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Old June 6, 2007   #8
Suze
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,027
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In general, I prefer to start with fresh plants for the fall. Why?

Watering, effort, resources - I'd rather not get out in that hot weather and spend my time using up a bunch of water trying to keep plants alive throughout the summer when they aren't even producing.

Disease - As others have indicated, some pests/diseases can just plain wear out or kill the plant. As for foliar fungal diseases and bacterial spot (what I mostly see here in Tx), vigor of the plant can be permanently affected, even when you can get the disease under control. Also, by leaving in affected plants, one is leaving spores and bacteria in the garden to multiply. What I would rather do is get those affected plants pulled, remove the mulch, and turn the soil.

Pests - They hang around if the plants are still there, and have a place to continue to lay eggs. By pulling spring plants, it encourages them to go elsewhere.

If you leave some plants in (and I would encourage you to experiment), pick the healthiest ones and cut them way back when they stop producing. In general, cherry types respond the best to this sort of treatment.
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