Sometimes, it is hard to tell exactly what is going on with your garden in the heat of the summer. Do you have yellowing leaves? Spots? Insects all over your plants? Are things mysteriously dying? Below is a list of common garden problems and what you can do to fix them.
1. Blossom End Rot
There’s nothing quite as frustrating as blossom end rot. This typically happens in tomatoes and peppers when the weather has fluctuated over a period of time. Have you had heavy rain followed by a long, dry period? The change in the amount of water the plant is getting may cause the bottom to brown and rot. An easy fix is to make sure when you water, that you do consistently.
Blossom end rot can also be cause by a calcium deficiency. Many people claim you can solve this issue by using lime, tums, bone meal, or even egg shells ground into a powder. This works best if you place into the soil before you plant.
You should remove any of the affected fruit. You can’t actually reverse the damage and, that way, your plant is not expending resources that could go to a healthy harvest.
2. Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is the bane of every squash grower, especially in humid areas. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that will typically occur when the weather starts to heat up and leaves are dry. It won’t kill your plants, but it will deprive them of nutrients and slow growth.
This is a hard thing to prevent and, in all honesty, you may just have to plan on replanting after it takes over.
Spacing plants away from each other can help, as well as pruning off infected leaves. You can use sulfur-containing fungicides if you are determined to save the plant.
3. Squash Bugs
Squash bugs are one of the biggest dangers you will face when you grow – you guessed it – squash plants. They suck sap out of leaves which will cause yellowing, and eventually browning. With enough time, they will zap your plant of water and nutrients, which will eventually lead to its demise.
The easiest way to deal with a squash bug infestation is to deal with them when they are eggs or nymphs. To kill, you can remove them and drop them into a pail of water. Eggs will typically be found on the underside of leaves and can easily be crushed
Adults are much harder to kill. They move fast and will often scuttle under neighboring plants. You can trap them by putting cardboard down at night. They will gather under it and you can collect them in the morning.
4. Aphids
Aphids can cause problems from curling leaves, deformed flowers, and can spread viruses. They operate by feeding off of the liquid in plants and taking their nutrients. Individually, they can’t do much damage, but in large numbers they can significantly harm your garden.
Fortunately, they aren’t the most difficult thing to deal with. You can spray them with cold water squash them by hand, introduce predators (such as ladybugs), or use insecticidal soap. Neem oil is also a popular solution.
It is important that you remove the eggs. The easiest way to do this is to check under the leaves and remove with tape.
5. Tomato Hornworm/ Tobacco Hornworm
The biggest indication that you have a tomato or tobacco hornworm problem will be chewed and missing leaves on the top of your plant. They can strip a mature tomato plant in as little as a night and will leave so much caterpillar poop in their wake.
Due to their color (green), they are hard to spot during the day. The best time to hunt for them is at night, with a blacklight, where they will easily show up.
These pests may be hard to find, but they are easy to kill. You can squash them or feed them to chickens.
BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is also a great way to deal with them. It is nontoxic pesticide that acts as a poison but will not harm people or animals. They do have to eat it for it to work and, if it rains, it must be reapplied.
6. Spider Mites
Spider mites are reddish-brown or pale in color and are about the size of a pinpoint. They live in colonies, typically on the underside of leaves, and survive by extracting the plant’s fluid. They won’t kill your plants, but they can directly impact the quality and abundance of your harvest.
Spider mites can cause the leaves on your plants to have tiny, white dots. If left unchecked, these mites will suck the life from your plants. Applying neem oil will help kill the mites. You can also use an insecticidal soap if you are aiming to be pesticide free.
7. Wilt
Sometimes, a plant will wilt due to sun pressure. If you have days that are 90+ degrees, plant leaves may begin drooping. It’s best not to water during the heat of the day – wait until either early morning or night to give them more water. Getting leaves on the foliage while the sun is high can actually burn them. Most plants that are wilting due to this reason will perk up once they are back in the shade.
However, this can also happen due to disease. Root rot and vascular wilt are common issues that can be prevented with weeding and mulching.
8. Yellow leaves
Spotting yellow leaves in the garden can be due to a few things. Most commonly, a plant who is beginning to yellow is missing a necessary resource, such as sunlight. If your plants are crowded, simply removing the plant that is shadowing it may solve the problem.
A plant may also yellow if they are missing nutrients. You can test to see exactly what nutrient it needs but the easiest fix it to add some compost. You can make your own (just make sure it’s not hot!) or buy it from stores like Lowes or Home Depot. Simply top dress around the plant and wait to see if its condition improves.
If disease is the issue, it may be best just to pull up the plant and try again. Yellow wilt can spread and it’s best to remove it from your garden.
9. Leaf Curl
If the leaves on your plants are curling, it usually a good sign that there is some sort of moisture imbalance or a herbicide has been used nearby.
While you can’t control the weather, you can better regulate how you water and educate yourself on each plant’s individual needs. For example, tomatoes prefer deep watering every few days rather than light watering daily. Cucumbers, however, have a shallow root system and do better when they are watered more frequently.
Unfortunately, there’s little you can do to reverse the damage of herbicides after the fact. If you do know your city or neighbor will be spraying, you can ask them to do it on a day that isn’t windy and cover your plants.
Of course, leaf curl can also happen due to disease. If this is the case it is best to pull the plant so that it doesn’t infect its neighbors.
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