How's Garden Problems - in North Central Maryland - 20010

Beans:
100816 - Darned leaves look like window screens! Mexican Bean Beatles, AGAIN What a pain, lot to say here... Tried ladybugs, the jokes on me! haaa haaa Rotenone! at the maximum recommended strength finally knocked 'em back. 100831 - I continue to spray as the population re-builds, about 5 days. That give the plants enough of a break to make a few beans. The deer don't seem to like it either when fresh but after a couple of days they'll be back trimming thins up, the buggers... And the ground hog! last: 100831	No pics
Potatoes
Leaves are gone! Blackish mush on bare stems where leaves used to be accompanied by gross looking fat red-orange with black spots sluggy-bugs... ewww Boy they are fast eaters. That is the Colorado Potato larvae. In fact they are so gross that no one posts pictures of them , just the adults. I'll get a shot if I get any more. The adults are like shiny white-beige with many black striped from front to back. I sprayed the larvae with Rotenone twice and seemed to kill (3 days) Adults continue to show up 1-3 per day which I pick off. They hang out on the top of plant leaves which makes them fairly easy to spot. They don't seem to eat much. So far I have not had another outbreak of the larvea. SO - WATCH FOR THE ADULTS and get 'em before they lay eggs - is best. 100831 - Yes that is working and now I am not even seeing any more beetles show up. 100816 - I am now starting to get what looks the same as the septoria on the tomatoes. I gave them a light coat of copper spray at bottoms of plants... we'll see. 100831 That has spread a bit more but it's not quite the same. The leaf holes are smaller and are not ringed in yellow and the leave tips a turning brown like a burn. I see references say that leaf hopper "burn" leafs brown tips like that but I have not found a leaf hopper. Supposedly 1/8 inch. My eyes aren't the greatest but I think I looked pretty good. I did spray with Rotenone last week and maybe they got killed. But the brown tips are spreading still... hmmm I am concerned about the blight so I am going to use copper on the potatoes too. Ref: http://www.slhfarm.com/potatopests.html last: 100831
Tomatoes:
Black spots on yellowing leaves starting with older bottom leaves and progressing upward. Oldest leaves wither to black/brown and fall off. Using web sources including these two: http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/diagnostickeys/TomLeaf/TomLeafKey.html http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/tomatoproblemsolver/leaf/ and a Really nice pest and disease book at Bowmans (Westminster) I m now thinking the problem is the Septoria Fungus. The nice lady a Bowmans told me she had similar problem earlier in the year and used Bon-ide - "Fung-onil" (chlorothalonil , (same as in "Daconil")) and has had no more problem this year. Only problem there is it's non-organic and while the warnig on Fungonil for tomatoes says you can use up to zero days before harvest , I think I'll try the copperr which says it's effective as well. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tried:Bonide Tomato & Garden 3 in 1 Spray (extract of neem oil .9%) . . . . not sure of result after 2 days then I went to the copper so who knows - I started spraying Bonide copper @ 2-oz/gal. It was drizzly but made 1st coat anyhow to stop spores (100815)   I have made 2 more lighter applications as it has rained twice   Looks like it may rain again this evening. The most affected plants are 95% defoliated , the least 5% - I have spread a light mix of coffee grounds and ciggy butt renderings arond two of the worst effected to (if nothing else) ward off evil spirits... :) Three weeks later they seem the same as the rest. devastation - 75k devastation - 32k After three weeks the plants seem to be holding steady. The leave disease is still spreading but very slowly. There does seem to be a sudden acceleration immediatly following a rain. I am spraying all at the 2-oz/gal rate about every 3-5 days and trying to get a fresh coat on following a rain. I think that part of the problem is that we are in a stream bottom and have a LOT of dew. So I am thinking it might be better to drift the spray onto the plants at evening to keep the spores from having all night to grow. May I could use less. I am almost finishid with the first 16 oz container. In spite of all this trouble with the leaves the tomatoes themselves are not so much affected except that some are not ripening on the most severely weakened plants. I guess that is good and bad , there are tomatoes for making sauce, but I have to make the sauce :)... last: 100831	Larger Photo: 93k
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