"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"
Online Edition
Wednesday, June 19th, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
- 8:58:04, Jun 18th 2013 - cabraden1 - I salute you Colonel Overland. Your were my c.o. at Rockville Naval Air ... [Read More]
- 7:10:46, Jun 13th 2013 - chipperlee - Seems to be a well written article, except maybe Silica Sand is used in ... [Read More]
- 12:02:15, Jun 9th 2013 - getthefacts - The problem here lies in the fact that girls were repeatedly told "if y ... [Read More]
- 10:45:32, Jun 7th 2013 - Jo mom for 6yrs - Mr. Ehler hit the nail on the head. I agree with the religious con ... [Read More]
- 2:47:58, Jun 7th 2013 - hello - Hello, it's time you wake up. There isn't a community nearby that doesn't offe ... [Read More]
- 9:06:21, Jun 6th 2013 - hello - Hello, it's time you wake up. There isn't a community nearby that doesn't offe ... [Read More]
- 2:05:29, Jun 6th 2013 - Kim Wentworth - The number one rule in a debate: 1) if the person from the opposite si ... [Read More]
- 12:42:18, Jun 4th 2013 - EW - For someone that is always spouting religious rhetoric, you try to come off as a ... [Read More]
- 11:32:18, May 31st 2013 - JO PLAYER - This is unfair to us girls. Morrie Miller is not getting canceled but J ... [Read More]
- 8:25:34, May 29th 2013 - RP - Why is Mr. Ehler involving himself with non-school activities? Is he going after ... [Read More]
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Do you think the use of all fireworks should be legal in the state of Minnesota for all consumers?
Tomato Tips
Comments
Monday, June 12, 2000
Mulch tomatoes now to prevent both early and late leaf blights, septoria leaf spot and blossom end rot. Leaf blight and septoria leaf spot are soil borne fungal diseases spread by soil splashing up from the ground during rain and watering. Mulching will keep spores from contacting leaves. Brown, circular spots on leaf surfaces are seen in early disease stage, so removing infected leaves can also help to reduce the spread of infection. Blossom end rot is a disease characterized by tomatoes having sunken or rotted ends. The cause is usually uneven watering and can easily be prevented by mulching to keep soil constantly moist but not overly wet. If you already mulch tomatoes and still have blemished fruit, the cause may be a calcium deficiency or a high level of salts in the soil. A soil test is the best way to confirm this. It’s never too soon to check your tomato plants for disease problems. If you plan to use a fungicide for control of fungal diseases, remember that fungicides do not cure disease, they only prevent new infections. So if your garden is bothered by leaf blights, or mildews you can avoid using fungicides by practicing good cultural methods like mulching and spacing plantings far enough apart so that you allow for good air circulation. This will be very important this year if we continue to have more rain (enough for now thank you) so mulch to hold in the moisture we have in case it dries up and stays dry.
Potato Bugs
If you have them, you’ll know it. These pests can be really troublesome to the home gardener, eating your potato plants down to nothing in a few weeks. They will be emerging soon, so be on the lookout for small thumbnail sized yellow-brown soft-bodied bugs feasting on your potato leaves. Unfortunately, the best control is by hand picking and squashing or drowning in soapy water, (a good job for bored out-of-school children). Later on they will lay eggs on the underside of the leaves. These are tiny orange egg clusters, which can also be hand removed. The beetles over-winter in the soil, so if you’ve had them before, it’s likely you’ll have them again. So it’s a good idea to plant potatoes as far away from last year’s plants as possible.
If there is a gardening topic you would like to see covered in this column, please feel free to contact the Extension office at 507-765-3896.
Mulch tomatoes now to prevent both early and late leaf blights, septoria leaf spot and blossom end rot. Leaf blight and septoria leaf spot are soil borne fungal diseases spread by soil splashing up from the ground during rain and watering. Mulching will keep spores from contacting leaves. Brown, circular spots on leaf surfaces are seen in early disease stage, so removing infected leaves can also help to reduce the spread of infection. Blossom end rot is a disease characterized by tomatoes having sunken or rotted ends. The cause is usually uneven watering and can easily be prevented by mulching to keep soil constantly moist but not overly wet. If you already mulch tomatoes and still have blemished fruit, the cause may be a calcium deficiency or a high level of salts in the soil. A soil test is the best way to confirm this. It’s never too soon to check your tomato plants for disease problems. If you plan to use a fungicide for control of fungal diseases, remember that fungicides do not cure disease, they only prevent new infections. So if your garden is bothered by leaf blights, or mildews you can avoid using fungicides by practicing good cultural methods like mulching and spacing plantings far enough apart so that you allow for good air circulation. This will be very important this year if we continue to have more rain (enough for now thank you) so mulch to hold in the moisture we have in case it dries up and stays dry.
Potato Bugs
If you have them, you’ll know it. These pests can be really troublesome to the home gardener, eating your potato plants down to nothing in a few weeks. They will be emerging soon, so be on the lookout for small thumbnail sized yellow-brown soft-bodied bugs feasting on your potato leaves. Unfortunately, the best control is by hand picking and squashing or drowning in soapy water, (a good job for bored out-of-school children). Later on they will lay eggs on the underside of the leaves. These are tiny orange egg clusters, which can also be hand removed. The beetles over-winter in the soil, so if you’ve had them before, it’s likely you’ll have them again. So it’s a good idea to plant potatoes as far away from last year’s plants as possible.
If there is a gardening topic you would like to see covered in this column, please feel free to contact the Extension office at 507-765-3896.
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