Yellow leaves are a sign of pepper decline
plant, but you cannot be sure. Most seedlings flower a year or two after germination.
Whiteflies have affected our crotons, causing sooty mold to form on the leaves. How can we get them under control?
One natural solution to whiteflies and the sooty mold fungus is a horticultural oil spray found at your local garden center. To be effective, the spray has to cover the immature stages. As the spray gradually controls the whiteflies, it also causes the sooty mold to slough off. Another control is one of the systemic insecticides available from garden centers. Follow the label, as some may be applied to the foliage and others the soil. Neither the oils nor systemic insecticides give immediate control of adult whiteflies. Repeat applications are often needed; follow label instructions.
Our podocarpus hedge is getting black tips in various places and some stems are turning brown. What could be the problem?
Let’s hope the black tips are actually green leaves coated with sooty mold from an aphid infestation. The black is a fungus that grows on the excreta from the insects. Both can be controlled with a horticultural oil spray found at garden centers, following label instructions.
A more serious problem, often indicated by the brown stems, is mushroom root rot, a trunk and root disease. Do an Internet search to learn more about this fungal disease and how you can further diagnose the podocarpus decline problem. Lastly, this could be a water problem. Check to make sure the ground is consistently moist. If this is a new planting, also make sure the root balls are completely moist.
My vegetable garden is quickly declining. When is the next time to start new vegetables?
Some residents keep their gardens going through summer with cherry tomatoes, okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes and similar heatloving crops. But most give their gardens a break and wait for the late summer crops that grow into the fall. Most of these don’t mind the heat to get started, but wait until the temperatures moderate to set flowers and produce their harvests. Some you may want to plant midAugust through early September include beans, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes. Use the next few weeks to prepare the planting site by removing old crops, eliminating weeds, adjusting the soil acidity and tilling in organic matter additions as needed.