Bacterial Spot, caused by xanthomonas campestri. This pathogen is found just about everywhere peppers are grown. Hot, wet summers encourage the disease. Unfortunately, even pepper seed can carry the disease so it is almost impossible to avoid. But it can be prevented.
HOW TO HANDLE:
Start by planting resistant varieties. Good seed catalogs list the disease resistance of the types they carry, so start by doing a little homework can go a long way before you buy seeds or plants. Keystone Resistant Giant, California Wonder, and especially Boynton Belle have shown excellent disease resistance for us.
The official treatment is spraying with copper-based fungicide. The unofficial treatment is to use a fungicide containing chlorothalonil, the same product used for Early Blight on tomatoes. Although bacterial spot on peppers isn't listed on the label as a use for this chemical, it works and has been used for this purpose for years by gardeners "in the know."
Showing posts with label VEGETABLES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VEGETABLES. Show all posts
Thursday, June 30, 2011
FAQ: What is eating the leaves of my snap beans?
"Something is eating the leaves of my snap beans and chewing holes in the beans. What is responsible for this?"
A likely culprit is the aptly named Mexican Bean Beetle. These beetles eat the underside of the leaf, leaving an intact surface which dies and gives the leaves a distinctive lacy appearance. Both the adults (which are orangey-brown with black spots) and the cream colored larvae do the damage.
Japanese beetles can attack beans, as well. They chew holes all the way through the leaf, ultimately leaving only the vein structure behind. Control is the same for Mexican Bean Beetles and Japanese Beetles.
WHAT TO DO:
Growing fast maturing varieties sown in spring and fall may help you evade the pest, as they are most active in summer.
A likely culprit is the aptly named Mexican Bean Beetle. These beetles eat the underside of the leaf, leaving an intact surface which dies and gives the leaves a distinctive lacy appearance. Both the adults (which are orangey-brown with black spots) and the cream colored larvae do the damage.
Japanese beetles can attack beans, as well. They chew holes all the way through the leaf, ultimately leaving only the vein structure behind. Control is the same for Mexican Bean Beetles and Japanese Beetles.
WHAT TO DO:
Growing fast maturing varieties sown in spring and fall may help you evade the pest, as they are most active in summer.
FAQ: Why are my tomato plants starting to lose leaves from the bottom up?
"Every year the same thing happens to my tomatoes. At first they grow great but then in early summer they start losing leaves from the bottom up. Eventually the whole plant is trashed and tomato production stops. What is happening and how can I stop it?"
Two words: Early Blight. It's the lucky (and rare!) gardener who doesn't see this problem. The cause is a fungus and control involves several elements.
HOW TO CONTROL:
Garden Cleanup: Be sure to remove as much diseased plant material as possible. At the end of the season, clean up well and don't compost debris. Just throw away all debris.
Crop Rotation: If possible, grow tomatoes on a different site every year, not using the same site for at least three years. However, unless you have a huge garden, this can be pretty difficult.
Staking & Caging: Keeping the tomato plants off the ground helps tremendously, as often the spores linger in the soil.
Mulching: One of the most common sources of Early Blight infection comes from soil splashing on the lower leaves of the plants, either from rain or irrigation. Mulch prevents this. Wheat straw, newspaper, biodegradable plastic, or flattened cardboard boxes work great. Plus, your plants get the advantage of a more evenly moist root zone, which increases yields and reduces fruit cracking.
Timely Fungicide Spraying: Get a fungicide containing chlorothalonil or mancozeb, and spray at recommended rates a couple days after setting your plants out. Then spray every 10 days or so. Spray after rain, too. Keeping up with this spray program will protect your plants all summer and into the fall.
Two words: Early Blight. It's the lucky (and rare!) gardener who doesn't see this problem. The cause is a fungus and control involves several elements.
HOW TO CONTROL:
Garden Cleanup: Be sure to remove as much diseased plant material as possible. At the end of the season, clean up well and don't compost debris. Just throw away all debris.
Crop Rotation: If possible, grow tomatoes on a different site every year, not using the same site for at least three years. However, unless you have a huge garden, this can be pretty difficult.
Staking & Caging: Keeping the tomato plants off the ground helps tremendously, as often the spores linger in the soil.
Mulching: One of the most common sources of Early Blight infection comes from soil splashing on the lower leaves of the plants, either from rain or irrigation. Mulch prevents this. Wheat straw, newspaper, biodegradable plastic, or flattened cardboard boxes work great. Plus, your plants get the advantage of a more evenly moist root zone, which increases yields and reduces fruit cracking.
Timely Fungicide Spraying: Get a fungicide containing chlorothalonil or mancozeb, and spray at recommended rates a couple days after setting your plants out. Then spray every 10 days or so. Spray after rain, too. Keeping up with this spray program will protect your plants all summer and into the fall.
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