It is June. It is hot. Some humidity is around, so I think I will start early with prevention for disease.
Yesterday, I used water soluble copper to spray my grapes that get the same disease every year. The leaves get brown spots and the fruit follows suit. I mixed 1 ounce of copper per gallon and sprayed the plant. I removed the leaves that are showing signs. Success will be if I get finished unblemished fruit. They are in a place where the spray doesn't reach my other vegetables. I am not spraying the concord grape at this time.
I have my aspirin experiment going on with 3 tomatoes. I will put 2 aspirin (81 mg tablets) in a 2 gallon water can and water down the tomatoes. The aspirin is suppose to boost the immune response. I will also water the rest of the tomatoes with it. It can't hurt.
Today I am going to lay paper down around the base of the tomatoes and cover it with hard wood mulch. The mulch will get covered with grass clipping this weekend. I will also set 6 foot bamboo stakes next to the tomatoes and begin training them. The tomatoes are large enough I can remove a few branches. I will probably go a minimum of 1 foot up the plant to 2 feet (over time) to create a gap between the ground and first layer of leaves. Next week I will probably start with the sulfur spray on tomatoes and cucumbers. Early blight and powdery mildew prevention.
Hi, I'm a very novice gardener and really appreciate all of your tips and knolls! I did the paper thing around my tomatoes and then added grass clippings and straw mulch! I think I will add some more grass clippings here and there too. I'm also thinking about a fungal spray for my tomatoes and cukes as well. I'm not sure which though. 2 years ago I had blight really bad (didn't mulch) I was so upset that I didn't plant anything last year. I'm hoping and praying that everything works out this year because I started everything from seed, (except for my strawberries) which is fun, but a whole bunch of work.. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be a novice. There is so much too gardening and there is always something new, we are all novices.
I use sulfur spray. I was using 2 rounded tablespoons of wettable sulfur per 2 gallons. I am changing that to 1 leveled tablespoon per gallon of water. I want to be more exact for my blog. When I use the formula, Ill write something up. Too much sulfur will burn plant leaves.
I have test plants and recommend what ever you choose to spray, spray a test plant and wait a week to see how it goes.
People use milk, baking soda, soaps, etc and other more potent sprays. The idea is to make the leaf surface unhospitable to diseases. I even use aspirin to boost immunity.
As for seed starting. Im with you, its fun and relaxing but a lot of work. 80% of my gardens are started seeds. It saves money and its rewarding to see your work grow. Good luck.