文章
Miss Chen
2017年11月09日
Tomatoes are the most commonly grown vegetable in home gardens in America, according to the University of Illinois. Because tomatoes are naturally acidic, vinegar can be used as a natural fungicide as well as a fertilizer on these tasty and nutritious plants.
Function
Vinegar is a natural substance that has a wide variety of uses. It is acidic, but not toxic, which means it is safe to consume. For that reason, it can be used on edible as well as non-edible plants without harming them, as long as it is used in moderation and diluted with water.
Fungicide
Tomatoes are prone to fungal diseases, especially during periods of wet spring weather. A combination of apple cider vinegar and water can prevent and treat leaf spots fungi, mildews and scab diseases. Combine 3 tbsp. of cider vinegar with 1 gallon of water. Put the solution into a spray bottle and spray your tomato plants every morning.
Fertilizer
Fertilize your tomatoes with a mixture of water, ammonia and vinegar. Combine 1 cup ammonia with 2 cups of white distilled vinegar, then add it to 5 gallons of water. Use a watering can to sprinkle this mixture over your tomato plants and the surrounding soil. Do this about once every two weeks in the spring. This will encourage fruiting.
Function
Vinegar is a natural substance that has a wide variety of uses. It is acidic, but not toxic, which means it is safe to consume. For that reason, it can be used on edible as well as non-edible plants without harming them, as long as it is used in moderation and diluted with water.
Fungicide
Tomatoes are prone to fungal diseases, especially during periods of wet spring weather. A combination of apple cider vinegar and water can prevent and treat leaf spots fungi, mildews and scab diseases. Combine 3 tbsp. of cider vinegar with 1 gallon of water. Put the solution into a spray bottle and spray your tomato plants every morning.
Fertilizer
Fertilize your tomatoes with a mixture of water, ammonia and vinegar. Combine 1 cup ammonia with 2 cups of white distilled vinegar, then add it to 5 gallons of water. Use a watering can to sprinkle this mixture over your tomato plants and the surrounding soil. Do this about once every two weeks in the spring. This will encourage fruiting.
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文章
Miss Chen
2017年10月27日
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are grown as annuals in most American vegetable gardens for eating and cooking. While they are relatively hardy and easy to grow, they are susceptible to four varieties of blight. A number of treatments can destroy and prevent blight. Prior to treatment, fruit showing signs of blight infection should not be eaten or used for canning.
Types of Blight
There are four types of blight that attack tomatoes:
Early blight is cause by a fungus called Alternaria solani. It causes brown wounds on foliage, stems and fruit. The wounds grow and can damage an entire tomato fruit. Wounds frequently develop into a bulls-eye type spot. Tomatoes eventually drop from the stems. The fungus lives in debris and soil under the plants and benefits from moist conditions.
Late blight develops within 14 days of a tomato plant contracting the fungus Phytophthora infestnas. Symptoms include browning and shriveling leaves and stems. In addition, dark, water-soaked lesions appear on leaves that develop into spots with white mold edges. Fruits have dark lesions that can grow across broad areas. This fungus spreads through rain and wind. Late blight flourishes in cool, wet conditions.
Septoria leaf spot, caused by the fungus Septoria lycopersici, attacks lower leaves once fruit begins to set. Look for small black specks surrounded by light-colored circles with dark borders. These tiny specks produce more fungal spores. Severe infections can result in plants losing all leaves. Septoria leaf spot impairs production, resulting in smaller, inferior fruits. The fungus overwinters on previous crops and old vegetation.
Southern blight is caused by the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii. This fungus rots stems near the soil line and wilts leaves. The brown rot is comprised of lesions that often have a white fungal covering. Southern blight can damage fruits that touch the soil. The fungus can live in soil and plant debris for years. It prefers moist, hot conditions.
Homemade Fungicide and Myths
If you prefer to make your own fungicide, mix 2 tablespoons each of cooking oil, baby shampoo and baking soda in 1 gallon of water. Spray mixture on both sides of leaves until dripping. Reapply every five to seven days until fungus is gone. Water plants the day before applying this mixture.
While you made have heard the rumor that a copper wire inserted into a tomato stem prevents blight, experts at the National Gardening Association have found no truth to the rumor.
Home remedy rumors related to curing blight with bleach are also unfounded. Blight is a fungus that requires a fungicide. Bleach primarily kills bacteria. Bleach damages gardening tools, plant tissues, plant seeds and clothing. It can also cause human health issues.
Some gardeners apply cornmeal to the soil or create a cornmeal spray to prevent blight. Cornmeal is often used in scientific and university labs to grow fungi, so it certainly is not a fungicide. Cornmeal cannot cure or prevent blight.
Commercial Products
Treat blight infections by dusting plants with a commercially available copper fungicide. Using a pressure duster, apply a thin layer of fungicide powder on the plant, dusting the tops and bottoms of leaves. Reapply every three to 10 days if necessary until symptoms are gone, and blight is cured.
Gardeners can treat tomato plants with fungicide up until the day before harvesting fruit. Keep children and pets away when dusting plants until the dust has completely settled.
Repairing Soil and Prevention
A number of measures will prevent blight:
Water plants from beneath to keep foliage dry
Space plants so they do not touch
Use only disease-free plants and seeds
Mulch under plants
Practice crop rotation by waiting three years to plant tomatoes in the same area
Remove plants and underlying debris after the final harvest
Choose blight-resistant cultivars
Remove any nearby potato plants and weeds
Avoid composting potatoes that are rotten or purchased at a store
Prevent southern blight by placing a barrier of aluminum foil around the lower 2 inches of plant stems. Bury the bottoms of the foil sleeves into the soil 1 to 2 inches. This will block the fungus from infecting the plants.
Repair and cure blight-infected soil by deeply turning the top 10 inches of ground over. This practice buries the tiny seeds of the fungus, which can live in the topsoil for years.
Types of Blight
There are four types of blight that attack tomatoes:
Early blight is cause by a fungus called Alternaria solani. It causes brown wounds on foliage, stems and fruit. The wounds grow and can damage an entire tomato fruit. Wounds frequently develop into a bulls-eye type spot. Tomatoes eventually drop from the stems. The fungus lives in debris and soil under the plants and benefits from moist conditions.
Late blight develops within 14 days of a tomato plant contracting the fungus Phytophthora infestnas. Symptoms include browning and shriveling leaves and stems. In addition, dark, water-soaked lesions appear on leaves that develop into spots with white mold edges. Fruits have dark lesions that can grow across broad areas. This fungus spreads through rain and wind. Late blight flourishes in cool, wet conditions.
Septoria leaf spot, caused by the fungus Septoria lycopersici, attacks lower leaves once fruit begins to set. Look for small black specks surrounded by light-colored circles with dark borders. These tiny specks produce more fungal spores. Severe infections can result in plants losing all leaves. Septoria leaf spot impairs production, resulting in smaller, inferior fruits. The fungus overwinters on previous crops and old vegetation.
Southern blight is caused by the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii. This fungus rots stems near the soil line and wilts leaves. The brown rot is comprised of lesions that often have a white fungal covering. Southern blight can damage fruits that touch the soil. The fungus can live in soil and plant debris for years. It prefers moist, hot conditions.
Homemade Fungicide and Myths
If you prefer to make your own fungicide, mix 2 tablespoons each of cooking oil, baby shampoo and baking soda in 1 gallon of water. Spray mixture on both sides of leaves until dripping. Reapply every five to seven days until fungus is gone. Water plants the day before applying this mixture.
While you made have heard the rumor that a copper wire inserted into a tomato stem prevents blight, experts at the National Gardening Association have found no truth to the rumor.
Home remedy rumors related to curing blight with bleach are also unfounded. Blight is a fungus that requires a fungicide. Bleach primarily kills bacteria. Bleach damages gardening tools, plant tissues, plant seeds and clothing. It can also cause human health issues.
Some gardeners apply cornmeal to the soil or create a cornmeal spray to prevent blight. Cornmeal is often used in scientific and university labs to grow fungi, so it certainly is not a fungicide. Cornmeal cannot cure or prevent blight.
Commercial Products
Treat blight infections by dusting plants with a commercially available copper fungicide. Using a pressure duster, apply a thin layer of fungicide powder on the plant, dusting the tops and bottoms of leaves. Reapply every three to 10 days if necessary until symptoms are gone, and blight is cured.
Gardeners can treat tomato plants with fungicide up until the day before harvesting fruit. Keep children and pets away when dusting plants until the dust has completely settled.
Repairing Soil and Prevention
A number of measures will prevent blight:
Water plants from beneath to keep foliage dry
Space plants so they do not touch
Use only disease-free plants and seeds
Mulch under plants
Practice crop rotation by waiting three years to plant tomatoes in the same area
Remove plants and underlying debris after the final harvest
Choose blight-resistant cultivars
Remove any nearby potato plants and weeds
Avoid composting potatoes that are rotten or purchased at a store
Prevent southern blight by placing a barrier of aluminum foil around the lower 2 inches of plant stems. Bury the bottoms of the foil sleeves into the soil 1 to 2 inches. This will block the fungus from infecting the plants.
Repair and cure blight-infected soil by deeply turning the top 10 inches of ground over. This practice buries the tiny seeds of the fungus, which can live in the topsoil for years.
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文章
Miss Chen
2017年10月25日
A strawberry is a vegetable in the strictest scientific sense because the red berries form from a modified receptacle on the strawberry plant's flower instead of from the ovary of the flower. The seeds dotting the berries' exterior are actually the fruit of the flower -- the ripened ovaries. Strawberries are technically false fruits, and many factors contribute to the size, structure and flavor of these false fruits.
Cultivars
The species or cultivar grown determines the size of the berry the plant produces. Three types of strawberries exist. Junebearers produce fruit in June from the flower buds that bloomed the previous fall. Dayneutral strawberry plants continuously bloom and set fruit throughout the summer and fall. Everbearing strawberries produce fruit in the summer and again in the fall. Within each of these categories are cultivars with different fruit characteristics, including the berry size. Veestar, Cornwallis, Sparkle, Tribute and Tristar are cultivars with smaller-than-average berries.
Age
The strawberry plant's age can reduce the size of the berries the plant produces. During the first year of growth, pinch and remove the blooms of Junebearing strawberry plants to prevent berry production. This allows the plant to divert the energy from fruit production to root production in the first year, which makes the plant more stable and results in larger berries the following year. After 3 to 4 years, the berries produced on most strawberry plants will decrease in both size and number, requiring rejuvenation or rotation of the crop.
Nutrients
When a lack of nutrients including water, sunlight or fertilizer stresses a plant during blooming or fruit development, the berries' size is negatively affected. A plant requires sufficient energy to bloom and grow fruit. When the plant does not receive the nutrients, the available energy the plant has is diverted to the processes necessary for survival. Flower blooms and fruit production are reproductive process, not a survival process. A late frost in the spring can damage flowers, interrupting or halting fruit development.
Disease
Strawberries are susceptible to a variety of fungal, viral and bacterial diseases, as well as pest infestations. Diseases include verticillium wilt, red stele, mildew, leaf spot and botrytis fruit rot. Insects attracted to strawberry plants include root weevils, aphids, spittlebugs, slugs, birds and spider mites. Depending on the type of infection of infestation, a variety of treatments are available including fungicides, insecticides, bactericides and traps. Most viral infections have no effective treatments and require destruction of the plant.
Cultivars
The species or cultivar grown determines the size of the berry the plant produces. Three types of strawberries exist. Junebearers produce fruit in June from the flower buds that bloomed the previous fall. Dayneutral strawberry plants continuously bloom and set fruit throughout the summer and fall. Everbearing strawberries produce fruit in the summer and again in the fall. Within each of these categories are cultivars with different fruit characteristics, including the berry size. Veestar, Cornwallis, Sparkle, Tribute and Tristar are cultivars with smaller-than-average berries.
Age
The strawberry plant's age can reduce the size of the berries the plant produces. During the first year of growth, pinch and remove the blooms of Junebearing strawberry plants to prevent berry production. This allows the plant to divert the energy from fruit production to root production in the first year, which makes the plant more stable and results in larger berries the following year. After 3 to 4 years, the berries produced on most strawberry plants will decrease in both size and number, requiring rejuvenation or rotation of the crop.
Nutrients
When a lack of nutrients including water, sunlight or fertilizer stresses a plant during blooming or fruit development, the berries' size is negatively affected. A plant requires sufficient energy to bloom and grow fruit. When the plant does not receive the nutrients, the available energy the plant has is diverted to the processes necessary for survival. Flower blooms and fruit production are reproductive process, not a survival process. A late frost in the spring can damage flowers, interrupting or halting fruit development.
Disease
Strawberries are susceptible to a variety of fungal, viral and bacterial diseases, as well as pest infestations. Diseases include verticillium wilt, red stele, mildew, leaf spot and botrytis fruit rot. Insects attracted to strawberry plants include root weevils, aphids, spittlebugs, slugs, birds and spider mites. Depending on the type of infection of infestation, a variety of treatments are available including fungicides, insecticides, bactericides and traps. Most viral infections have no effective treatments and require destruction of the plant.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月28日
Borage (Borago) is a freely seeding, easy growing annual plant with vivid blue flowers and leaves with the flavor of cucumbers. It is consider an herb, but is often grown as a flower in vegetable gardens where it attracts pollinating bees and is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby.
Borage can bloom from late spring through summer. Staggering your planting times will give you a longer period of bloom and provide a longer harvest time.
Borage is actually a somewhat gangly plant, but you barely notice it because the star-shaped flowers are so vibrant. They’re a true blue, hanging in downward facing clusters. Even the fuzzy white buds are attractive. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, with a cucumber-like flavor. Use the leaves while they are young, because as the plant matures, the stalks and leaves become covered with a prickly fuzz.
Design Suggestions
Borage is often grown in the vegetable or herb garden because it is such a bee magnet and because it is considered a good growing companion for other plants. However, it is equally beautiful in a cottage style flower garden, where it has room to self-seed. Harvesting or deadheading will keep it in bloom longer.
Growing Tips
Borage grows best if direct seeded. Barely cover the seeds with soil and keep well watered. They are tolerant of any type soil, even poor dry soil. However a sunny location with rich, well draining soil is optimal.
If you choose to start seedlings, transplant before they become pot bound. Plan to start seedlings about 3-4 weeks before the last expected frost and don’t transplant outdoors until the soil has warmed. Once seedling are about 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) tall, thin to approximately 12 inches (40 cm) apart.
Maintenance: Plants in poor soil will benefit from periodic feeding with any fertilizer labeled for use on edible plants. Something with a high phosphorous number (the middle number on a fertilizer package) will help keep them in flower. Plants can be pinched or pruned, to encourage branching and to keep them shorter.
Harvesting: Harvest leaves and flowers as needed. Older leaves will get prickly, making harvesting anything on the plant a bit unpleasant. However, the flowers do add a bit of flavor and a great deal of color to salads, soups, dips & spreads, open face sandwiches, beverages and ice cubes. As with all edible flowers, use sparingly until you know how they effect you. Borage is said to have a mild laxative effect.
Borage is open pollinated and it is very easy to collect and save the seed from flowers allowed to remain on the plant and turn brown. Borage self-seeds readily, if allowed to go to seed naturally. Excess plants are fairly easy to remove from the garden.
Borage can bloom from late spring through summer. Staggering your planting times will give you a longer period of bloom and provide a longer harvest time.
Borage is actually a somewhat gangly plant, but you barely notice it because the star-shaped flowers are so vibrant. They’re a true blue, hanging in downward facing clusters. Even the fuzzy white buds are attractive. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, with a cucumber-like flavor. Use the leaves while they are young, because as the plant matures, the stalks and leaves become covered with a prickly fuzz.
Design Suggestions
Borage is often grown in the vegetable or herb garden because it is such a bee magnet and because it is considered a good growing companion for other plants. However, it is equally beautiful in a cottage style flower garden, where it has room to self-seed. Harvesting or deadheading will keep it in bloom longer.
Growing Tips
Borage grows best if direct seeded. Barely cover the seeds with soil and keep well watered. They are tolerant of any type soil, even poor dry soil. However a sunny location with rich, well draining soil is optimal.
If you choose to start seedlings, transplant before they become pot bound. Plan to start seedlings about 3-4 weeks before the last expected frost and don’t transplant outdoors until the soil has warmed. Once seedling are about 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) tall, thin to approximately 12 inches (40 cm) apart.
Maintenance: Plants in poor soil will benefit from periodic feeding with any fertilizer labeled for use on edible plants. Something with a high phosphorous number (the middle number on a fertilizer package) will help keep them in flower. Plants can be pinched or pruned, to encourage branching and to keep them shorter.
Harvesting: Harvest leaves and flowers as needed. Older leaves will get prickly, making harvesting anything on the plant a bit unpleasant. However, the flowers do add a bit of flavor and a great deal of color to salads, soups, dips & spreads, open face sandwiches, beverages and ice cubes. As with all edible flowers, use sparingly until you know how they effect you. Borage is said to have a mild laxative effect.
Borage is open pollinated and it is very easy to collect and save the seed from flowers allowed to remain on the plant and turn brown. Borage self-seeds readily, if allowed to go to seed naturally. Excess plants are fairly easy to remove from the garden.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月24日
ONIONS, shallots and garlic are members of the allium family that belong in the vegetable garden. But there are many ornamental alliums that deserve a hearty welcome in your perennial gardens.
Alliums are plants of exquisite beauty in both flower and leaf, with tough constitutions. These easy-to-grow bulbs come in a broad palette of colors, heights, bloom times and flower forms. They make excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried bouquets. Even crowded gardens can accommodate a few alliums because they don't take up much space. What's more, alliums are relatively resistant to deer, voles, chipmunks, and rabbits
Ordinary Onions They're Not
There are more than 700 different types of alliums in the world. It wasn't until the late 1800s that this vast group of plants started to intrigue plant lovers. Russian botanists began collecting some of the spectacular alliums from Central Asia and introducing them to avid horticulturists through the Imperial Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg. Of course, it didn't take long for the consummate plant hunters, the British, to get wind of this "new" family of garden-worthy plants. Their expeditions yielded many more interesting alliums varieties.
Hardy, Easy-Care, Deer- and Rodent-Resistant
Ornamental alliums are hardy to zone 4 and they have very undemanding cultural requirements. They will grow in most any soil, as long as it is well-drained. Alliums adore sunlight and will perform best when they can bask in it all day long. Since most of them multiply naturally, they can be left untouched in the same area for years.
Alliums are drought-tolerant plants that actually prefer to be grown on the dry side. There are no serious diseases or insect pests that bother them. And you won't ever have to worry about rodents or deer, since they seem to have no appreciation for the taste of onions — ornamental or otherwise.
Just remember, there's only one time of year you can plant alliums: in the fall. Daffodils, tulips and crocuses are easy to find at most garden centers, but alliums are not as readily available. To make sure you have the bulbs in hand when it's time to plant, the best thing to do is order them by mail. That way, they'll show up at your door at proper planting time, and there's no chance you'll have to live another year without these beautiful, long-lasting, bee-friendly flowers in your garden. Some ornamental alliums grow more like chives and what you plant is a clump of roots rather than bulbs. This type of allium is usually sold as a potted plant, and may be more available in spring than fall.
Favorite Alliums
There are dozens of varieties in cultivation; here are some of the best.
Purple Sensation: the 2″ to 4″ diameter purple globes bloom in early June, right after the late tulips. Purple Sensation's sturdy stems rise 24″ to 30″ high, so the flowers appear to float above the foliage of newly emerging perennials./p>
Globemaster and Gladiator: The tallest and most architectural alliums have huge, globe-shaped flowerheads on 3- to 4-foot stems. Bloom time is early to mid-June. A group of deep-purple Globemaster or Gladiator alliums is a real eye-catcher, especially when planted with white or pink peonies, delphiniums or tall bearded iris. The white-flowering Mount Everest is a bit shorter and looks sharp in front of shrubs with deep-green or burgundy foliage or rising out of a groundcover of periwinkle (Vinca minor).
Corkscrew allium: Drought-tolerant corkscrew allium (Allium senescens ssp. montanum var. glaucum) makes a good edging plant in the dry soil at the top of my stone retaining wall. Its blue-green leaves twist like loose corkscrews. Bloom time is late summer.
Ozawa allium (Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa'): A tidy, clump-forming plant that grows 18″ to 20″ high. Among the last of the perennials to bloom, its flowers often don't open until late September or October. Bees love it. Another late-bloomer that flowers in autumn. Its pink flowers pair well with coreopsis, gaillardia, solidago and other fall flowers.
Schubert allium (Allium schubertii): Quite dramatic, though only 8″ tall . Its foot-wide umbels look like an exploding pink fireworks display. Sure to elicit comments from garden visitors. Seed heads add interest for a month or more after blooms fade.
Alliums are plants of exquisite beauty in both flower and leaf, with tough constitutions. These easy-to-grow bulbs come in a broad palette of colors, heights, bloom times and flower forms. They make excellent cut flowers for fresh or dried bouquets. Even crowded gardens can accommodate a few alliums because they don't take up much space. What's more, alliums are relatively resistant to deer, voles, chipmunks, and rabbits
Ordinary Onions They're Not
There are more than 700 different types of alliums in the world. It wasn't until the late 1800s that this vast group of plants started to intrigue plant lovers. Russian botanists began collecting some of the spectacular alliums from Central Asia and introducing them to avid horticulturists through the Imperial Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg. Of course, it didn't take long for the consummate plant hunters, the British, to get wind of this "new" family of garden-worthy plants. Their expeditions yielded many more interesting alliums varieties.
Hardy, Easy-Care, Deer- and Rodent-Resistant
Ornamental alliums are hardy to zone 4 and they have very undemanding cultural requirements. They will grow in most any soil, as long as it is well-drained. Alliums adore sunlight and will perform best when they can bask in it all day long. Since most of them multiply naturally, they can be left untouched in the same area for years.
Alliums are drought-tolerant plants that actually prefer to be grown on the dry side. There are no serious diseases or insect pests that bother them. And you won't ever have to worry about rodents or deer, since they seem to have no appreciation for the taste of onions — ornamental or otherwise.
Just remember, there's only one time of year you can plant alliums: in the fall. Daffodils, tulips and crocuses are easy to find at most garden centers, but alliums are not as readily available. To make sure you have the bulbs in hand when it's time to plant, the best thing to do is order them by mail. That way, they'll show up at your door at proper planting time, and there's no chance you'll have to live another year without these beautiful, long-lasting, bee-friendly flowers in your garden. Some ornamental alliums grow more like chives and what you plant is a clump of roots rather than bulbs. This type of allium is usually sold as a potted plant, and may be more available in spring than fall.
Favorite Alliums
There are dozens of varieties in cultivation; here are some of the best.
Purple Sensation: the 2″ to 4″ diameter purple globes bloom in early June, right after the late tulips. Purple Sensation's sturdy stems rise 24″ to 30″ high, so the flowers appear to float above the foliage of newly emerging perennials./p>
Globemaster and Gladiator: The tallest and most architectural alliums have huge, globe-shaped flowerheads on 3- to 4-foot stems. Bloom time is early to mid-June. A group of deep-purple Globemaster or Gladiator alliums is a real eye-catcher, especially when planted with white or pink peonies, delphiniums or tall bearded iris. The white-flowering Mount Everest is a bit shorter and looks sharp in front of shrubs with deep-green or burgundy foliage or rising out of a groundcover of periwinkle (Vinca minor).
Corkscrew allium: Drought-tolerant corkscrew allium (Allium senescens ssp. montanum var. glaucum) makes a good edging plant in the dry soil at the top of my stone retaining wall. Its blue-green leaves twist like loose corkscrews. Bloom time is late summer.
Ozawa allium (Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa'): A tidy, clump-forming plant that grows 18″ to 20″ high. Among the last of the perennials to bloom, its flowers often don't open until late September or October. Bees love it. Another late-bloomer that flowers in autumn. Its pink flowers pair well with coreopsis, gaillardia, solidago and other fall flowers.
Schubert allium (Allium schubertii): Quite dramatic, though only 8″ tall . Its foot-wide umbels look like an exploding pink fireworks display. Sure to elicit comments from garden visitors. Seed heads add interest for a month or more after blooms fade.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月19日
The bean leaf beetle, Ceratoma trifucata, is one of the most serious pests of commercial soybeans. It is an occasional pest of snap beans, soybeans and other similar crops in the home vegetable garden.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Adult bean leaf beetles prefer tender young plant tissue and they can cause significant damage by defoliating and killing young plants. Older plants will be less vigorous and have decreased yields. Feeding damage to leaves appears as approximately 1/8 inch diameter round holes between major veins. (Grasshoppers or caterpillars cause larger irregular holes or jagged leaf margins; flea beetles cause smaller holes.) There may also be chewing damage on the pods. While this damage may cause complete pod loss or spread disease in commercial soybeans, it is generally just cosmetic in home gardens. Although the damage caused by the larvae is less severe, they feed on bean roots, especially the root nodules, decreasing the plant’s ability to fix nitrogen.
Life Cycle
Bean leaf beetle adults are about ¼ inch long and are commonly greenish yellow to tan with 4 black spots. However, they may also be red, orange, or gray with spots, stripes, both or none. They are distinguished from other beetles by the presence of a black triangle at the top of their wing covers. The beetles overwinter as adults in leaf litter and become active in spring when the temperatures reach 50 to 55 degrees F. The females lay 130 to 200 reddish oval eggs in the upper 5 inches of the soil at the base of plant stems. The larvae, which are white with a black head, emerge in 5-7 days and feed on underground plant parts for 3 to 6 weeks. After a pupal stage of about one week, the adults emerge and begin to eat, mate and lay eggs. In Missouri, a second generation matures in September and these adults will move to overwintering sites in October.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
1. Practice good garden sanitation by removing leaf litter and controlling weeds, especially those in the legume family.
2. Plant beans later in spring to avoid adults as they emerge from their overwintering sites.
3. Handpick adults and drop them into a container of soapy water if the bean leaf beetle population is small. Since the beetles tend to tumble off the leaves when disturbed, it may help to hold the container under the plants.
4. Spray with an insecticide. Pesticides such as permethrin is an option. Be sure to use an insecticide that is registered for bean leaf beetles on your crop and follow the directions carefully.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Adult bean leaf beetles prefer tender young plant tissue and they can cause significant damage by defoliating and killing young plants. Older plants will be less vigorous and have decreased yields. Feeding damage to leaves appears as approximately 1/8 inch diameter round holes between major veins. (Grasshoppers or caterpillars cause larger irregular holes or jagged leaf margins; flea beetles cause smaller holes.) There may also be chewing damage on the pods. While this damage may cause complete pod loss or spread disease in commercial soybeans, it is generally just cosmetic in home gardens. Although the damage caused by the larvae is less severe, they feed on bean roots, especially the root nodules, decreasing the plant’s ability to fix nitrogen.
Life Cycle
Bean leaf beetle adults are about ¼ inch long and are commonly greenish yellow to tan with 4 black spots. However, they may also be red, orange, or gray with spots, stripes, both or none. They are distinguished from other beetles by the presence of a black triangle at the top of their wing covers. The beetles overwinter as adults in leaf litter and become active in spring when the temperatures reach 50 to 55 degrees F. The females lay 130 to 200 reddish oval eggs in the upper 5 inches of the soil at the base of plant stems. The larvae, which are white with a black head, emerge in 5-7 days and feed on underground plant parts for 3 to 6 weeks. After a pupal stage of about one week, the adults emerge and begin to eat, mate and lay eggs. In Missouri, a second generation matures in September and these adults will move to overwintering sites in October.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
1. Practice good garden sanitation by removing leaf litter and controlling weeds, especially those in the legume family.
2. Plant beans later in spring to avoid adults as they emerge from their overwintering sites.
3. Handpick adults and drop them into a container of soapy water if the bean leaf beetle population is small. Since the beetles tend to tumble off the leaves when disturbed, it may help to hold the container under the plants.
4. Spray with an insecticide. Pesticides such as permethrin is an option. Be sure to use an insecticide that is registered for bean leaf beetles on your crop and follow the directions carefully.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月15日
Narrow brown, white or opaque snaking trails in leaves often with round blistered patches. There may be clusters of white dots on leaves where the adults have been feeding.
Plants affected
A wide range of vegetable crops growing indoors or outdoors, especially tomatoes and peppers.
About Leaf miner flies
There are many species of leaf miner flies in the UK.
Adults are usually small, dark-coloured flies around 5mm long.
Some of the more destructive species have a characteristic yellow spot on their backs, and others have dark-patterned wings.
Eggs are laid on or into the upper or lower surfaces of leaves and hatch about a week later.
Larvae are grubs about 1cm long, usually white in colour, and feed on the tissue between the leaf surfaces. This creates the distinctive mined trails across the leaf surface.
As larvae grow the mined trails become wider.
Larvae feed for two to three weeks before pupating.
Pupation sites vary with species, either within or on leaves, or in the soil.
Some species over-winter as pupae whereas others feed continuously until spring.
There may be one or many generations per year depending on the species.
Treatment
Chemical
Products containing the following chemical ingredients are all effective on Leaf miner flies
Methiocarb
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
Regularly inspect plants all year round.
Remove and destroy infested leaves.
Crush larvae at the end of tunnels in leaves by hand.
In greenhouses, release the parasitic wasps Dacnusa sibirica and Diglyphus isaea.
Prevention
Remove any heavily infested plants.
Hang yellow sticky traps to monitor the fist sign of the flies.
Encourage insectivorous birds by hanging bird boxes and feeders.
Keep weeds under control, particularly groundsel and sowthistle as these are wild hosts.
Plants affected
A wide range of vegetable crops growing indoors or outdoors, especially tomatoes and peppers.
About Leaf miner flies
There are many species of leaf miner flies in the UK.
Adults are usually small, dark-coloured flies around 5mm long.
Some of the more destructive species have a characteristic yellow spot on their backs, and others have dark-patterned wings.
Eggs are laid on or into the upper or lower surfaces of leaves and hatch about a week later.
Larvae are grubs about 1cm long, usually white in colour, and feed on the tissue between the leaf surfaces. This creates the distinctive mined trails across the leaf surface.
As larvae grow the mined trails become wider.
Larvae feed for two to three weeks before pupating.
Pupation sites vary with species, either within or on leaves, or in the soil.
Some species over-winter as pupae whereas others feed continuously until spring.
There may be one or many generations per year depending on the species.
Treatment
Chemical
Products containing the following chemical ingredients are all effective on Leaf miner flies
Methiocarb
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
Regularly inspect plants all year round.
Remove and destroy infested leaves.
Crush larvae at the end of tunnels in leaves by hand.
In greenhouses, release the parasitic wasps Dacnusa sibirica and Diglyphus isaea.
Prevention
Remove any heavily infested plants.
Hang yellow sticky traps to monitor the fist sign of the flies.
Encourage insectivorous birds by hanging bird boxes and feeders.
Keep weeds under control, particularly groundsel and sowthistle as these are wild hosts.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月15日
Clusters of eggs on leaves, small caterpillars feeding inside pea pods, or evidence of the caterpillars entrances into the peapods to feed.
Plants affected
Primarily vegetable peas, but also sweet peas, tares, vetches, clover and sometimes cabbage.
About Pea moth
Adult pea moths are plain grey/ brown in colour with small pale yellow markings on their sides. They are tent-shaped, have a 15mm wingspan and long antennae.
Females usually lay their eggs on leaves or flowers during May/ June.
Eggs are small and flat and are usually laid in groups over a period of 2-3 weeks.
Larvae are small yellow/ white, dark headed caterpillars up to 6mm long, and emerge after about 3 weeks.
Caterpillars wander the host plant for a day before entering a developing seed pod in which they feed for up to a month.
Caterpillars emerge from the pods by eating their way out and over-winter in the soil as pupae in silken cocoons.
Pea moth larvae are most destructive during July/ August time.
There is usually only one generation per year.
Treatment
Chemical
There are currently no chemical controls commercially available for the home garden to control pea moths.
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
In small outbreaks remove affected Pods by hand and burn.
Try to sow peas before or after pea moths have become active and are breeding.
Remove any other plants or weeds nearby that are host plants for pea moths.
Preventing further problems
Plant peas within netting or under fleece to keep adults out.
Try using pheromone traps to dispatch of adults.
Encourage natural predators such as birds with feeders.
Plants affected
Primarily vegetable peas, but also sweet peas, tares, vetches, clover and sometimes cabbage.
About Pea moth
Adult pea moths are plain grey/ brown in colour with small pale yellow markings on their sides. They are tent-shaped, have a 15mm wingspan and long antennae.
Females usually lay their eggs on leaves or flowers during May/ June.
Eggs are small and flat and are usually laid in groups over a period of 2-3 weeks.
Larvae are small yellow/ white, dark headed caterpillars up to 6mm long, and emerge after about 3 weeks.
Caterpillars wander the host plant for a day before entering a developing seed pod in which they feed for up to a month.
Caterpillars emerge from the pods by eating their way out and over-winter in the soil as pupae in silken cocoons.
Pea moth larvae are most destructive during July/ August time.
There is usually only one generation per year.
Treatment
Chemical
There are currently no chemical controls commercially available for the home garden to control pea moths.
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
In small outbreaks remove affected Pods by hand and burn.
Try to sow peas before or after pea moths have become active and are breeding.
Remove any other plants or weeds nearby that are host plants for pea moths.
Preventing further problems
Plant peas within netting or under fleece to keep adults out.
Try using pheromone traps to dispatch of adults.
Encourage natural predators such as birds with feeders.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月15日
Stems will be damaged at the base and may be completely severed. Plants will wilt and may die. There may also be damage to leaves, roots and tubers.
Plants affected
Many garden fruit, vegetable, and ornamental plants are affected.
About Cutworms
Cutworms are the larvae of certain species of nocturnal moths.
They are widespread throughout the UK.
In June and July the moths lay eggs in batches of 30-50 on leaves and stems. The eggs hatch two weeks later.
Larvae range from dull grey or brown in colour to green or white. They can reach 2-4cm in length when fully grown.
Larvae can be found feeding at night on the soil surface.
They cause severe damage by chewing the base of stems, roots, leaves and tubers.
After one to two months of feeding they pupate in the soil.
A second generation hatches in August and September.
Second generation larvae will over-winter in the soil, coming to the surface to feed when environmental conditions are favourable.
Treatment
Chemical
Products containing the following chemical ingredients are all effective on Cutworms
There are no approved insecticides currently available to amateur gardeners.
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
Regularly cultivate soil in winter to expose over-wintering larvae to predators.
Encourage insectivorous birds by hanging bird boxes and feeders.
In greenhouses drench potted plants to bring larvae to the surface, then pick them off by hand.
Prevention
Use pheromone traps to monitor the presence of moths during June and July.
Avoid planting in known areas of infestation.
Keep gardens free from weeds and plant debris as they can be used for egg laying.
Plants affected
Many garden fruit, vegetable, and ornamental plants are affected.
About Cutworms
Cutworms are the larvae of certain species of nocturnal moths.
They are widespread throughout the UK.
In June and July the moths lay eggs in batches of 30-50 on leaves and stems. The eggs hatch two weeks later.
Larvae range from dull grey or brown in colour to green or white. They can reach 2-4cm in length when fully grown.
Larvae can be found feeding at night on the soil surface.
They cause severe damage by chewing the base of stems, roots, leaves and tubers.
After one to two months of feeding they pupate in the soil.
A second generation hatches in August and September.
Second generation larvae will over-winter in the soil, coming to the surface to feed when environmental conditions are favourable.
Treatment
Chemical
Products containing the following chemical ingredients are all effective on Cutworms
There are no approved insecticides currently available to amateur gardeners.
Note: It is important to read manufacturer's instructions for use and the associated safety data information before applying chemical treatments.
Organic
Regularly cultivate soil in winter to expose over-wintering larvae to predators.
Encourage insectivorous birds by hanging bird boxes and feeders.
In greenhouses drench potted plants to bring larvae to the surface, then pick them off by hand.
Prevention
Use pheromone traps to monitor the presence of moths during June and July.
Avoid planting in known areas of infestation.
Keep gardens free from weeds and plant debris as they can be used for egg laying.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月15日
Affecting a wide variety of horticultural and vegetable crops — roses, beans, tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers and peppers — mosaic is a viral diseases found throughout the United States.
Plant viruses can be difficult to detect as symptoms look similar to many nutrient deficiencies and vary depending on the age of the plant when infection occurs. Look for:
Yellow, white or green stripes/ streaks/ spots on foliage
Wrinkled, curled or small leaves
Pronounced yellowing only of veins
Stunted growth and reduced yields
Infected fruit appears mottled and develops raised “warty” areas
Mosaic virus overwinters on perennial weeds and is spread by insects that feed on them. Aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies and cucumber beetles are common garden pests that can transmit this disease. Soil, seed, starter pots and containers can be infected and pass the virus to the plant. Cuttings or divisions from infected plants will also carry the virus.
Treatment
There are no cures for viral diseases such as mosaic once a plant is infected. As a result, every effort should be made to prevent the disease from entering your garden.
Fungicides will NOT treat this viral disease.
Plant resistant varieties when available or purchase transplants from a reputable source.
Do NOT save seed from infected crops.
Spot treat with least-toxic, natural pest control products, such as Safer Soap, Bon-Neem and diatomaceous earth, to reduce the number of disease carrying insects.
Harvest-Guard® row cover will help keep insect pests off vulnerable crops/ transplants and should be installed until bloom.
Remove all perennial weeds, using least-toxic herbicides, within 100 yards of your garden plot.
The virus can be spread through human activity, tools and equipment. Frequently wash your hands and disinfect garden tools, stakes, ties, pots, greenhouse benches, etc. (one part bleach to 4 parts water) to reduce the risk of contamination.
Avoid working in the garden during damp conditions (viruses are easily spread when plants are wet).
Avoid using tobacco around susceptible plants. Cigarettes and other tobacco products may be infected and can spread the virus.
Remove and destroy all infected plants (see Fall Garden Cleanup). Do NOT compost.
Plant viruses can be difficult to detect as symptoms look similar to many nutrient deficiencies and vary depending on the age of the plant when infection occurs. Look for:
Yellow, white or green stripes/ streaks/ spots on foliage
Wrinkled, curled or small leaves
Pronounced yellowing only of veins
Stunted growth and reduced yields
Infected fruit appears mottled and develops raised “warty” areas
Mosaic virus overwinters on perennial weeds and is spread by insects that feed on them. Aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies and cucumber beetles are common garden pests that can transmit this disease. Soil, seed, starter pots and containers can be infected and pass the virus to the plant. Cuttings or divisions from infected plants will also carry the virus.
Treatment
There are no cures for viral diseases such as mosaic once a plant is infected. As a result, every effort should be made to prevent the disease from entering your garden.
Fungicides will NOT treat this viral disease.
Plant resistant varieties when available or purchase transplants from a reputable source.
Do NOT save seed from infected crops.
Spot treat with least-toxic, natural pest control products, such as Safer Soap, Bon-Neem and diatomaceous earth, to reduce the number of disease carrying insects.
Harvest-Guard® row cover will help keep insect pests off vulnerable crops/ transplants and should be installed until bloom.
Remove all perennial weeds, using least-toxic herbicides, within 100 yards of your garden plot.
The virus can be spread through human activity, tools and equipment. Frequently wash your hands and disinfect garden tools, stakes, ties, pots, greenhouse benches, etc. (one part bleach to 4 parts water) to reduce the risk of contamination.
Avoid working in the garden during damp conditions (viruses are easily spread when plants are wet).
Avoid using tobacco around susceptible plants. Cigarettes and other tobacco products may be infected and can spread the virus.
Remove and destroy all infected plants (see Fall Garden Cleanup). Do NOT compost.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月14日
Many species of the root maggot exist in home gardens throughout North America. Particularly destructive to early season plantings, they feed underground on succulent roots and attack a large variety of vegetable crops including radish, cabbage, carrot, turnip and onions. Heavily infested roots are often riddles with tunnels and rotted. Affected plants lack vigor, may be stunted or yellowed and often wilt during the heat of the day. In some cases, maggots may even chew through taproots, causing plants to die.
Adults (1/5 inch long) are dark gray flies that look like the common housefly, only smaller. They lay their eggs in the soil at the base of host plants and are very good at detecting newly planted seed beds. Maggots (1/3 – 1/4 inch long) are small, yellowish white, legless larvae with tapered or pointed heads and a rear end that is blunt.
Note: Tunneling and feeding by this pest creates entry points for rot diseases such as black rot.
Life Cycle
Adults emerge in the spring or early summer from overwintering pupal cocoons in the soil. They soon mate and females begin depositing 50-200 small, white eggs in plant stems right at the soil line or in cracks in the soil near plant stems. Eggs hatch in a few days and the larvae burrow down into the soil to feed on small roots, root hairs, and germinating seeds. After feeding for 1-3 weeks, maggots begin to pupate in plant roots or the surrounding soil. There are several generations per year.
Root Maggot Control
Female flies are attracted for egg laying by the moisture emitted from newly planted seed rows. Cover seedbeds with floating row cover immediately after seeds are sown to prevent problems. Be sure the cover extends at least 6 inches on each side of the seed rows.
Apply small amounts of Diatomaceous Earth around seedling stems to deter egg laying by adults.
Yellow Sticky Traps placed around vegetable crops will capture many adult flies before they can mate and lay eggs.
Heavy paper collars or other sturdy material may be placed around the base of transplants to prevent egg laying around stems.
Applying beneficial nematodes in seed furrows or as a top dressing around plants can be effective in getting rid of the larvae.
Using a pyrethrin drench is also an effective option, but should only be considered as a last resort.
Roto-till under crop debris immediately after harvest to destroy overwintering sites.
Adults (1/5 inch long) are dark gray flies that look like the common housefly, only smaller. They lay their eggs in the soil at the base of host plants and are very good at detecting newly planted seed beds. Maggots (1/3 – 1/4 inch long) are small, yellowish white, legless larvae with tapered or pointed heads and a rear end that is blunt.
Note: Tunneling and feeding by this pest creates entry points for rot diseases such as black rot.
Life Cycle
Adults emerge in the spring or early summer from overwintering pupal cocoons in the soil. They soon mate and females begin depositing 50-200 small, white eggs in plant stems right at the soil line or in cracks in the soil near plant stems. Eggs hatch in a few days and the larvae burrow down into the soil to feed on small roots, root hairs, and germinating seeds. After feeding for 1-3 weeks, maggots begin to pupate in plant roots or the surrounding soil. There are several generations per year.
Root Maggot Control
Female flies are attracted for egg laying by the moisture emitted from newly planted seed rows. Cover seedbeds with floating row cover immediately after seeds are sown to prevent problems. Be sure the cover extends at least 6 inches on each side of the seed rows.
Apply small amounts of Diatomaceous Earth around seedling stems to deter egg laying by adults.
Yellow Sticky Traps placed around vegetable crops will capture many adult flies before they can mate and lay eggs.
Heavy paper collars or other sturdy material may be placed around the base of transplants to prevent egg laying around stems.
Applying beneficial nematodes in seed furrows or as a top dressing around plants can be effective in getting rid of the larvae.
Using a pyrethrin drench is also an effective option, but should only be considered as a last resort.
Roto-till under crop debris immediately after harvest to destroy overwintering sites.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月14日
Common in vegetable gardens throughout North America, the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) is one of the most destructive insect pests attacking corn. It’s also known to bore into other fruiting vegetables and feed on lettuce. One worm can do extensive damage, and often a single larvae is all that’s found on a fouled ear. The corn earworm is also a serious pest of cotton where it is known as the cotton bollworm. On tomatoes it is known as the tomato fruitworm.
Full grown larvae (1-1/2 inch long) are lightly striped and vary in color from a light green or pink to brown. They darken as they grow older. Adults are night-flying, dull greenish gray or brown moths (1-1/2 inch wingspan) with irregular darker lines and spots near the outer margins of the fore and hind wings. During the day they hide in nearby vegetation, but may occasionally be seen feeding on nectar.
Note: Adult moths are good flyers, and able to move long distances. Each year they migrate from warm southern areas back to northern states where they are subject to winterkill.
Life Cycle
In areas where this insect survives the winter, pupae hibernate in the soil. Adult moths emerge anywhere from February through June, depending upon temperatures, and deposit their eggs singly on corn silks and other plant parts. Each female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, which hatch in two to ten days. When larvae emerge, they burrow directly down through the silks into the ear tip, becoming fully grown in 3-4 weeks. Corn earworm are extremely cannibalistic, which tends to limit the number of larvae to one per ear. When full grown, they drop to the ground to enter the soil for pupation. Usually two generations develop in the north, with as many as six in the extreme south.
Damage
Damage usually begins in the corn’s silk, where the moth deposits its eggs. The caterpillars follow the silk down to the ear, eating as they go. Extensive damage is often found at the ear’s tips, where the worms devour kernels and foul them with excrement. The larvae often destroy the silks before pollination is complete. The resulting ears are deformed and susceptible to mold and disease.
Worm damage is often confined to the tip of corn ears and can easily be cut away. Worms frequently follow leaves down the ear, leaving excrement and settling into kernels well in from the tip. It doesn’t take much of this kind of damage to make the entire ear undesirable.
Each year, copious amounts of pesticides are sprayed on commercial corn fields in attempts to kill larvae. Runoff from these sprayings contribute to watershed and water table contamination while the spray itself decimates beneficial insects. Genetically engineered corn, each kernel producing its own pesticide, was developed with corn earworms in mind.
Corn Earworm Control
An Integrated Pest Management plan that deals with the earworm at all three stages is the best way for corn growers to combat them. As moths, corn earworms are great travelers. Continued vigilance is needed. Just because you had them well-managed the previous season doesn’t mean they won’t glide back in on the first warm breeze come springtime.
Seasonal maintenance:
Don’t mulch ahead of winter without first getting as many pupae as you might have out of the soil.
Till your soil fall and spring to expose the pupae to wind, weather, birds and other predators.
Got chickens? Turn them loose after harvest to pick the grubs from your soil. Watching them work can be very entertaining!
If you suspect your former corn patch might harbor corn earworm pupae, try broadcasting beneficial nematodes into moist soil well ahead of first frost. Word of mouth suggests this is a helpful component of any earworm IPM program.
Spring moth arrival:
Use pheromone traps to determine the main flight period for moths. Moths mostly fly under cover of night and go unspotted.
At first sign of moths, release trichogramma wasps to destroy eggs.
Growing season:
Inspect silk for larvae, eggs regularly.
Employ beneficial insects, such as green lacewings, minute pirate bugs and damsel bugs. All will feed on corn earworm eggs and small larvae.
Spray or inject silks weekly with Beneficial Nematodes to control larvae.
If corn earworms persist, apply Safer Garden Dust (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Monterey Garden Insect Spray (Spinosad) to silks at 5-10% formation and continue weekly until tassels turn brown. Both products are listed in the Organic Materials Review Institute’s products certified for use in the USDA’s National Organic Program.
Tip: When using mineral or vegetable oils to suffocate feeding larvae at the ear’s tips, include a botanical insecticide in the oil as an added punch.
Full grown larvae (1-1/2 inch long) are lightly striped and vary in color from a light green or pink to brown. They darken as they grow older. Adults are night-flying, dull greenish gray or brown moths (1-1/2 inch wingspan) with irregular darker lines and spots near the outer margins of the fore and hind wings. During the day they hide in nearby vegetation, but may occasionally be seen feeding on nectar.
Note: Adult moths are good flyers, and able to move long distances. Each year they migrate from warm southern areas back to northern states where they are subject to winterkill.
Life Cycle
In areas where this insect survives the winter, pupae hibernate in the soil. Adult moths emerge anywhere from February through June, depending upon temperatures, and deposit their eggs singly on corn silks and other plant parts. Each female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, which hatch in two to ten days. When larvae emerge, they burrow directly down through the silks into the ear tip, becoming fully grown in 3-4 weeks. Corn earworm are extremely cannibalistic, which tends to limit the number of larvae to one per ear. When full grown, they drop to the ground to enter the soil for pupation. Usually two generations develop in the north, with as many as six in the extreme south.
Damage
Damage usually begins in the corn’s silk, where the moth deposits its eggs. The caterpillars follow the silk down to the ear, eating as they go. Extensive damage is often found at the ear’s tips, where the worms devour kernels and foul them with excrement. The larvae often destroy the silks before pollination is complete. The resulting ears are deformed and susceptible to mold and disease.
Worm damage is often confined to the tip of corn ears and can easily be cut away. Worms frequently follow leaves down the ear, leaving excrement and settling into kernels well in from the tip. It doesn’t take much of this kind of damage to make the entire ear undesirable.
Each year, copious amounts of pesticides are sprayed on commercial corn fields in attempts to kill larvae. Runoff from these sprayings contribute to watershed and water table contamination while the spray itself decimates beneficial insects. Genetically engineered corn, each kernel producing its own pesticide, was developed with corn earworms in mind.
Corn Earworm Control
An Integrated Pest Management plan that deals with the earworm at all three stages is the best way for corn growers to combat them. As moths, corn earworms are great travelers. Continued vigilance is needed. Just because you had them well-managed the previous season doesn’t mean they won’t glide back in on the first warm breeze come springtime.
Seasonal maintenance:
Don’t mulch ahead of winter without first getting as many pupae as you might have out of the soil.
Till your soil fall and spring to expose the pupae to wind, weather, birds and other predators.
Got chickens? Turn them loose after harvest to pick the grubs from your soil. Watching them work can be very entertaining!
If you suspect your former corn patch might harbor corn earworm pupae, try broadcasting beneficial nematodes into moist soil well ahead of first frost. Word of mouth suggests this is a helpful component of any earworm IPM program.
Spring moth arrival:
Use pheromone traps to determine the main flight period for moths. Moths mostly fly under cover of night and go unspotted.
At first sign of moths, release trichogramma wasps to destroy eggs.
Growing season:
Inspect silk for larvae, eggs regularly.
Employ beneficial insects, such as green lacewings, minute pirate bugs and damsel bugs. All will feed on corn earworm eggs and small larvae.
Spray or inject silks weekly with Beneficial Nematodes to control larvae.
If corn earworms persist, apply Safer Garden Dust (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Monterey Garden Insect Spray (Spinosad) to silks at 5-10% formation and continue weekly until tassels turn brown. Both products are listed in the Organic Materials Review Institute’s products certified for use in the USDA’s National Organic Program.
Tip: When using mineral or vegetable oils to suffocate feeding larvae at the ear’s tips, include a botanical insecticide in the oil as an added punch.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月13日
Identification
The tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, is much dreaded by vegetable gardeners, because they can devastate tomatoes and other members of the nightshade ( Solanaceae) family, such as eggplants and peppers. However, the tomato hornworm and tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, are often confused with each other. They are very similar in appearance and both attack members of the Solanaceae family.
The tomato hornworm is three to four inches long at full size (likely to be the biggest caterpillar we see in our gardens) and green in color, with white V-shaped marks along its sides. A black "horn" projects from the rear of the caterpillar. Tobacco hornworms, on the other hand, have diagonal white stripes and a red "horn." Both are treated in the same way when they attack your garden.
Life Cycle
The tomato hornworm represents the larval stage of the hawk or sphinx moth, also known as hummingbird moths. The moths overwinter in the soil as dark brown pupae, then emerge and mate in late spring. They lay their eggs, which are round and greenish-white, on the undersides of leaves. The eggs hatch in four to five days and the hornworm emerges. It spends the next four weeks growing to full size, after which it will make its way into the soil to pupate.
Signs of Tomato Hornworms
Tomato hornworms are voracious pests, munching entire leaves, small stems and even parts of the immature fruit.
While they are most commonly associated with tomatoes, hornworms are also common pests of eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. Most likely, you'll notice the damage before you notice the hornworms because their color helps them blend in so well with the plant foliage. You can also look for their black frass (droppings) on the foliage and around the base of the plant.
Effect on Garden Plants
Undetected, a tomato hornworm can do a fair amount of damage to its host plant. They have hearty appetites and can defoliate a plant in a matter of days. If they are detected and removed early on, the plant will recover just fine.
Organic Control for Tomato Hornworm
Because the hornworm is so large, the easiest and most effective way to get rid of it is to pick it off of plants as soon as you detect it, and either crush it or toss it into a bowl of soapy water. A bad infestation can be treated by applying BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). This is most effective when the larvae are small. If worms are a problem year after year, try rototilling the soil either in late fall or in spring before you plant--this will either bury the pupae or destroy them.
However, if you see a hornworm covered with white egg sacs, leave it be. The egg sacs are those of a parasitic wasp called the Braconid wasp. Let the eggs hatch, and you'll have an army of wasps ready to defend your garden against all types of pests. These wasps are not a threat to humans.
Another organic method for killing tomato hornworms is mix liquid soap and water together and spray it onto the plant foliage, then sprinkle cayenne pepper over the foliage and fruit.
The soap solution will kill the worms, while the Cayenne repels them if the soap washes off. This treatment will need to be repeated after each heavy rain, however.
Chemical Control for Tomato Hornworms
The synthetic chemical Carbaryl will kill tomato hornworms along with many other pests. However, it is highly toxic and is discouraged for use on edibles. Wherever possible, rely on organic methods to control tomato hornworms, as well as other garden pests.
The tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, is much dreaded by vegetable gardeners, because they can devastate tomatoes and other members of the nightshade ( Solanaceae) family, such as eggplants and peppers. However, the tomato hornworm and tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, are often confused with each other. They are very similar in appearance and both attack members of the Solanaceae family.
The tomato hornworm is three to four inches long at full size (likely to be the biggest caterpillar we see in our gardens) and green in color, with white V-shaped marks along its sides. A black "horn" projects from the rear of the caterpillar. Tobacco hornworms, on the other hand, have diagonal white stripes and a red "horn." Both are treated in the same way when they attack your garden.
Life Cycle
The tomato hornworm represents the larval stage of the hawk or sphinx moth, also known as hummingbird moths. The moths overwinter in the soil as dark brown pupae, then emerge and mate in late spring. They lay their eggs, which are round and greenish-white, on the undersides of leaves. The eggs hatch in four to five days and the hornworm emerges. It spends the next four weeks growing to full size, after which it will make its way into the soil to pupate.
Signs of Tomato Hornworms
Tomato hornworms are voracious pests, munching entire leaves, small stems and even parts of the immature fruit.
While they are most commonly associated with tomatoes, hornworms are also common pests of eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. Most likely, you'll notice the damage before you notice the hornworms because their color helps them blend in so well with the plant foliage. You can also look for their black frass (droppings) on the foliage and around the base of the plant.
Effect on Garden Plants
Undetected, a tomato hornworm can do a fair amount of damage to its host plant. They have hearty appetites and can defoliate a plant in a matter of days. If they are detected and removed early on, the plant will recover just fine.
Organic Control for Tomato Hornworm
Because the hornworm is so large, the easiest and most effective way to get rid of it is to pick it off of plants as soon as you detect it, and either crush it or toss it into a bowl of soapy water. A bad infestation can be treated by applying BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). This is most effective when the larvae are small. If worms are a problem year after year, try rototilling the soil either in late fall or in spring before you plant--this will either bury the pupae or destroy them.
However, if you see a hornworm covered with white egg sacs, leave it be. The egg sacs are those of a parasitic wasp called the Braconid wasp. Let the eggs hatch, and you'll have an army of wasps ready to defend your garden against all types of pests. These wasps are not a threat to humans.
Another organic method for killing tomato hornworms is mix liquid soap and water together and spray it onto the plant foliage, then sprinkle cayenne pepper over the foliage and fruit.
The soap solution will kill the worms, while the Cayenne repels them if the soap washes off. This treatment will need to be repeated after each heavy rain, however.
Chemical Control for Tomato Hornworms
The synthetic chemical Carbaryl will kill tomato hornworms along with many other pests. However, it is highly toxic and is discouraged for use on edibles. Wherever possible, rely on organic methods to control tomato hornworms, as well as other garden pests.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月13日
Irregular brown or yellow spots on leaves are an early symptom of this fungal disease, which can infect many vegetable crops. Check the undersides of affected leaves; presence of a hairy white or purple mold confirms the diagnosis. Severely infected leaves may die, and the disease can eventually spread to stems, flowers, and fruit.
The fungus overwinters on plant debris. Downy mildew is a host-specific disease. Thus, if your cucumber plants become infected, that doesn’t necessarily mean your onions will succumb.
Prevention and Control
Grow mildew-resistant varieties such as Fanfare cucumber and Allstar melon. Late-season crops tend to be more vulnerable to downy mildew.
Plant disease-free seeds and plants.
Space plants widely to promote good air circulation. This will help leaf surfaces stay dry, which inhibits infection.
Keep foliage as dry as possible by using drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering.
Control weeds, such as wild mustard, that can harbor the disease.
The fungus overwinters on plant debris. Downy mildew is a host-specific disease. Thus, if your cucumber plants become infected, that doesn’t necessarily mean your onions will succumb.
Prevention and Control
Grow mildew-resistant varieties such as Fanfare cucumber and Allstar melon. Late-season crops tend to be more vulnerable to downy mildew.
Plant disease-free seeds and plants.
Space plants widely to promote good air circulation. This will help leaf surfaces stay dry, which inhibits infection.
Keep foliage as dry as possible by using drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering.
Control weeds, such as wild mustard, that can harbor the disease.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月13日
In the vegetable garden, bacterial blight is most often a problem on snap beans and lima beans. (Note that other crops also suffer from bacterial diseases that may be called bacterial blight.) Symptoms of infection are large, water-soaked, pale green spots on leaves that later turn brown. These spots may also appear on pods and can produce a yellowish ooze in wet weather. Leaves infected with halo bacterial blight develop many small dead spots with yellow halos around them; spots on pods produce a cream-colored ooze.
The bacterium overwinters on plant debris and in the soil. High humidity and wet weather promote the spread of the disease.
Prevention and Control
Use a three-year crop rotation for beans.
Space rows and seeds more widely than usual to allow good air circulation among plants.
Don't work in the garden when plants are wet. Splashing water spreads bacteria among plants. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering.
Uproot infected plants and destroy them.
Do not save and plant seeds from infected plants.
The bacterium overwinters on plant debris and in the soil. High humidity and wet weather promote the spread of the disease.
Prevention and Control
Use a three-year crop rotation for beans.
Space rows and seeds more widely than usual to allow good air circulation among plants.
Don't work in the garden when plants are wet. Splashing water spreads bacteria among plants. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering.
Uproot infected plants and destroy them.
Do not save and plant seeds from infected plants.
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