TroubleFreeTomatoesSpanish

Madison, Wis. – Gov. Scott Walker has declared a state of emergency in 42 Wisconsin counties due to the drought. These dry conditions pose challenges for all Wisconsin residents, both urban and rural.

Potential crop losses may prove stressful to cash grain farmers as they struggle to meet commitments, and for livestock farmers who require large amounts of quality feed and forage. Urban residents wonder what to do about their lawns, gardens and trees. Everyone is concerned about heat exhaustion.

While University of Wisconsin-Extension cannot do anything about the rain, there are choices to be made about capturing as much gain as possible from drought-affected acres, making decisions about herd management and knowing how to avoid heat stress.

Answers to many drought-related questions can be found online at University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension’s “Extension Responds” website http://fyi.uwex.edu/drought2012.

Spring and Late Vegetable Planting Schedule (PDF)

YourLawnYourChoice (PDF)

There are 3 main diseases that make growing tomatoes in Wisconsin a challenge. Until recently, only Septoria and Early Blight were problems, appearing almost every year to greater or lesser degree. Neither of these kill tomato plants outright and neither actually damage the tomatoes directly. The third disease, Late Blight, is a different story. It was reported in Wisconsin in 2009 for the first time in many years.

Download Sharon’s new Tomato Diseases factsheet to learn more.

Sprays containing either copper for organic gardeners or products with the active ingredient chlorothalonil are both effective at preventing this devastating disease. Treatment must begin before infection occurs and applications need to be repeated as new leaves develop throughout the season. Late blight disease is more active during cool, wet weather and progresses more slowly when it is hot and dry. Under ideal conditions, infected plants will die in 7 to 10 days. Spores move on the wind spreading the disease up to 40 miles at a time and leapfrogging to cover huge areas quickly. “The good news is that these products are readily available at most local retailers that carry garden pesticides”, Morrisey said.

While the disease has not yet been reported in Wisconsin, there are confirmed cases in Michigan in the UP and Benton Harbor in the southwestern corner of the state.  These are in close enough proximity to pose a threat to WI.  Throughout the season already late blight reports have emerged from LA, MD. PA. KY, southern Manitoba, Canada and most recently NY and CT.  Thus far, all have been on tomatoes.

Late blight should not be confused with other common diseases of tomatoes. Late blight causes pale or olive green blotches on the leaves that quickly turn brown-black, water-soaked and oily looking. Dark brown to black patches can also form along the stems. On the tomatoes themselves, the disease causes large, sunken, golden- to chocolate-brown, firm spots with distinct rings. A grayish fuzz can form eventually on leaves, stems and tomatoes.

The other two common diseases of tomato, septoria and early blight, have either small, circular spots with tan centers or larger brown spots with a bulls-eye pattern.  These begin on the lower leaves, turning the leaves yellow at first and then brown and dry. They do not affect the stems and do not spread rapidly, seldom killing the plant.  Fortunately, the fungicides recommended to treat late blight are also effective in treating septoria and early blight.

In 2009, late blight was reported on tomatoes in 26 WI counties and on potato in 5 but in reality it was probably more widespread. During the winter, more samples of infected potatoes were submitted to the UW Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab from potatoes being stored mostly by homeowners from last year’s crop. The fungal-like organism that causes the disease, Phytophthora infestans, can only survive the winter in Wisconsin on living plant tissue such as potatoes in storage or left in the field and infected tomatoes put in compost piles that were not managed properly. This compost should be destroyed and not used in the garden.

If you have the misfortune of developing late blight on plants in your garden this year, do not compost any parts of the plants.  Instead, pull out plants roots and all, bag them in black plastic and leave them in the sun for several days before disposing of them in the trash.  Remove all infected potatoes from the ground and treat similarly. Growers can shallowly turn under infected plants so that all spores are killed by freezing this coming winter.

Morrisey further commented, “People are pretty serious about their homegrown tomatoes.  There is nothing quite as good as a ripe tomato fresh from the garden.  Additionally, there are still a lot of people who make and can homemade pasta sauce, juice and salsa.  A crop failure can disappoint a lot more than just the gardener.”

For more information, visit http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/horticulture/

The emerald ash borer is a wood boring beetle that attacks ash trees, usually killing them in one to three years. To learn how to identify and control this beetle, visit: http://emeraldashborer.wi.gov or download an Extension fact sheet:

• Emerald Ash Borer in Milwaukee County 2009
• Homeowner Guide to Emerald Ash Borer Insecticide Treatments – Revised 9/09

If you have an ash tree with two or more symptoms of infestation or have other questions, contact our office at 414-256-4600 for assistance.