Plant Problems.
I need the plant material I work with to be the highest quality possible. To that end I need to know what a plant is meant to look like. I also need to know when something is off. Are there plant problems? There are herbalists who do not make their own medicine. They rely on other practitioners or businesses to do this for them. I am not one of them. I harvest the majority of the plants I use to make medicine. For those plants that do not grow in abundance in my area I buy plant material from reputable suppliers and then I make medicine.
Wild bergamot leaf.
This is the leaf of one of my favourite plants. The gal who planted the garden bed at the front of our house left me a large colony of wild bergamot. Unfortunately this leaf is covered in powdery mildew. This is a known plant problem with wild bergamot. This particular stand is mostly in shade – making them even more susceptible. I weed but not enough. The real solution to this plant problem would be to divide the colony and move half of the plants to another location. On the to do list but…
Leaf miners
This is another plant on our property. I snapped this photo as an example of leaf miners. Attack by leaf miners is another common plant problem. Leaf miners are any of a variety of insects whose larvae feed on plant tissue. They basically munch their way through soft plant tissue – leaving the characteristic discolouration on the leaf. Within the tunnels can be frass (insect droppings). Leaf miners are a plant problem that is very hard to control because the insects themselves are inside the plant tissue.
Blue cohosh
This a blue cohosh plant with yellowing leaves. A plant problem with any number of causes. Too much water, not enough water, compaction of the soil, poor nutrients are just a few of the reasons this could be happening. What I like about this example is that it does not mater. This is in a woodland area near my home. If I needed blue cohosh I would wildcraft. There’s no need to know why this is happening. I only need to see and realize that the plant is not healthy.
Fortunately I have another wild bergamot location to harvest from. If I didn’t I would have to forego the wild bergamot for this year. I have committed myself to making the most potent medicine possible. This means no cutting corners.
When we harvest we want the best and the brightest. Some years we miss out.