There are some easy ways
to control worms on cucumbers, the Plant Doctor writes.
Question: The first few cucumbers we picked were perfect but now each one has at least one small worm. I hope you have a remedy.
Answer: Most gardeners don’t need the extra protein often found in freshly picked cucumbers, squash and cantaloupes. As you noted the first few fruits may be pest free but then the pickle and melon worms find the patch. Both start out as a brown dingy moths that fly in to lay eggs among the plantings.
Luckily control is rather easy with one of two low toxicity and natural insecticides found at local garden centers. Select from either Thuricide or a spinosad containing product. The latter is found at independent garden centers as an insecticide for caterpillar control under the Fertilome and Southern Ag labels. Be sure to follow the label of the product selected for safe and effective control.
Q: I missed giving our crape myrtles a spring pruning. Is it too late to cut them back?
A: It is doubtful crape myrtles would mind the late trimming but you could miss a lot of summer color. Perhaps it may be a surprise to some, but crape myrtles don’t need a lot of trimming. They can grow and flower perfectly with minimal grooming to remove out-of-bounds shoots, crisscrossing limbs and errant stems sprouting from their base. Some good looking crape myrtles are never touched with pruners. But you be the judge. If your plants need major trimming there is still time.
Q: We are thinking about seeding a new lawn. Can you tell us the difference between the Pensacola and Argentine bahiagrasses?
A: Commonly grown bahiagrass varieties all had their start as pasture grasses introduced to Florida in 1914. They are popular for their pest and drought tolerance, which is why bahia is often selected for a home lawn.
All common bahiagrasses produce tall seed heads late spring through summer, which makes them a bit objectionable. Argentine bahia is normally preferred as it maintains a good green color and has fewer but still quite obvious seed heads. Pensacola bahia produces more seeds heads, tends to turn yellow more and has a narrower leaf than Argentine. Even thought Argentine bahia seed is usually a bit more expensive than Pensacola, it is still considered the better buy for home lawns.
Q: Our tomato plants have grown beautifully and given us good yields but now each fruit is developing a sunken brown bottom. Would you recommend a treatment?
A: A quick application of a blossom-end rot-preventing solution found at garden centers may save the rest of the crop from this physiological disease. The brown bottoms come from a lack of calcium being taken up from the soil by the plants.
Calcium, which helps hold cells together in the fruits, may be missing in the soil or the problem could be related to a lack of a uniform moisture supply. Locally the deficiency within the plants most often occurs in containergrown tomatoes that dry out too quickly between waterings. Try watering before the soil starts to dry and make applications of a blossom-end rot control as instructed on the label.
Q: We planted several Simpson stopper shrubs as a hedge 10 days ago but each is slowly turning brown. They have been watered regularly. What could be the problem?
A: Ten days is a very short period of time for these native shrubs to small tree forms to go into decline. Such quick demise almost certainly has to be water related. Here is a guess:. Most likely the root balls were dry at planting and they have never been re-wet by you regular waterings.
Dry root balls repel moisture and the irrigation water runs around the outer edge to never wet the soil inside. Some watering with a hose may save these quite durable and drought tolerant plants. Also, build a 4- to 6-inch berm of soil at the edge of each root ball. This directs the water down through the root balls and then out into the surrounding soil. Hopefully this quick action and summer rains can bring your plants back to life.
Q: Our pineapple guava shrub is 4 years old and looks attractive but has not produced fruit. How long do we need to wait?
A: Not all gardeners take a liking to pineapple guava fruits which seem to have a bland to minty or guavalike taste. Most do appreciate the edible white and red flowers during the spring. Pineapple guava plants, also called feijoa shrubs, can be grown in foundation plantings, used as hedges or developed into tree forms with their attractive silvery foliage. They do prefer a cool winter to produce their fruits, which may not come into production for five or more years after the shrubs are added to the landscape.