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Heat and gardens: answers to common questionsBy Tara McKnight Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent Horticulture, Wichita County With the high temperatures that we have been having lately, everyone seems to be having a little trouble with their vegetable gardens. Here are a few questions that I have had at the office lately. Hopefully, these will help you better understand what is happening in the garden. Q. My tomato plants look great. They are dark green, vigorous and healthy. However, flowers are not forming any fruit. What is the problem? A. Several conditions can cause tomatoes to not set fruit. Too much nitrogen fertilizer, nighttime temperatures over 70 degrees F, low temperatures below 50 degrees F, irregular watering, insects such as thrips or planting the wrong variety may result in poor fruit set. Any of these conditions can cause poor fruit set, but combinations can cause failures. If Extension recommended varieties are used, the main reason tomato plants do not set fruit is because they are not planted where they can receive 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight daily. Any less direct sunlight will result in a spindly growing, nonproductive plant with healthy foliage. Q. What causes the black spots on the bottom of my tomatoes? A. Blossom end rot, caused by improper (fluctuating from too dry to too moist) moisture. Maintain uniform soil moisture as the fruit nears maturity. Remove affected fruit. Q. What causes a tomato to crack? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? A. Cracking is a physiological disorder caused by soil moisture fluctuations. When the tomato reaches the mature green stage and the water supply to the plant is reduced or cut off, the tomato will begin to ripen. At this time, a cellophane-like wrapper around the outer surface of the tomato becomes thicker and more rigid to protect the tomato during and after harvest. If the water supply is restored after ripening begins, the plant will resume translocation of nutrients and moisture into the fruit. This will cause the fruit to enlarge which, in turn, splits the wrapper around the fruit and results in cracking. The single best control for cracking is a constant and regular water supply. Apply a layer of organic mulch to the base of the plant. This serves as a buffer and prevents soil moisture fluctuation. Water plants thoroughly every week. This is especially important when the fruits are maturing. Some varieties are resistant to cracking, but their skin is tougher. Q: As watermelons get larger do I need to support them? A. I assume these vines are growing on the ground, so any fruit that sets will be lying on the ground. You can carefully put the melons on straw when they are football size to support them and keep them from rotting. If they are not covered well with vine leaves, you might also consider covering them with baskets to keep them from sunburning. If you have these melons on a trellis or caged and the set melons are hanging, YOU'VE GOT TROUBLE because they will snap off as they mature. If they are small melons such as Sugar Baby, you can support them with slings made from old nylons. Q. Why do my cucumbers bloom without setting fruit? A. This is a pollination problem. Cucumbers have male and female blooms and, for proper fruit set, the pollen must be transferred from the male to the female blooms. This is usually done by pollinating insects, primarily honeybees. If pollen transfer does not take place, fruit will not set. We will cover more questions regarding vegetable gardens next week. 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. 11/17/08 Date: 11/10/08
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