Has this weather been crazy or what? Unfortunately, all of the weeds were thriving from it last month, and bacteria were running rampant along with fungus and disease, the newest next of kin. 

First, let’s focus on our weeds in our vegetable garden and the soil nearby.  Recently, brought to my attention by one of you, was the problem of nut grass (not sedge).  This grassy weed appears overnight and soon gets 6-8” tall and spreads.  Although it comes up easily, there is a little nut located at the root base, and when you pull the weed up, the little nut stays in the soil and multiplies into even more weeds.  This weed thrives in soft, loose, plowed soil so no wonder it’s found in and near our gardens and flowerbeds.  Yes, they can even appear in pots if a bird decides to help you out there.  Ortho has a product for weeds, which indicates nut sedge on the back of the label; however, it kills the weed but does nothing (in my opinion) to sterilize the seed underground.   The only problem is keeping it away from the plants and root systems. 

My Grandma, going on 90 and still kicking, uses black plastic and covers the area and leaves it there long enough to kill all of the surficial foliage.  Depending on the sun’s decision to shine, this season will tell you how long to leave it on, usually a week.  After that, lift the plastic, remove all the dead weeds, rake to loosen soil if compacted, and reapply plastic another week or two.  What we want to do is heat it up and kill the nut.  This will actually kill off any other weed seed as well.  I still strongly advise to spread straw as a mulch thru your hoed rows and around the plants after.  FYI, nut grass won’t grow where straw is applied, so keep in mind for the future.  Now our biggest issue so far this month is the yellowing, etc., of our matters.  The two most common culprits are the Fusarium’s Verticillium wilts.  These wilts are not prejudice and they are 100% opportunistic.  This has been the buzz on Facebook this week and I have encountered multiple attacks.  There is no good news about this fungi.  Its organisms enter through the roots (usually young to mid life) and flow through the water conducting vessels into the plant.  At first your plant may appear wilted and you will assume it needs more water, and as you do so it appears to recover by that next morning then wilt again and so on.  We are actually drowning the plant (yellowing occurs) because the vessels are blocked and the water supply is not going from the root, through the plant and evaporating through the leaves.  This is just an awful situation.  Pretty soon the whole bottom of the plant is yellowing.  Leaves start curling, turning brittle brown and falling off.  This is not always fatal for the plant; however, you are not limited to a smaller low yielding crop.  You may decide to ride it out and harvest what you can, but remember this is a soil borne pathogen and can live in your soil for years.  If you encountered this last year, look for it this year.

Fusarium wilt will begin in your tomatoes as brown veins running along the stems and vines and the lowermost mature leaves are affected first, then travels upward in the plant and usually attacks one side of the leaf and plant.  You can cut into a stem and look for brown discoloration inside to know for sure.  Verticilium wilt is similar.  Its discoloration is not as bright a yellow, more tan in color and usually stays at the bottom of the plant and does not travel to the top of it.  It attacks both sides of the leaf, and pepper plants  can get this as well.  So can potatoes.

If you have/use a container garden, when you discard your soil, tie it in a trash bag before you throw it away.  Don’t dump it anywhere.  Use a bleach solution or any cleaner containing sodium hypochlorite 1:10 and rinse thoroughly.  I recommend Kellogg Patio Plus as your complete potting soil.  It has kelp meal, bat guano, and chicken poop in it and it contains mycorrhizae, which is a beneficial fungi.  You can find that product anywhere but Home Depot.  LOL. 

If your garden is in the ground, remove affected plants.  Now would be best, to stop the spreading, but you may choose to take the risk and chance to get what you can.  The best chance we have for soil eradication is to solarize it by covering the soil area in clear plastic for 4-12 weeks, depending again upon our sun’s willingness to shine for us.  This will destroy both wilt pathogens at least 6” down in the soil.  Make sure after you remove the plastic you remove ANY growth of plants as weeds that soon emerge.  They may provide as a host for the pathogens to attach to and survive.  Whew.

And for some good news, I took my PC to the doctor and its new parts came in today.  So I will be able to participate on my Blog.  So send in questions and remember the scarecrow contest.  We’ve got to have pictures, and remember, NO using your kids.  He-He-He.  My surgery on my neck is July 7th, so I’m gonna need the laughs.  Be as creative as you wish. 

Love Always,

Your Plant Lady

P.S., if you have to replant your tomatoes, here are some of the disease resistants -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ones good for our area.  Look for an F or V resistancy on the label: 
Super Steak, Better Boy, New Yorker,  Celebrity, Heinz, Big Girl, Beef Master and Jumbo