Extra care given tomatoes could pay off in harvests
This is the time of year when you
begin to see the "fruit of your
labor" with your tomato plants.
Now you may say the fruit on your
plants are mighty scarce or even
the plants look sort of poorly.
Well, there are many things that
can cause those problems.
Just a few of the more common
are: poor fruit set, blossom-end
rot, bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt,
Verticillium wilt, early blight, late
blight, and nematodes. The impor
tant thing to remember is that you
can do something about most of
them.
Poor fruit set is usually caused
by poor pollination.
One of the primary reasons for
poor pollination is low bee
numbers. Bees do help pollinate
tomatoes, so having a hive close by
can help.
Something else that can help
with the bees is applying any
pesticides that you may have to use
late in the afternoon versus early to
mid-morning. Bees normally work
blossoms during the morning,
therefore, afternoon pesticide ap
plications would be less likely to
contact the bees and kill them.
Extreme fluctuations in soil
mosture can also cause some fruit
set problems. Practicing a regular
irrigation and good mulching pro
gram will help to stabilize soil
moisture.
Normally, blossom -end rot is
seen this time of year, after several
fruit clusters have been set on each
plant. It is a physiological disorder
that results from a lack of calcium
in the blossom-end of the fruit.
Usually it is seen follwing extremes
Extension I
News E^r
Willie Featherstone
County Extension
- Chairman
in your garden. That means using
soil test information regularly to
apply the proper amounts of lime
and fertilizers.
Tomatoes need a soil pH of
6.5-6.8. The soils here in Hoke
County will usually be more acidic
than that or have a lower pH.
Adding lime to the soil helps
raise that pH. Applying too much
fertilzer at one time can also cause
blossom-end rot to occur. You
should follow soil test recommen
dations to insure proper fertiliza
tion.
Since the problem is usually seen
following extremes in soil
moisture, you can help control it
by mulching your plants to con
serve soil mosture and using irriga
tion if necessary. Tomato plants
require about one inch of water per
week. That amount should be ap
plied by rain or irrigation.
However, be sure not to "over
water" your plants, as that can
cause as many problems as too lit
tle water.
Spryaing your tomato plants
with calcium can also help you
fight blossom-end rot. You can
spray the plants to wetting with a
calcium solution at the rate of four
level tablespoons of calcium
nitrate or calcium chloride per
gallon of water.
The spray should be applied
once a week for two to three weeks
beginning when the second fruit
cluster blooms.
One good thing about the spray
is that it can be mixed with the
fungicides you can use to control
blights.
All of the wilts (bacterial,
Fusarium and Verticillium) are
characterized by wilting of the
leaves, leaf yellowing and death,
and discoloration of the water
conducting tissues of the plant.
The most practical treatment for
any of the wilts is to use a resistant
variety.
However, if you cannot use a
resistant variety, you should use a
crop rotation plan of 3-4 years.
Also, fumigation of the tomato
rows can help control them.
There are several fumigants
available to home garderners that
can be put down in the rows before
setting-out the plants. In fact,
some of the fumigants can be ap
plied in the fall to protect your
crop next spring.
Both early and late blight plus
several other tomato plant diseases
can be controlled with any one of
several fungicides on the market.
The secret to controlling these type
diseases is setting-up and following
a regular spray program.
Nematodes are microscopic
worm-like animals that attack the
root systems of susceptible plants.
Trimming the roots as nematodes
do can weaken the plant enough to
allow diseases to infect otherwise
healthy plants.
Nematodes by themselves can
also cause yield losses or even plant
death if they are severe enough.
The only way to know the
seriousness of a nematode problem
is to take a nematode for analysis.
Such a sample should be taken
during the growing season or just
after.
There are several ways you can
control nematodes.
The two simplest are crop rota
tion and the use of resistant
varieties.
The use of soil fumigants is one
that requires a little more effort.
However, some of the same
fumigants that work on the wilts
will also work on nematodes, so
you can beat two problems with
one treatment.
After reading all of this you
have probably decided that there
can be a lot of work and planning
to raising beautiful tomatoes.
Well, that is true, but that is why a
bountiful crop is so appreciated
and called the "fruit of your
labor."
For more information on the
proper fumigants, fungicides,
resistant varieties, and soil and
nematode testing information feel
free to call the Hoke County
Agricultural Extension Office at
875-3461.
by the Raeford Chamber of Commerce. Yards are
judged by the Raeford Junior Woman's Club on
neatness and appearance.
Yard of the month
July's yard beautiful belongs to Roger Dixon. The
Dixons live on the corner of Edinborough and
Jackson streets. The award is presented each month
Shoulder pads making come back
Shoulder pads are making it big
on the fashion scene this season.
How does one place them in a
hand-sewn garment?
Shoulder pads are placed after
the sleeves are sewn in. Match the
center of the pad (the widest part)
to the shoulder line of the garmet
and extend it 3/8 inch to 5/8 inch
beyond the armhole seam into the
sleeve.
; Pin the pad in place from the
right side of the garment.
? Loosely handstitch along the
On the
Front Burner
Alice Pelt it t
Home Economics
Agent
shoulder seam and armhole seam
allowance. Or sew in snaps at the
shoulder seam and corners for
removable pads.
Rainbow Pear Compote
1 can (16 oz.) pear halves
Vi cup orange juice
1 piece (l'/2 inch cinnamon stick)
4 whole cloves
1 kiwifruit pared and sliced
1 red apple, cubed
'A cup halved red grapes, seeded if
necessary
1 orange, peeled and sectioned.
Drain pears, reserve Vi cup li
quid. Combine reserved liquid
(See FRONT, page 7)
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107 OPEN W?d. til 1:00 p.m.
? c
ON SALE TODAY THRU SUNDAY
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