Downy Mildew...the new epidemic

I had a customer contact me a couple weeks ago saying they noticed thier imaptiens were tall and leggy with little or no blooms. I went out to inspect it and thought it looked like they were suffering their normal end of season blues two MONTHS too early.

Very concerned I contacted our very trusted supplier Mindy Clesen at Ron Clesen's Ornamental Plants Inc. and she informed me that last year we saw the beginning of what is turning out to be a very significant epidemic for impatiens.

She and a fellow employee, Rachel Prescott, have given me the following useful information.

• Downy mildew won’t occur until the conditions are perfect. Most people think since they haven’t seen it yet this summer that everything will be fine, however, the cold nights are really what trigger the disease to start taking its toll on plants
• Downy mildew is characterized with leaving only the stalks of the plants left in the bed: flowers and leaves will drop, and most of the time the leaves will be covered in white spores on the underside
• The best thing to do when you identify the disease is to remove ALL plants from the bed. The most important part of this step is to do it as soon as you can! The mistake I saw a lot of landscapers make last year was they waited a week until their crew was back at the house or jobsite to remove the plant material. There are two very important reasons why you should remove the material right away:
  • There are two types of spores that are produced by Downy Mildew. The oospores are the spores that overwinter in the soil, and can cause Downy Mildew in the bed year after year once they’ve settled in. By removing material right away you are trying to prevent the overwintering of these spores.
  • The other type of spores are airborne spores. These airborne spores will die if they do not find another host, and in this case they would have to find another impatiens to infect. The quicker you remove the infected material, the less likely the disease will spread to a neighboring bed.
• Unfortunately there is no data about if throwing infected material into your compost pile will affect the integrity of the compost. Ball has said to just throw the material away in the garbage if you can, that way you don’t have to worry about your compost being compromised.
• Downy mildew of impatiens only infects Impatiens walleriana, the standard impatiens. New Guinea impatiens, impatiens hawkerii are highly tolerant of the disease. No other plants are infected by this pathogen. So choosing a different species of annual in 2013 is a good idea.
• Plasmopara obducens produces tough survival spores called oospores that can overwinter in soil and plant debris. As a result if downy mildew was present in your garden last year, it is likely to show up again in 2013. Downy mildew can also move in on wind blown spores. Although it is not known how far the downy mildew pathogen can travel by wind, a close relative, downy mildew of cucurbits, has been shown to move over 600 miles in 48 hrs.

Tasteless Tomatoes...little know fact

It's not big news that many modern tomatoes don't have the flavor of older varieties, especially those that have been bred primarily for commercial production. But some new research published recently in the journal Science may have at least a partial explanation as to why that's the case.

It turns out that selective breeding done to make it easier for commercial growers to judge when mature green tomatoes in the field are ready to be picked and shipped had some unexpected consequences. Growers knew that if uniformly light green tomatoes were picked and shipped to distant markets, by the time they arrived on store shelves, they would be the even red that customers look for. But many older tomato varieties have "green shoulders," areas at the top of the fruit remain a darker green. This uneven coloration made it hard for growers to know if a tomato had reached the "pickable" stage. So over the past seventy years or so, breeders have selected for varieties that develop a uniform green color when they are mature enough to harvest.

Unfortunately for consumers, however, it turns out that getting rid of the green shoulders also got rid of a gene called SIGLK2, whose function is to boost the level of sugars and other flavor compounds in the fruit as it ripens. Another recent study by Harry Klee of the University of Florida showed that the loss of this gene also diminished the volatile compounds a tomato gives off, aromatic compounds that contribute to our enjoyment of tomato taste through our sense of smell.

The loss of SIGLK2 gene and the green shoulders trait it codes for is not the only reason that modern tomatoes are short on flavor, but it is a piece of the puzzle. And for the best flavor among modern tomatoes? He suggests cherry tomatoes. These little varieties came late to the breeding party and he says, "Breeders haven't had as much time to mess them up."

Tips for Bird Feeding

 
Watching birds in your garden and at feeders is one of the most pleasurable ways to enjoy nature through a cold winter. On snowy days, their liveliness, colors and sounds are a source of fascination and joy. Now, with winter approaching, is a good time to set up a feeder in your garden so the birds in your area add your garden to their winter feeding rounds.

Where to Put Your Feeder

For the greatest variety and number of birds, try a variety of feeding spots and feeders. Start with one or two feeders and increase the number as you learn which foods and feeders the birds prefer. Place the feeders so you can watch them easily from a convenient window. Also, when the feeders are in sight, you'll see when they need to be filled or cleaned.
Hang feeders near shrubs or trees so birds have nearby cover and an escape route from predators such as sharp-shinned hawks. In extremely windy areas, choose sheltered locations for the feeders.

The Best Bird Seeds

  

Black oil sunflower seeds are relished by chickadees, evening grosbeaks, cardinals and finches, and are less attractive to non-native sparrows and starlings. White proso millet is the best small seed, especially attractive to juncos and sparrows in winter. Goldfinches prefer thistle seed (also called niger), which also attracts house finches and pine siskins.

Outwitting Unwanted Visitors

Squirrels are a major nemesis of bird feeders. In some areas, so are racoons and rats. Luckily, there are several types of feeders and tips about placement that will help deter visits by uninvited guests.

Squirrels

To prevent squirrels from reaching the feeder, use one that includes an attached baffle or that has a funnel-shaped top. You can also buy baffles separately and attach them to your favorite feeder. Elevate the feeder at least five feet off the ground. Place it eight to 10 feet from the nearest building and overhanging tree branches.

Raccoons

To protect post-mounted feeders from raccoons, attach a cone shield with an 18-inch radius on the post below the feeder (at least four feet above the ground). To prevent raccoons and dogs from carrying off suet, place it in a wire or mesh enclosure and hang it well above the ground.

Rats

If rats are a concern, avoid ground and platform feeders, which are most likely to attract them. Regularly clean up under hanging feeders. Lay a tarp under the feeder to catch seed hulls and dropped seed. Offer birds the seeds they prefer rather than less attractive foods such as wheat, sorghum and cracked corn, which will end up scattered on the ground. Put out just enough food so the birds clean it up before dark.

Pest Birds

If larger birds such as grackles are a problem, choose feeders designed for small birds, such as a thistle tube or hanging globe.

What About Cats?

If you have a cat, keep it inside. A bell attached to your cat's collar does little to alert birds to its approach.

 

Fall Cleanup and Birds

Birds have four basic needs: food, water, shelter from predators and the elements, and safe nesting places. In addition to setting out feeders to provide food, starting this fall and winter you can help birds meet their needs in the following ways.

 

As you clean up, leave a brush pile that birds can use for cover. Also leave seeds and fruits on plants such as sunflowers (for jays and chickadees); cosmos, chicory and evening primrose (for goldfinches); and grapes (for cedar waxwings).

Provide fresh water in a shallow container. Water should be no more than two inches deep. In winter, it is especially important to keep the water ice-free by changing it frequently or by using an immersion-type water heater designed for outdoor use.

Landscapes with abundant trees and shrubs, and a relatively small lawn, are most attractive to birds. To enhance your garden with plants that provide natural food shelter, develop a landscape plan this winter in preparation for spring planting.

Fun interesting tips for homeowners

1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be clean.

3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.

4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.

5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.

6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes.

7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the bed.

8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.

9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide.

10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

 11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a touch of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.

13. If you need an instant table for cocktails, look no farther than your collection of clay pots and saucers. Just flip a good-sized pot over, and top it off with a large saucer.

 14. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange the herbs in a single layer, then roll up the windows and close the doors. Crazy sounding, but it works!

Are you willing to pay more for Green Products

The big debate continues. We find that our residential customers are more abt to pay more but our commercial customers are not. In this economy it is very hard to blame them.

What people don't understand is that green products are not ...

just more expensive. They are also not as effective and that results in the need for more hand labor to do things that pesticides and herbicides to more efficiently...like weeding by hand.

I do hope for a time when the additional cost is not only more worth it, but that the economy can sustain it.

 

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