23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Some of my crowns did not come back, for the first year we were allowed a real harvest.... :(
Amazingly - also had a large mint bed disappear....3x4 foot area filled with mint that was originally transplanted from a 3" pot 8 years ago.....have never heard of such a thing....supposedly - you can't get rid of mint even when you want to....
I think it was too dry and too frequently above freezing for some of these perennials....
You said that feeding triggers them in and out of the fruit cycle. Is this true for all plants?
Sure as all plants have a circadian rhythm, a cycle to their growth and development that is triggered in response to light, soil and air temps, available nutrients and moisture, etc.
But it is especially crucial in fruiting plants vs. leafy greens and root crops. That's why the timing of any supplemental feeding of them is so important.
For example, one usually side dresses corn at various growth stages of its development, tomatoes and peppers are normally fed after first fruit set and then in approx. 6 week cycles since that is their approx. vegetative growth vs.fruit set cycle.
In a well-amended garden soil where the nutrients are always available to them to use as needed or where the particular plant is not a specific nutrient hog (like corn with N) supplemental feedings may not be necessary. But in poorly amended soil and especially in containers, supplemental feeding is vital.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Circadian Rhythyms
400 Watts of metal halide is a lot of light for sure. I expect that probably is enough, but it is beyond my area of personal experience.
Unlike fluorescent, which is only moderately warm, I believe metal halide lights get quite hot, so they have to be kept at a safe distance from the plants.
Like I said, you should go on over to the garden web forum dedicated to growing under lights. Those people seem to know what they are doing, and it is a specialized subject. I put a link below.
Best regards,
McKenzie
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Under Lights
Diatomaceous earth took care of an underground golden ant colony under my cukes.
Perhaps some orange oil treatment - I made my own by letting rinds (orange and lemon) covered with water stew in a crock-pot on high all day. Strain out liquid into jar when cooled.
Here is some info (go to the website to see how it is made):
Citrus oil is a natural, non-toxic insect deterrent and wards off fire ants, flies, aphids, mosquitoes, even fleas and may even help control the spread of West Nile Virus. Although safe to spray, citrus oil can irritate sensitive skin and damage the eyes.
If you are planning to spray plants instead of using harmful pesticides, citrus oil can be quite harsh and some plants may be sensitive to the oil. To preserve plants, be sure to dilute the mixture further, by adding one gallon of water for every two ounces of oil. The oil is great to spray on anthill mounds...
Here is a link that might be useful: How to make citrus oil to control insects
I used it for my squash because they were being hit pretty hard with critters eating up the leaves so I figured it wouldn't hurt everything else. Perhaps I was wrong. Lows are 72 and highs are 85 and its overall mildly humid. A storm is coming this weekend, so maybe the barometric pressure is causing this issue. Fertilizer wise I have not used anything since I transplanted, besides my fish food fertilizer on day one.
The general guidelines for pesticides are
(1) use them only when actual pests are present AND doing actual damage.
(2) to work they have to come into contact with the bug. They are preventatives so you can't use them to try to prevent pests from coming to the garden.
(3) first identify the pest and then use a pesticide that is specific for that pest.
(4) always follow the label directions when it comes to mix rates, application frequency, and time of day for application.
(5) know your pesticide, what it works on and what it is made of.
When these guidelines aren't followed then far more beneficial insects are killed than pests. Numerous studies show that as much as 95% of the "bugs" (insects) in the average garden are either beneficial insects or what are called "neutrals" that do no damage.
Squash has 2 primary pests - squash vine borers and squash bugs. Organocide doesn't list either of them on its label for use. So what pest issue were you having with the squash?
It lists only:
Citrus rust mites
Spider mites
Armored and soft scales
Mealy bugs
White-flies
Aphids
Leaf-rollers
Leaf miner
Fungus gnats
Thrips
Sago Palm Scale
Glassy Winged Sharpshooters
Organocide is and oil-based spray (97% oil and 3% emulsifiers) so when applied to the pepper and tomato blooms the oil can coat the reproductive parts of the bloom and gum up the pollen and prevent pollination from happening.
92% of the oil in Organocide is fish oil which is very high in nitrogen. So given your weather conditions the odds are that the primary cause of your problems with blossom drop is all the unnecessary spraying you have been doing.
Hope all this helps you resolve the issues.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Organocide Pesticide
It may go without saying, but you can start harvesting some now for fresh use if you like. I think there is something special about the flavor of a young bulbing sweet onion on the grill. We just slice them in half, pull of any lower/outer leaves that are brown or tough and grill the whole thing. Yum!
ChicagoDeli,
1- worm castings should not go anywhere. They are like rotted leaves, compost etc.
2-A bucket over a small plant , in cloudy, rainy day/night, even under partly sun, should not hurt it.
3- depending on the size of your garden and the number of plants, there could be different method. I used to cover my sowed beds(before and around germination time) with plastic during the nights and down pours. But your BUCKET FO A PLANT is also is a practical way.
Moschata squash are not immune to SVB, but I have found that the odds of getting a crop from unprotected Moschata squash are a lot higher here in Maryland than with other varieties of squash. Tromboncino is a very vigorous vining squash, best grown on a trellis so that the squash end up straight and not curled up. I'll be interested to hear how the tatume squash do; I've not heard of them before.
I'm growing loufa gourd this year, pretty different from zucchini but shaped like zucchini and edible when it's small. I'm going to try and use it in stir fries to see if it's any good. If not, sponges galore! I am so tired of fighting the SVBs...thought I'd give it a chance.
So with tulle over your plants, how will the bees get to the flowers?
jonfrum;
luckily with tomatillo, tomato , pepper, eggplant.. you don't need insects help that much. some wind or tapping can do it, because, each flower is self sufficient in terms of its sexual needs : D
Rain and excess water due to it although not a good thing , but given the arrangements you have (raised beds), should not cause for too much worry, if the soil has drainage property(compost, sand, organic matter). ALSO, I notice from the pictures that some of your beds have frame around them, which you can cover them with plastic , to protect them from excess rain.
But I think, we should always prepare the soil such that in heavy rains drains well. We cannot control the climate nut can only comply with it.
I'd add that problem weeds are mostly native to the local region, and are therefore much better-adapted to the climate, soil, etc, than most vegetables, which are "imported" (so to speak) and made to grow only under special conditions (amended soil, fertilizer, specific time-frames, etc). Of course, you can cultivate similar qualities in veggies for which you save the seeds of the most successful plants, but it would take a long time to see similar results, probably much longer than one lifetime. It's no wonder weeds grow so prolifically in comparison.
In general, to the original poster, I think it's great to ask questions about the habitual assumptions and practices of any practice. It makes us think about why we're doing what we're doing as well as share ideas about how to do it better. Conventional wisdom is often right, but it's often wrong too.
I agree with saysonn, it has all to do with the size of the crop plant, as well as size of the crop seed and type of weed. Big-seeded crops like corn and beans, for example, can compete with weeds somewhat better than small-seeded ones like lettuce, carrots.
One of these days I'm going to get with it and try stale-bedding for certain crops, especially carrots.
I had a similar problem with my peppers. I think the trouble was they just didn't like the unusually cool weather we have had. Now that it has warmed up, they are taking off. (They are in nice big pots, and were when they were dropping leaves.) They are now replacing the leaves, putting on size, and blooming. I gave them some Osmocote when I put them in their summer pots.
I agree with flora.. colored stalks is very common on peppers and it's awfully early for powdery mildew on cucurbits. Pic of the zucchini would help. However, regarding powdery mildew -- if and when you do finally see it, it's too late. You actually want to be preemptive with the treatment. So, when you think it's about that time of the year for it to show up, that's when you want to start treating it. At least that's what the experts on GW told me. I plan on including that regimen this summer.
Kevin
Thank you, what a relief that the peppers are normal!
I sprayed the zucchini for a few days with the baking soda and soap mixture, it seemed to do more harm than good, I think it actually burned the leaves a bit.
I'm attaching a photo of the zucchini leaves, do you think they look normal? I'm noticing now that the smaller leaves that are appearing have turned brown as well.
All your follow up questions are answered in detail in the article Brittany linked for you above. It even includes how-to pictures.
You can also find all the answers in the previous discussions here about how to plant and grow potatoes that the search will pull up for you.
Dave
kawalinko;
I already said to cover the seed by 3 to 4 inches of soil. IN OTHER WORDS plant it 3 to 4 inches deep, Under the seeds there should be good soil too b/c the roots will grow downward and sideway. For example, if you plant them in raised bed of 12 inch high. Then dig a hole 6" to 7" deep, place seeds, cover 3". In effect the seeds are in a hole. later on when they shoot, you fill up that hole and build hill around it even higher.
ABOUT THE EXISTING SPROUTS: again no matter there is a sprout on the seed or not, has to be covered by about 3" of soil. If, just in cast sprouts are longer than 3 to 4", then cover the sticking part with hey/straw/peat moss...etc.