Lawn & Garden

Have questions about lawn care or gardening problems?
E-mail Ron Becker !

Late Blight has been found in tomatoes in Ohio as of June 25.  This disease can infect both commercial and backyard tomato and potato plantings, causing defestating effects.  This is the same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine.  Click here to go to the VegNet website to learn how to recoginize and deal with this disease.

Downy Mildew of cucurbits has been found in a cucumber field in Sandusky County.  Click here for more information about Downy Mildew.  A color factsheet about Downy mildew can also be found by clicking here.

How do I renovate my strawberry bed?

To do this, start by mowing off the patch to remove the old leaves. Make sure to set your mower high so that you don’t damage the crowns. Then use a tiller and take out the original row that you planted, leaving the "daughter" plants that have formed from the runners on either side. Try to leave about 12 inch wide rows of these daughter plants. Then thin the daughter plants so that they are no closer than 4-6 inches. If needed, you can top dress the bed with up to an inch of clean top soil or compost at this point. Then add two and a half pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet of row. By doing this now, your plants will have the rest of the summer to build up the energy to produce a better crop next year. Keeping control of the weeds will also help.

Some fact sheets to help you in planning your garden

How to pull a soil test - http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1132.html  (Soil sample can be sent to labs included on this sheet or taken to a local feed and fertilizer dealer)

How much should I plant? - http://msucares.com/lawn/garden/vegetables/planting/guide.html

Vegetable Fact Sheet Series - http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/vegie.html

Round Yard and Garden

What do I do about the grubs in my yard? - http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1227.html  Maintenance of Interior Foliage Plants

• Want some pointers on how to prevent or control diseases in your ornamentals?  Click here for some suggestions.
• OARDC Weather Web Site

Wonder  what the soil temperature is?  Go to http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/centernet/stations/wohome.html and select the dates you are interested in under the daily menu, then press “get data”.  The first page will bring you up to date on temperature and rain fall; page 2 gives you soil temperatures.