Diluted Clorox can thwart tomato fungus
Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Living/68460/
Question: My tomatoes seem perfect when I pick them but, soon after, they develop sunken spots which grow larger until the whole tomato is rotten. How can I prevent this from happening ?
Answer: Tomato anthracnose is a fungus disease that appears on ripe fruit. It also attacks green fruit but it doesn’t appear until the fruit ripens. This fungus is most active in wet weather.
Pick the tomatoes as soon as they mature and use them promptly. If you can’t use the tomatoes immediately, dip them in a 10 percent solution of Clorox to water. This should kill the fungus. Rinse off the tomatoes before you use them.
Clean up and destroy any plant debris after harvest.
Question: I have planted a rhododendron, it seems to be dying. What can I do to save it ?
Answer: Rhododendrons require much moisture, but they also require good drainage. Poor drainage leads to root rot. Your shrub may not survive but you can give it one final treatment.
Saturate the soil around the roots with a solution of one quarter cup of Lysol in a gallon of water. You can’t hold back the rain but, you can dig a trench away from the shrub to drain excess water away.
If the rhododendron does not respond in a few weeks and you choose to replace it, be sure to plant your shrub on a mound so that water drains away.
Question: My blackberries have what looks like borers. What shall I do to be rid of them ?
Answer: The canes of blackberries and other cane type plants are eaten by borers. The tips of the canes are eaten from the inside.
Prune canes 2 inches below the wilted area and destroy the cuttings. Chemical control is usually not effective.
Question: When is it time to prune crape myrtle ?
Answer: Crape myrtle can be pruned later, after other spring blooms fade. Unlike forsythia and other spring bloomers which must be pruned after the flowers fade, crape myrtle can be pruned later when the flowers start to bloom in late spring.
Tip: If you coat your pruner saw blade with oil in the morning, you will be able to use it all day without stopping to clean it.
Send your gardening and landscaping questions and tips to Washington County Master Gardeners, 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville, AR. You may also call 444-1755 for answers to your questions.