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Tomatoes are affected in great numbers with a disorder called Blossom End Rot. This affliction is not a fungus, disease or insect, but rather a physiological disorder. As the name suggests, the end or bottom of the fruit forms a depression, then turns darker in colour and rapidly rots and becomes useless. By the time the fruit begins to rot, the problem has entered the centre of the flesh, and cutting out the affected area is futile. Blossom End Rot is caused by a shortage of calcium reaching the end of the fruit. But adding calcium to the soil or plants won’t help, because more than enough calcium exists for tomatoes. The problem is that tomatoes need an adequate supply of moisture to carry the calcium throughout the fruit. The solution to Blossom End Rot is regular moisture supply. Tomatoes need about an inch of water a week, so irrigation is necessary, especially in a year such as this one where we’ve only received one rain during the last 6 to 8 weeks. Tomatoes don’t mind drying out between watering, as long as the drought is not long lived. Another practical solution for Blossom End Rot is adding a layer of mulch at the base of the tomato bush at planting time. The mulch will go a long ways towards reducing excessive moisture fluctuation. Other plants that are affected by Blossom End Rot are peppers and eggplant. Symptoms on peppers appear as blisters or swollen areas on the side of the fruit. The affected fruit does not necessarily turn black or brown, but may turn yellowish. Dwarf Alberta Spruce is under attack this year because of a tiny insect known as Spider Mite. Spider Mite is a common pest attacking primarily juniper and spruce, but can also feed off Cedars, Fir, Hemlock and Pine. The life cycle of Spider Mite is interesting. Eggs are laid in the fall on the host plant. Eggs hatch in spring as soon as growth begins, and the insect enters the nymph stage. Almost immediately the larva transforms into a tiny spider that resembles an adult, but only has 3 sets of legs. The spider sheds its skin 3 times before becoming an adult. A generation from egg to adult lasts 15 to 20 days. There are 7 to 10 generations per year. Spider Mites damage the host plant by sucking the juice out of the plant’s needles. At first, damage is minimal, and the plant looks slightly pale. In time, needles in sections of the plant turn brownish and may fall off. Unfortunately, by the time symptoms are noticeable, the plant is usually heavily infested. Do a paper test to ensure the problem is identified correctly. Use a small piece of paper about the size of an envelope and place the paper underneath a partially affected branch. Give the branch above a few taps and spider mites will appear as small grains of pepper. It is only after the mites crawl that you realize the specks are alive. To control spider mites, apply an insecticide such as malathion or diazinon. You can get a head start on eradicating the mites by blasting the plant with a water hose. In last week’s Garden Clippings I made an error by improperly identifying a yellow weed as Black Medic. Two discriminating weed experts straightened me out by correctly identifying the weed as Birdsfoot Trefoil. |
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