Friday, October 12, 2007

Gray Fruit Mold Causes Food And Fruit Rot

One of the most frequent and serious causes of fruit rot in strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries is gray mold. This can affect not only the fruit itself, but also the petals, fruit caps, and flower stalks. There is not another disease as serious as this one during a wet, warm growing season. This is the most extreme during the years that have a prolonged cloudy and rainy period during the fruit’s blooming season or harvest.

Young fruit blossoms are typically the most susceptible to the infection and they usually start to show infection in a cluster of fruit. Blossoms generally show the fruit infection as a soft, light brown, and quickly growing spot on the fruit. If it is let to remain attached to the plant, it will shrink, dry up, and become covered in a powdery, gray substance. This is where the disease gets the name of gray mold.

Fruit that are the most commonly affected are located toward the middle of the plant where the leaves and branches cause the humidity to be high and air circulation to be low. When strawberries rest upon the soil or when one strawberry touches an infected one or just a dead leaf, the fruit rot will begin.

Mature fruits are also susceptible after they are picked, but the younger green fruits may become just as infected; however, the disease isn’t usually detected until later when the fruit is ready to be harvested. Mature fruits are likely to be infected because of bruising or the breaking of the skin and if the conditions for the disease are favorable, mature fruits can become completely rotted as little as 48 hours after being picked.

To prevent gray mold from growing on your fruit, you should select a site to plant your fruit that has a good amount of soil drainage and air circulation. They should also be exposed to direct sunlight.

A good amount of straw mulch should be put between the plants to reduce the amount of contact the healthy fruit has with the soil.

Keep your fruit garden weeded, since it will slow the air movement in the canopy of the plant. Fruits need to be dry to reduce the chance of infection.

Remove any berries that have become diseased, but do not leave them in your garden. Take them away and make sure they do not come into contact with anything else you are growing.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.

Examples Of Mold Diseases That Most Never Heard Of

The names of diseases that are caused by mold typically end in the suffix “mycosis” and while you might not think that such diseases are that dangerous, but think again. These are serious illnesses that can lead to irreparable damage to different organs in your body and can even result in death in some extreme cases. Those at risk to contract them are generally those who have a weakened immune system, small children, the elderly, and anyone whose body is weak, such as a person who is undergoing chemotherapy or is recovering from a recent surgery. Mold contaminated surgical instruments can also transmit these diseases if they are not properly sterilized

Most of the diseases that are caused by mold begin with some flu-like symptoms like coughing, pain in the joints and muscles, fever, and chills. The medications used to treat these conditions can cause the very same symptoms that the disease does and can also end up causing some kidney, liver, skin, and eye damage if their usage is not monitored. Any doctor that prescribes such antifungal medication will probably require frequent lab work to be done on the patient to catch these side effects before they get out of hand.

Aspergillosis is a disease that are caused by molds belonging to the genus of Aspergillus and these molds are typically found not only outdoors, but can also be found indoors, as well. They have been known to produce what are called “aspergilloma” in any pre-existing cavity in the body such as those arising from cancer, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, or similar conditions. Aspergilloma often have no symptoms for quite a while, but when they do finally show themselves, they can include coughing up blood, weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath.

Another condition that commonly affects our pets (but can also affect humans) is called Blastomycosis. This disease can cause pneumonia and other kinds of respiratory infections in humans and animals and can spread to the rest of the body. When the mold spores enter the body, they become yeast and since yeast itself is not contagious, you should not worry about your pet giving it to you if they are showing signs of it. The cutaneous form of the disease shows itself as lesions on the skin of the body and if they are left moist and untreated, it can cause much damage to the surrounding bone and tissue.

These are only two of the diseases that can be caused by mold. There are others that are just as serious. If you suspect a mold infestation in your home, perform some do-it-yourself mold tests and have the results determined by a laboratory specializing in mold.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage restoration contractors and other states such as
North Carolina mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.

Most Are Unaware Of The Dreaded Diseases Caused By Mold

If you hear of an illness that ends in “mycosis”, it was probably caused by a mold. Those who are particularly at risk to contract this class of diseases are those with compromised immune systems and this often occurs in people who have a cancer of the blood, chemotherapy patients, those with HIV or AIDs, anyone with serious blood disorders. Even though these diseases are far more likely to affect those with compromised immune systems, they can develop after a person has surgery or any other invasive procedure. It can also be transmitted by contaminated surgical instruments.

Generally the first symptoms of these mycotic diseases are those that are similar to the flu, such as chills, coughing, pain in the muscles and the joints, and fever. Medications that are antifungal can cause some of these symptoms, as well, even though the fungal infection that it is intended to treat cause these exact same symptoms. These drugs can also cause kidney damage and end up affecting the eyes, skin, or liver and a doctor will probably ask for labwork often in order to catch some of these serious side effects before they become out of control.

Some of the diseases that can be caught from a mold are histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, blastomycosis, and aspergillosis. These are serious fungal diseases and should be treated as such.

Aspergillosis is caused by molds in the Aspergillus genus and tends to be found in many places including buildings, plants, food, water, and soil.

Blastomycosis is caused by Blastomyces and is found soils that are rich in nutrients and very moist. It has been known to affect both animals and humans.

Candidiasis is caused from the mold Candida and can cause mouth infections or genital yeast infections, but it is even more serious when it ends up invading the bloodstream. Candida is found in the intestines naturally, however.

Coccidioidomycosis is caused by the mold coccidioides and this is found most often in the dry soil in the southwestern United States, and central and South America. It starts as a flu-like disease, but can infect the lungs and infect the other organs in the body, including the brain.

Cryptococcosis is caused by Cryptococcus and associated the most with Eucalyptus trees and bird droppings. It typically begins in the lungs, but has no symptoms until it spreads to the rest of the body.

Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma and tends to infect the lungs. Like other fungal infections, it includes flu-like symptoms and can spread to the rest of the body.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Mold Remediation and other states such as
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup companies across the united states.