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July gardening tipsBy Tara McKnight Texas AgriLife Extension Service, horticulture, Wichita County Wow, July already. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July. Here are a few more questions that have come up around the office about vegetable garden problems. Q. What could cause the leaves of my tomatoes to turn brown along the edges? A. Leaf-burn or scorch generally indicates root injury, quite often caused by heavy amounts of fertilizer applied too near the roots. This injury often results in browning and die back of the ends and margins of the leaves. Other possible causes are root injury caused by nematodes, insects or physical injury by cultivation. Also overwatering or underwatering along with diseases might cause leaf-tip burn. Q. What causes tomato leaves to curl? A. The exact cause of tomato leaf roll is not fully known. Tomato leaf roll appears about the time of fruit setting. The leaflets of the older leaves on the lower half of the tomato plant roll upward. This gives the leaflets a cupped appearance with sometimes even the margins touching or overlapping. The overall growth of the plant does not seem to be greatly affected and yields are normal. This condition appears to be most common on staked and pruned plants. It occurs when excessive rainfall or overwatering keeps the soil too wet for too long. It is also related to intensive sunlight which causes carbohydrates to accumulate in the leaves. Some varieties of tomatoes are characteristically curled. Q. Should you allow tomatoes to become fully ripe and red on the vine before harvesting? A. Generally, yields will be increased by harvesting the fruit at first blush or pink instead of leaving them on the plant to ripen fully. A tomato picked at first sign of color and ripened at room temperature will be just as tasty as one left to fully mature on the vine. Picking tomatoes before they turn red reduces damage from birds. Q. My tomato fruit have small yellow specks on the surface. When the fruit are peeled, those yellow specks form a tough spot that must be cut off before eating the tomatoes. What's wrong? A. Your problem is not of a varietal origin. The yellow speckling is caused by sucking insects such as stinkbugs or leaf- footed bugs. Early control of sucking insects that feed on the fruit is helpful in alleviating the problem. Q. How often should okra be harvested and how can you tell when it is ready? A. Okra requires frequent harvesting. For peak quality, it must be harvested before the pods become tough. Okra matures rapidly, especially in hot weather. Approximately 4 days are required from flowering to harvest maturity. Okra should be harvested every other day. Pod size will vary with variety, but length will generally be 4 to 6 inches. Test larger pods by cutting through them with a sharp knife. If it is difficult to cut through them, they are tough and unsuitable for serving. Remove old pods from the plant or it will stop producing. Q. I planted corn in my garden this fall and it turned out beautifully, but the worms ate more corn than my family. What can I do to prevent this? A. Spray or dust the ear silks with Sevin (carbaryl) to prevent adult insects from entering and laying eggs. Begin dusting and spraying at an early stage and repeat every two days. Some gardeners apply a drop of mineral oil or use a Bt insecticide on the silks to prevent earworm damage. Q. What causes my cucumbers to become bitter tasting? A. Any stress on a cucumber plant such as high temperatures, low moisture, low fertility or foliage disease can contribute bitterness. Bitterness is usually associated with fruit harvested late in the season from unhealthy, poor-yielding plants. Once a plant produces bitter fruit, remove it from the garden because all subsequent fruit will be affected in a similar manner. Your garden and landscape questions are always welcome. You may either contact me at our County Extension office, 716-8610, or by e-mail, tcmcknight@ag.tamu.edu. You are always encouraged to visit the Wichita County Master Gardner website at www.overthegardengate.org. Another great website to visit for very useful garden hints and answers is http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/. This article, along with every article, will also be featured on www.joetomwhite.com 24 hours a day under county agents. 7/14/08 Date: 7/7/08 Advertisement
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