Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Tim's Tips

LAWN, GARDEN UPDATE

Harvesting vegetables: Vege-

tables that are harvested during June include turnips, Irish potatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, squash, pepper, tomatoes and okra. Harvest regularly to maximize yields. Large squash, cucumbers, beans and okra should be removed from plant to insure that the plant continues to produce fruit.

Corn Earworm: One of the most destructive and commonly seen insects in home vegetable gardens in Arkansas is the corn earworm. It is known as the tomato fruitworm when it infects tomatoes.

The adult is a grayish brown moth with a one inch wingspread. The worm itself, which is the damaging stage, may be brown to green to even pink depending on what it is found feeding on. The earworm is about two inches long when fully grown.

The larvae cause damage to the ear of corn and the pods of beans. Foliage damage may also occur to many plants beginning in late June. Host plants are corn, beans, lettuce and tomatoes.

The common vegetable garden insecticide Sevin will usually control the earworm. Sprinkle Sevin dust on the silks every other day during the period when sweet corn is silking, or use mineral oil every 5 days.

Cucurbits: Watch your cucurbit plants, including cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupes for the cucumber beetles. These either spotted or striped insects feed on the plants and transmit a bacterial wilt. It will first appear on the tips of the vines as they begin to wilt back.

If caught early enough you can prune it out. Otherwise, no sprays will control it. If you control your beetle population with Sevin or rotenone, you won't have a problem. Use caution though with insecticides. You don't want to kill the honeybees which you must have for pollination.

Lawn: Lawns are growing nicely. If broadleaf weeds are still a problem you can control them with 2, 4-D herbicides.

If your main problem is the small sticker weed called spurweed, you are about out of luck. The weed itself is dying; the sticker is the seed which will hang around until fall. Either rake it up or fertilize your grass to get it to grow up and around it to buffer the stick.

As summer begins, raise the mowing height on lawn mowers from 2 to 2 1/2 inches for zoysia grass, bermuda grass and St. Augustine lawns. Fescue should be mowed even higher, 2 to 3 inches high. High mowing ensures good root growth which will reduce the turfs susceptibility to drought.

Watering: As drier weather arrives be sure to water once a week when rainfall doesn't occur. An inch of water will suit most plants. Infrequent deep watering will encourage deep rooting. Daily sprinkles cause shallow roots.

BLOSSOM END ROT

Blossom end rot may take the joy out of tomato harvest for many gardeners. Blossom end rot tends to be more of a problem after an extended period of cool weather like we've had recently.

Blossom end rot starts as a water soaked area on the bottom of a tomato. The rotted area gradually grows, taking over more of the tomato, and turns from brown to black. Blossom end rot looks like a disease, but it's actually a physiological disorder, a calcium deficiency.

It's usually caused by fluctuations in moisture. It often occurs when rain follows a very dry period.

The key to preventing blossom end rot is keeping the moisture level even. This can be done by mulching around plants and by making sure that plants receive 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water once a week when it's dry. Drip irrigation, is a good way to ensure an even supply of water.

If you see signs of blossom end rot, spray with calcium chloride. The trade name is Stop-Rot. Follow label directions and spray three times at seven-day intervals.

If Stop-Rot is not available, you can buy calcium chloride from tractor tire dealers. It's used in the tires to add weight and traction.

You can help prevent blossom end rot by making sure the soil pH is in balance before you plant. Tomatoes are susceptible if they are planted in acidic soil. They prefer a pH of 6.5 to 6.7.

The elongated, or pear shaped, tomato varieties are especially susceptible to blossom end rot.