Archive
May:
Peach
Leaf Curl
Thanks to our cool, wet spring weather, peach leaf
curl is now appearing in some peach and nectarine trees. Symptoms are
quite distinctive; it looks like portions of the leaf have "ballooned"
out. These distorted portions often are colored a bright pink to red and
may be thickened, puckered, and curled. The leaves often look as if a
gathering string had been run along the mid-vein and pulled tight.
Noninfectious
Injury on Tomato
Recently the P&PDL has received tomato plants with leaf spots that
have no evidence of infectious disease associated with them. Symptoms
appear to be due to a noninfectious factor, such cold injury or a nutrient
deficiency.
Orange
Rust of Brambles
Orange rust, a fungal disease of brambles appears
in early spring. Leaves of infected plants may appear chlorotic (yellow).
Orange rust pustules develop on lower leaf surfaces. Later in the season,
the symptoms are not as easily detected.
Avoid
Compacting Garden Soil; Wait Until It Dries to Plant
Excessive rains sweeping across Indiana have saturated
much of the soil. Tillers and garden spades used in wet soil can compact
the soil causing lasting, negative effects. Disturbing wet soil by any
method – even walking on it – will pack it.
After
the Flood: Garden and Landscape Plants
Recent torrential rains have brought about flooded conditions in many
gardens and landscapes. As flood waters recede and folks get about the
business of putting homes and lives back together, questions arise as
to the safety of produce from flooded gardens, as well as potential damage
to landscape plants.
Gardeners:
Resist Working Wet Soil
Many gardeners are getting that urge to get out the
tiller and work up their garden soil. But with all of the recent rains
that have washed over much of Indiana, many soils are just too wet to
work. Working wet soil tends to compress the soil particles so that they
become more tightly packed, thus leaving less room for penetration of
water and air. This also makes it more difficult for plant roots and gardening
equipment to move through the soil. It really is best for the long-term
health of your garden to resist the urge to work the soil when it is still
wet.
Control
Weeds in the Garden and Landscape
There are a number of practices you can incorporate
in your bag of tricks to keep weeds under control. Controlling weeds before
they mature their seed will help prevent future weeds. For example, a
single dandelion plant can produce 15,000 seeds in one year, and each
seed is capable of surviving up to six years in the soil.
Treated
Lumber in the Garden
Gardening in raised beds can be just the answer for
would-be gardeners who would love to grow their own vegetables and flowers
but lack the space or physical ability for a traditional garden. However,
recent controversy regarding chemical wood preservation treatments has
left many gardeners wondering about the safety of treated lumber.
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Garden Flowers 
