Why are some of the fruit on my cucumber vines misshapen?
Poorly-shaped fruit are usually the result of poor pollination. Poor pollination may be due to cool, wet weather or improperly applied insecticides that limit bee activity. When insecticides are necessary, select an insecticide with a low toxicity to bees and apply it early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce the risk to bees.
Why are some trees and shrubs losing leaves in mid-summer?
Many trees and shrubs in Iowa have been losing leaves during the last few weeks. In many cases, the leaf drop can be traced back to the wet spring and summer. The rainy weather favored the development of foliar diseases on many trees and shrubs. Other plants have been stressed by waterlogged soils.
Foliar diseases, such as apple scab on crabapples, cherry leaf spot on cherries, and Septoria leaf spot on dogwoods, cause spotting of the foliage and premature leaf drop. While affected plants are unattractive, they have not been seriously damaged and should leaf out normally next spring. If possible, home gardeners should rake up and destroy the infected foliage to reduce the overwintering population of these fungi.
A lack of oxygen in saturated, poorly-drained soils may be causing leaf drop on sugar maple, black walnut, linden and other trees. The full extent of damage to these trees won't be known until next spring. Though stressed, most trees should survive and leaf out next spring.
My tomatoes are developing white or yellow areas on the sides of the fruit exposed to the sun. Why?
The white or yellow areas on your tomatoes are due to sunscald. Sunscald occurs on fruit exposed to the sun during periods of extreme heat. Initial symptoms of sunscald are the development of shiny white or yellow areas on the fruit. Later, the affected tissue dries out and collapses, forming slightly sunken, wrinkled areas. Secondary organisms invade the affected areas causing the fruit to rot.
Losses due to sunscald can be reduced by growing tomatoes in wire cages. Cage grown tomato plants provide good foliage protection for the fruit. Also, control Septoria leaf spot and other foliar diseases which defoliate the plants and expose the fruit to direct sunlight.
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