Home Grown Tomatoes

By: Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent

Backyard tomatoes are probably the most popular vegetable grown by homeowners. Tomatoes can be easy to grow, but they are like other vegetables in that they have disease and insect problems. They also have a nutritional problem that has really affected them this year. That problem is Blossom End Rot and it has caused a popular question, “why is the end of my tomato turning black?”

This condition is a result of a calcium deficiency. The low concentration of calcium in the fruit has been a result of either too little or too much water. Calcium is water soluble which means that it moves throughout the soil easier than some of the other nutrients. This year, because of the lack of rain, one of two things has been happening. First, plants have not been watered enough and the calcium has not gotten down to the roots, or second, plants have been over watered and the calcium has moved below the root zone of the plant.

Because calcium is fairly mobile there is still time to produce some good tomatoes. Research has shown that you can make a slurry with a calcium product such as lime or gypsum and apply it to the ground around the plant. The roots will take it up and help save your late crop. There are also some sprays you can apply to the plant that will help, but research has also shown that the leaves do not take in calcium as much as we used to think. Adding calcium will help prevent blossom end rot and also will help the plant set more blossoms. It is not too late for your current plants, but before you throw up your hands and abandon them, you might want to consider growing transplants from suckers.

Suckers are side shoots that grow between the stem and the branch of tomato plants. Rooting from suckers is an excellent option as many garden centers don’t carry tomato transplants this time of year and growing from seeds would take too long. A late crop of tomatoes set between now and the middle of August should start producing about the time tomato plants set early in the season become unproductive.

To root tomato suckers, select healthy tomato suckers that are three to four inches long. Place several suckers in a jar and add sufficient water to cover the ends by one to two inches. The use of a rooting hormone is not necessary. Set the suckers in a cool, well-lit spot until new roots develop. Set rooted plants in the garden and immediately provide shade to each plant for a few days until suckers start to grow. You can use a few small leafy shrub branches to create the right amount of shade.

This late in the season fertility is more important than ever. If you do not have a soil test from this winter, take a soil sample as soon as possible. It’s $9 per sample. This will allow you to get the results back before the suckers are ready to transplant. We have the soil sample bags and testing instructions in the UGA Extension office on Progress Road in Ellijay which details the proper way to take a soil sample. But generally, just dig down about 3 inches in about 6 different areas, mix it altogether and put it in a pint size plastic baggie and bring it to the UGA Extension office then you can transfer it to the bag and we will send it to the soil testing lab at the University of Georgia. We collect soil samples all week and send them to Athens on Friday mornings.

Although water soluble fertilizers, like Miracle Grow or Peters, are good for getting transplants off to a fast start, they should not be expected to take the place of a complete fertilizer and soil test recommendations. We have a couple of excellent home garden tomato publications on-line that can be printed off to help you with your tomato production. If you have any questions about your tomato situation, contact me at the Gilmer UGA Extension office.

Webbing in Trees may be home to Caterpillars called Fall Webworms

By: Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent

Yes the days are actually getting shorter and shorter and thus I’m now getting a lot of calls about the appearance of webbing in trees around the county. This webbing is home to a caterpillar called the fall webworm. They use the silk webbing to form protection from predators as it feeds on leaves of over 100 different types of trees. Some of the most common trees we see them infest are cherry, black walnut, mulberry, elm, sweet gum, willow, apple, ash, and oak. It is a native insect that ranges from Canada to Mexico. The signs of fall webworms in a tree are relatively easy to spot. They will create a nest at the end of branches, and as they need more leaves, they expand the size of the nest to meet their needs.

In general fall webworms are nothing to be too concerned about. If a tree is healthy, it will be able to withstand an infestation. Most deciduous trees can tolerate losing most of its leaves, especially during this time of year when fall leaf drop is really just around the corner. The time to be concerned with fall webworms is when small trees are trying to become established or when trees are sick or stressed. The extra stress of losing too many leaves can really affect those trees but in general, the damage they cause in hardwoods is mostly cosmetic and does not cause long term damage to the health of the tree, except in the stressed trees mentioned above.

With that in mind, chemical control is generally not required. If you feel the need to treat an infestation, start with insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils or bacillus thuringiensis. These products will provide control of the caterpillar when it is small, and it will not harm other insects or predators who feed on them. If you have large caterpillars on a tree, you need to consider using an insecticide such as carbaryl (Sevin), bifenthrin, pyrethroids, or cyfluthrin. When using any of these products, remember to always read and follow the labeled directions, and do not spray when there is bee activity in the area.

In order for the insecticide treatment to be effective, you must make contact with the fall webworms inside the webbing or on leaves next to the webbing that will serve as the next meal for the caterpillars. Be prepared to break into the web nest to expose the mass of caterpillars inside. This can be done with a stick if you can reach it, or by throwing something like a ball through it, or if local laws allow it, shooting it with a shotgun. Spraying the outside of the webbing will not provide acceptable control.

Another method of control is to break open the web and pull it out of the tree. This exposure will allow predators to feed on the exposed caterpillars. And I have heard of people burning the web home, but that can be a dangerous activity for you and the tree.

I have also had a couple of people say that the name fall webworm is misleading since we have been seeing them in July this year and it’s not yet fall. Well their timing this year is a little early but it’s because of all the heat we’ve experienced this summer. With these warmer temperatures, they’ve completed their life cycle earlier. Having them appear in July and August also means they will soon be gone from our trees and we can look forward to some brilliant fall colors.

For more information, contact me at the Gilmer UGA Extension office.

Japanese Knotweed

By: Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent

Driving around the county, I have been seeing a plant that has become a problem in Gilmer County. The weed that I am talking about is Japanese knotweed, commonly known as crimson beauty, Mexican bamboo, or Japanese fleece flower. It was probably introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental and a plant that has flowers that bees love.

It is fairly easy to spot as it has been growing in large patches all over the county. The leaves are alternate, 6 in. (15.2 cm) long, 3-4 in. (7.6-10 cm) wide and broadly-ovate or heart shaped. Flowering occurs in late summer when small, greenish-white flowers develop in long panicles in the axils of the leaves.

This native of Japan was initially useful for erosion control, as an ornamental, and for landscape screening. It spreads quickly to form dense thickets that can alter natural ecosystems or interfere with landscaping. It is a semi-woody, bushy perennial and a member of the Polygonaceae (Knotweed) family. Another fact about the plant is that the stem is hollow.

Knotweed spreads rapidly from stout long rhizomes. Seeds are distributed by water in floodplains, transported with fill dirt, and to a lesser extent are wind-blown. Populations escaped from neglected gardens, and discarded cuttings are common methods of distribution. Once established, populations are quite persistent and can out-compete existing vegetation.

Japanese knotweed can tolerate a variety of adverse conditions including full shade, high temperatures, high salinity, and drought. It is found near water sources, in low-lying areas, waste places, utility rights of way, and around old home sites. It can quickly become an invasive pest in natural areas after escaping from cultivated gardens. It poses a significant threat to riparian areas, where it can survive severe floods. It is rapidly colonizing scoured shores and islands.

Controlling this invasive fast growing plant is very difficult. One method that is used is grubbing. This method is appropriate for small initial populations or environmentally sensitive areas where herbicides cannot be used. Using a digging tool, remove the entire plant including all roots and runners. Juvenile plants can be hand-pulled. Any portions of the root system not removed will potentially resprout. All plant parts, including mature fruit, should be bagged and disposed of in a trash dumpster to prevent re-establishment.

There are several herbicides that can be used, but it takes some work for them to be effective. One treatment method is the cut stump treatment. Use this method in areas where plants are established within or around non-target plants. Cut the stem 2 inches above ground level. Immediately apply a 20% solution of glyphosate or a 10% solution of Arsenal AC, Polaris AC or Imazapyr 4SL and water to the cross-section of the stem. A subsequent foliar application may be required to control new seedlings and resprouts.

The other spray method is foliar spraying the plants. Use this method to control large populations. It may be necessary to precede foliar applications with stump treatments to reduce the risk of damaging non-target species. Apply a 1% solution of glyphosate or 20%Garlon4 and water to thoroughly wet all foliage. Do not apply so heavily that herbicide will drip off leaves. The ideal time to spray is after surrounding vegetation has become dormant (October-November) to avoid affecting non-target species. A 0.5% non-ionic surfactant is recommended in order to penetrate the leaf cuticle.

Are Pesticide Labels Important

A couple of months ago I got a call about tomatoes not doing well in the garden. They were stunted and growing irregularly. They were also having issues with annual flowers. They explained that they had tried to avoid fertilizers and weed killers and had used hay as a mulch and manure as a fertilizer source. As the conversation continued I asked if they had talked to the producer about what products he had used on his hay and pasture.

The homeowner had not asked. As it turns out the producer used a labeled product that controls weeds in pastures and hay fields. He had applied the labeled amount, but there is a warning on the label that the herbicide can persist in the hay and manure for 18 months. Tomatoes and some other landscape plants are very sensitive to products that have had the herbicide applied to them and these products, hay and manure, should not be used around these plants.

The call prompted me to remind everyone how important it is to read the label on a pesticide container. When people call me about a pesticide, I try to always tell them “always read and follow the label.” The label gives you important information about how to use the pesticide effectively and safely. You should read the label before you buy the product and read it again each time you use the product.

Do not rely on your memory when you buy a pesticide you have used before. Read the name of the pesticide product carefully because many pesticides for the home, yard and garden have similar names and packaging. Be sure you are buying the right product. Getting into the habit of looking at the label every time you use a product can prevent these kinds of mix ups from happening, and also keeps you, your landscape and the people around you safe.

It is important that you follow the directions exactly as they are given on the label, and only use the pesticide on sites or crops that are listed on the label. When a plant or crop is not listed on the label, it could mean the pesticide has not been tested on them, but it could also mean it will harm or kill that plant or crop.

The pesticide label will tell you how to apply the product, when to apply it, and how much to use for different areas and different pests. For example, an insecticide may list one using one amount for certain insect pests, and another amount for other pests. Never use more than the label prescribes. Using more can be wasteful, damage the plants, leave an excess amount of the chemical on your food crops, or harm non-target organisms such as beneficial insects.

The label will also tell you whether a product is safe to use inside your home, whether it’s safe to use on food crops and whether you need to keep children and pets away from a treated area after you spray. Many turf and ornamental pesticides should not be used on vegetables, fruit crops, herbs or anything else you plan to eat.

The pesticide label will also list special precautions to take. These include keeping other people especially children and pets away from the area where the pesticide was applied. It will also include warnings about not applying pesticides when it is wet or windy to prevent the pesticide from drifting or running off into storm water.

Pesticide labels always contain a signal word that will tell you how toxic the product is to humans. These three signal words are caution, warning or danger. Signal words will usually be in capital letters. The least toxic products carry the signal word CAUTION. Products with the signal word WARNING are more toxic. And the most toxic pesticides have DANGER on their labels.

And finally, the label will tell you what steps to take if someone has accidentally ingested or inhaled the chemical or gotten it on their skin or in their eyes. Treating it the wrong way can be more harmful than not treating at all. Remember to keep the label handy and follow the directions that are printed on it. After hearing about the dwarfed tomatoes and flowers the answer is yes, pesticide labels are important. This is just another reason why pesticides should be stored in their original container with the label. For more information about pesticides and pesticide safety, contact me at the Gilmer UGA Extension office.