Q. Can I compost pet manure?
A. Only compost the manure from herbivores—animals that eat only plants. Even if the materials are composted in a hot pile, it may not be hot enough to destroy the cysts of parasites found in dog and/or cat manure.
Q. Our acorn squash and pumpkin vines have gotten out of hand in our small garden. If we cut off some of the vines, will it harm the plants? Will they still produce fruit?
A. It is important to allow ample space for vine plants so they will have good air circulation and so sunlight can reach all parts of the plant. It is not a good idea to remove portions of the vines in an attempt to control size. In the future select compact varieties of the vegetables you wish to grow and if none are available, you may have to buy the desired produce at your local farmers market.
Q. I planted Brandywine tomatoes, and the plants are strong and enormous. They have produced many flowers but no fruit. Any suggestions?
A. Brandywine tomatoes are relatively late to bear, with fruit beginning to ripen about 80 days after seedlings are set out. Be patient; if fruit has not begun to form yet it probably will soon. It's not unusual for the first flowers to fail to set fruit. While many heirloom tomatoes are late-bearing, there are also earlier fruiting varieties. Check the seed packet or plant label for days to harvest.
Q. My tomatoes have a lot of blossoms but I don’t get any fruit. What can I do?
A. There are several reasons that the fruit may fail to set. It may be that the nights are too cold in the spring, high summer temps consistently over 90 F. during the day or low light intensity. Smog (ozone) can also prevent fruit from setting properly. Keep plants evenly moist, especially during periods of high temperatures. Consider trying some hand pollination with a small paintbrush, and make sure the plants are receiving plenty of sun. You can also try some of the fruit set homomones available in garden centers. This material works best in relation to cooler nighttime temperatures. More on tomato pest management.
Q. My tomatoes have brown-black spots on the bottom (the blossom) end. What can I do?
A. This is a physiological disease (not caused by a microorganism) that involves calcium nutrition and water balance in the plant. It is aggravated by high soil salt content or low soil moisture. It is more common on sandier soils and on some tomato varieties. Try to maintain even soil moisture. More on tomato pest management.
Q. I have lovely squash plants but the fruit fails to fully develop.
A. Curcurbits (squash, melons and cucumbers) have a unique flowering habit. They produce both male and female flowers and the pollen must be carried, usually by bees, from the male flower to the female flower. Where this doesn’t happen, it may result in incomplete pollination and the end of the developing fruit will shrivel. A dedicated gardener can help the process along with a small paintbrush. They can dip the paintbrush in the male flower and collect some pollen and move it to the female flower. You can recognize the female flower because it has a small developing miniature fruit at the base of the flower.
Q. I have a white powdery substance on the leaves and stems of my pumpkins. The spots seem to get bigger and cover the leaves. The leaves eventually turn yellow and die. What can I do?
A. The problem is a fungus disease called powdery mildew. The disease will be less severe in hot, dry weather. Plant resistant varieties. More on management of powdery mildew in the vegetable garden.
Q. Are nutrients in organic matter immediately available to plants?
A. No, the nutrients in organic matter gradually become available to plants. Under suitable conditions, including pH and moisture level, organic matter is decomposed by soil-dwelling organisms such as; fungi, algae, bacteria, molds, and earthworms. During this process, insoluble nutrients, which are not available to plants, are gradually changed into available soluble forms. For example, nitrogen is converted from its unavailable organic form to an available inorganic form (nitrate) by soil organisms through a process called nitrification. The soil organisms slowly release nutrients from organic matter for plant uptake. Therefore, periodic confirmation of soil pH is necessary for good performance.
Q. My bean foliage is distorted with a mottled pattern, and the fruit is crooked and hard. What's wrong?
A. This is bean mosaic, a virus that is seed-transmitted. Once it develops within a garden, it can be moved from one plant to another by aphids. Control this disease by using good-quality bean seed, following an aphid control program in the garden, and removing diseased plants. Similar damage occurs when plants are exposed to: *Phenoxy herbicide (broadleaf herbicide). When applying herbicides near crops, be aware of wind speed and direction. *Use of tobacco products (cigarettes) when handling plants can transfer the mosaic virus. Mosaic virus disease commonly infects beans, sweet corn, squash, melons, cucumbers, peas, peppers, and tomatoes. Therefore, placement and spacing of other rows becomes important. More on mosaic and aphids.
