Vegetable Plants

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Water Issues

You may not be keeping the soil evenly moist? Tomato fruit will crack when extreme fluctuations in moisture occur at the root zone. When conditions are dry (or there's too much salt (including fertilizers) in the soil) leaves may turn brown a the tips and edges. Fruit may appear to be okay but then when water is applied it causes the fruits to swell and crack. We've included a link about growing Tomatoes with info about their common issues/challenges, but we can recommend watering more deeply less often, rather than applying smaller amounts every day. Tomatoes are deep rooted plants, and if water is available will be healthier. Do not allow extreme fluctuations in soil moisture, but try to water according to the plants needs (temp and humidity affect those needs). You can water when the upper 2inches of soil is dry and apply an adequate amount. Use "water cycling" if water does not enter the soil quickly.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2016-03-08T04:19:29-08:00 March 8th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Horn Or Nose On Tomato Fruit

When tomatoes get a “horn” or nose it is a physiological/genetic disorder. Such distorted growth starts when the tomato is just a microscopic speck. A few cells divide in an odd way and the fruit produces an extra locule. Locules are the interior segments you see in a tomato – if you cut the fruit in half horizontally you’ll see between 4 and six separate segments, right? Well such growths happen when a cell divides in an odd way and starts to make an extra segment that gets pushed up out of the fruit structure. This is often caused by weather – either very cool or very hot – while the tomato is fruiting. Scientists report seeing fewer such mutations when weather is constantly in the 70 to 85 degree range. It also happens more frequently in heirlooms, but you will see a genetic mutation about 1 in 1,000 plants…not too common but not very rare either!

You can have fun with such fruit – ask your friends to say who it looks like, or develop a caption for what it’s thinking!

By | 2016-03-06T15:34:15-08:00 March 6th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Lettuce Issue

A variety of worms attack tender lettuce (Lactuca sativa), ruining the beauty and quality of the leaves. As a result of worm invasions, your salad fixings can be unappetizing or even inedible if the infestation is severe. The cabbage looper worm, beet armyworm and corn earworm are three common pests that plague lettuce crops. Whatever worm culprit is to blame, the solution is the same.
The best plan of attack against lettuce-damaging worms is to catch them early and use a floating row cover over the new seedlings called "Reemay", this prevents the adult moth from laying eggs.
Larvae can be handpicked from the lettuce and destroyed. If your infestation is severe, the insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis can be used in liquid or powder form to kill worms as they ingest the product. These ready-to-use sprays and powders should cover lettuce leaves thoroughly, and are safe up to the day of harvest. Note that insecticides that kill harmful moth larvae will also kill the caterpillars of butterflies and harmless moths.

By | 2016-03-05T03:08:15-08:00 March 5th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Snail Damage

The damage on the leaves of your vegetable plants looks like snail and/or slug damage - unfortunately, almost every garden in CA has them! But you can get control of them. First, look for the characteristic slime trails on and around your plants. Snails usually come out at night we usually don't see them feeding. You mention using a pesticide, we're assuming you mean for insects (?), so that wouldn't give you any control over these mollusks. Your best defense is to seek them out in their hiding places during the day, or trap them and destroy them/throw them out in a sealed bag. This link has great info about these pests, and very effective ideas for trapping. You may also need to alter the environment to make it less favorable for them (they like to hide in dark moist areas during the day and even on the bottom of your plant leaves). http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/invertebrates/links.otherinverts.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:21-07:00 March 3rd, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Downy Mildew On Spinach

This isn't an insect but is probably a disease. Spinach is prone to downy mildew and it's the most common disease on spinach. Although it usually shows the white growth on the underside of leaves, it's sometimes also seen on top of the plants as your photo shows. Without culturing a disease situation in a lab it's impossible to be 100% sure, of course, but knowing that downy mildew is a common problem on spinach in California we feel secure that this is most likely what you have.

Unfortunately there is no cure. If this is indeed downy mildew the leaves will also develop yellow spots or become distorted and rather sick looking. Sometimes the underside of the leaves turns dirty looking. You might want to grow a different type of green for awhile and let the downy mildew spores die out. Plant spinach further apart in the future to allow for good air circulation. You can read more about this problem here: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r732100111.html

By | 2016-02-28T20:31:27-08:00 February 28th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Blossom End Rot

This is a physiological disorder common to tomatoes and peppers in particular. It is the result of a calcium imbalance in the plant, often brought on be erratic watering or temperature fluctuations, but occasionally by an actual lack of calcium in the soil. Hard pruning can make it worse as can overuse of nitrogen-rich fertilizer. You can add calcium as a spray (available at your local garden center), for future developing tomatoes. Harvest and cut off the affected fruit as a green tomato as it will likely rot from here on. Or you can wait to see if the affected fruit ripens. If it does, the fruit is edible except for the hard brownish part of the blossom end rot. Just cut around it. Once the blossom end rot occurs on your fruit it cannot be reversed. For future developing tomatoes, be sure to keep your tomatoes evenly watered, but not soggy and feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for tomatoes. Here is a link that you might find helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2016-02-28T20:16:54-08:00 February 28th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Late Blight

This looks like tomato blight, likely late blight, at least from your photo. There are several types of blight, they may start at the top of the plant or at the bottom and work their way up. Late Blight, Phytophthora infestans, is an odd organism in that it behaves somewhat like a bacteria, but also like a fungus. It will eventually also attack the main stems and can progress very rapidly. Some splash up from the soil surface and others come in on insect feet. Sadly, there is no treatment for a plant in this condition. We suggest you dispose of this plant and its soil in the trash, not the compost bin, and start anew. The entire plant should be pulled and put in the garbage or burned. Make sure the fruit is taken too. Please get a second opinion from you local Extension office or garden center for confirmation by taking a few leaf samples in a baggy so that they can identify it in hand. We wish we had better news for you.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:22-07:00 February 25th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Leaf Spot On Tomato

This leaf spot could be caused by a number of things. It appears fungal, although since the damage is on the top of the plant it's possible that something landed on this plant and killed the tissue. Fungal diseases on tomatoes often appear on the lower foliage first. Did hot water from a hose hit this plant before the water cooled the sun-heated remains in the hose? Was a fertilizer liquid applied that might have splashed on the plant and burned it? Although there are a number of fungi that can be found on tomatoes the most common one in the northeast is early blight, but usually that moves from the bottom up. If you don't have other tomatoes planted you'll want to get another one since the main stem seems to be killed back on this one. When you plant a new tomato plant (or maybe you have others already?) be sure not to hit the foliage with anything if you can help it. You might also want to give any tomato you plant a good amount of space as this one was planted very close to something else. Plant tomatoes at least 2 1/2 feet from other plants.

By | 2016-02-25T14:07:32-08:00 February 25th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Too Much Sun

This particular plant does not tolerate full sun in the summer. The good news is that this is not a disease, fungus, or pest. The purplish tinge is merely cauliflower being cauliflower. We blanch (cover the developing head with leaves) to make sure that we get nice, perfectly white cauliflower. But genetically, many cauliflowers tend toward purple, red, or blue pigments. When a lot of light hits the developing heads of these cauliflowers, we start to see a purplish tinge form along the edges of the heads. It's still perfectly edible, but may have a slightly "off" flavor -- raw eating is best in this case, because cooking will only increase the off flavor of the affected curds. To prevent it from getting any more purple, it's time to get that head of cauliflower covered up and out of the sunlight. To blanch your cauliflower, simply draw the surrounding leaves up and around the head of cauliflower. Tie the leaves together with garden twine. That's all there is to it, and you won't have to worry about any further coloring of the cauliflower curds.

By | 2016-02-25T01:09:45-08:00 February 25th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Powdery Mildew Or Botrytis On Tomatoes Indoors

We're assuming that you're growing tomato plant indoors or in a greenhouse since it's long past the first frost in your area. There are many plants that are more tricky to grow inside. If you are a commercial grower of tomatoes in hoop houses, we suggest that you contact your cooperative extension at Cornell: http://www.cce.cornell.edu/Pages/Default.aspx

There are a couple of leaf disease for tomatoes that look like this. Powdery mildew is the first and botrytis, aka gray mold, is the second. Without a lab culture it's impossible to be sure what is wrong with your plants. Since you are growing veggies we assume you would prefer to treat organically, and you might try one of the organic fungicides asap. Look for a copper-based fungicide, or any other organic product that's labeled for both botrytis and powdery mildew. There are several on the market.

Beyond that, provide good air circulation with fans, always water in the AM, and don't handle uninfected plants after touching those with these symptoms.

By | 2016-02-24T06:16:39-08:00 February 24th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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