

“[This book] is an answered prayer for all gardeners.”
(Real Dirt blog )

“It’s like having a Master Gardener at your beck and call, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, any season of the year.”
(About.com )

"This is one of the best books I've seen for guiding the gardener through the maze of maladies that can visit garden plants. ... This book is a valuable tool and long overdue." (Washington Post )

"An essential book for anyone who gardens."

(Garden Design Online )

“This attractive, comprehensive, authoritative and easy-to-use guide, allowing gardeners to diagnose and organically treat a wide range of plant problems, is a worthy purchase.” (Library Journal )

"It’s a handy reference book for figuring out how to help your plants stay healthy." (Garden Gate )

"This is a massive undertaking, covering virtually every problem a gardener might come across. Because it’s easy to use, well written, and well illustrated, What’s Wrong With My Plant?...is an important reference that will help gardeners successfully diagnose their own plant problems and make educated decisions about how to solve them." (American Gardener )

"Many gardeners find it hard to ask for help. The excellent (and sturdy) What's Wrong with My Plant? ... will be indispensable to them, and to the rest of us as well. The information is concise: “A borer’s hole and frass (poop) are obvious on this asparagus stem.” (Thank you very much.) The illustrations are clear, the remedies organic. I promise you, things will go wrong. Be prepared."

(New York Times Book Review )

The book is a combination of drawings, photos and easy to understand advice on organic methods for diagnosing and treating a whole host of plants issues. (Deborah Roberts Stonington-Mystic Patch )

Written by plant pathologists, What’s Wrong? thoroughly covers diagnosis and cure in three parts: Simple to follow, illustrated, flowcharts of problems, organic approaches to cures and photographs to clarify diagnosis. (Molly Day Muskogee Phoenix )

About the Author

David Deardorff, botanist and expert plant pathologist, loves to write and lecture about how to grow healthier plants. As a research biologist David has lived and gardened in many environments, from the desert southwest to the maritime northwest to the tropics. Currently, he and co-author Kathryn Wadsworth can be found presenting workshops around the U.S. on a wide variety of topics, from ecology to gardening.

David earned his Ph.D. in botany from the University of Washington. He coordinated plant pathology research at the University of Hawaii and served as faculty advisor to the Master Gardener Program at Washington State University. He also co-founded Plants of the Southwest in Santa Fe, one of the first native plant nurseries in the country. He has served as Research Director at Island Biotropix, an orchid nursery and tissue culture laboratory which he co-owned with partner and co-author Kathryn Wadsworth.

You may also be interested in the author's own Web site, www.DDandKW.com.

Kathryn Wadsworth, writer, photographer, and naturalist, enjoys sharing the wonders of the natural world with others. While leading eco-tours around the world she has studied plant life and explored natural history from Australia to Alaska. Currently, she and co-author David Deardorff can be found presenting workshops around the U.S. on a wide variety of topics, from gardening to ecology.

In graduate school Kathryn studied film-making and communications at the University of New Mexico, where she made documentary films on a wide variety of topics ranging from the California Gray Whale to the impact of mining on the Navajo Nation. She has owned and operated a film production company, an orchid nursery, and a tissue culture laboratory. With her partner and co-author David Deardorff, she has lived and gardened in many environments, from the desert southwest to the maritime northwest to the tropics.

You may also be interested in the author's own Web site, www.DDandKW.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press; First American Edition edition (November 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881929611
• ISBN-13: 978-0881929614
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Sustainable Living

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How's this for a review: BUY THIS BOOK!, November 21, 2009

By 

M. Bosque "Miklos" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?): A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies (Paperback)

I just received my copy of "What's Wrong with my Plant?" this week, and I cannot tell you how many times I've wished for a resource like this! It's, at once, straight-forward, but detailed and complete. And, I don't have to know the Latin name for my plants or trees (or vegetables, for that matter). There is a caution -- it is 451 pages long, BUT the good news is that you don't really have to read it all for it to work.

The authors combine drawings, photos, and prose with a no-fault process that anyone can use...homeowners, landscapers, lawn maintenance crews, everyone! Nurseries oughta hide one in the back room, so they can return to a questioning customer with brilliant, accurate advice. WalMart and the big box stores, ought to stock the book, too!

I got the hardback verson and I'm glad I did because this is a lifetime resource. And, I'm also giving a few copies away as Christmas presents, knowing full-well that they'll be actually be used by the recipients for a long time hence.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a system for plant problem diagnosis, December 14, 2009

By 

Michael McKee "mystic cowboy" (Port Townsend, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?): A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies (Hardcover)

First, the disclaimer. David Deardorff worked for the Extension Office in the county where I was a Master Gardener. That was in the late 90s. Saying that he is knowledgeable is like saying the ocean has some water in it. I was impressed by him then and only have my esteem for him increased by this book.

There are a number of books available that cover plant problems. The problem, until now, is that none of them include a systematic method for nailing down the source. You browse the book until you find a photo that looks like your problem plant then read. If you're lucky the book has a good index that uses the same terms to describe problems that you do. Having spent untold hours in Master Gardener plant clinics helping people diagnose plant problems I would have loved to have had this book back then.

In What's Wrong With My Plant, Deardorff and Wadsworth offer us a straightforward diagnostic *system*. There's a step-by-step flowchart method for figuring out what's wrong. The method is brilliant and what's even better, it's explained well, in easy to understand language. That's the first part of the book. The rest of the book is the typical encyclopedia of photos and descriptions. The photos are clear and the descriptions are in straightforward, plain English. Organic solutions are offered.

Some people may find the solution section a bit limited. You won't find suggestions for toxic chemicals to, say, kill bugs. I won't go into organic solution vs. toxic pesticide debate, other to say that the solutions offered in this book are time tested and do work. They may take a bit more effort than buying a spray, but will leave you with a healthier garden overall. Even if you don't believe that, the diagnostic portion of the book still offers the best system anybody has come up with

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all seasons, November 14, 2009

By 

debrahart (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?): A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies (Paperback)

This book is wonderful. The information is clear and concise, backed up and explained with clear pictures. You can't go wrong with it. Very user friendly and helpful. A lot of books seem to promise more than they can deliver--not this one. It delivers what it promises, and then some. Without a whole lot of jargon or verbiage, it shows you how to figure out exactly what is bothering your plant and then how to fix it. Brilliant! Highly recommended.