However, even when plants are grown under optimum conditions, there is no guarantee that they will not become affected by some type of insect or disease. All plants can become prone to damage from insects and/or diseases when undesirable circumstances occur, such as drought or other stress related conditions. The proper placement and maintenance of the plant, as well as, cultural conditions and even climatic variations have a lot to do with a plants susceptibility and its resistance to insects and disease. Insect and disease problems are not only seasonal, but regional as well, plants may succumb to a variety of insects and diseases in one area but not another. For instance, a plant may grow quite well in the Northwest or even the Northeast with few insect or disease problems, but when grown in a Midwestern climate of heat and high humidity it may become predisposed to all sort of problems. You can check with nurseries and growers in your particular region to learn which species do best in your area, which problems are prevalent and at what time of the year to look for problems.

If you know a certain plant is susceptible to a particular insect or disease, keep an eye on it, take preventative measures before a problem occurs and if a problem does occur, treat it before it escalates.