It's that time of the season....

matoman · June 15, 2009

It's come to that point in the Garden Season that I face my two most annoying problems...

The first...Bacterial Wilt on my tomato plants.

My third plant this season is showing those tender new branch wilting signs that can lead to the whole plant going south in about a week. Two of the three plants are in sections of the garden that did not have any plants that are sensitive to this wilt in years...one of the plants is in a newly dug bed this year. It's frustrating to see a 4 to 5 tall tomato plant suddenly start wilting. At this point I keep my fingers crossed for all of my plants.

My second issue....The Asiatic Garden Beetle

I do not have that much trouble with Japanese Beetles (My neighbor has Rose Bushes - Thanks Neighbor....and I plant Marigolds to use the flowers as trap plants. The Asiatic Garden Beetle can do just as much damage as the Japanese Beetle but the difference is they only come out at night. So my neighbors think I'm crazy walking around my garden at 10:30 at night with a flashlight and catch jar. Last nights catch...about thirty of those little pains in the butt. They have a particular fondness for sunflower leaves, basil and zinnia...but if it's green and has a leaf they will eat it. This process will become a nightly ritual until I see reduced numbers. This year is not as bad as a few years back when I had what would be called an infestation...not a good sunflower year that year.

So....tell me I'm not the only person suffering with certain garden nemesis issues. Anyone troubled with bacterial wilt or Asiatic Garden Beetles? Any hints or suggestions....am I doing something wrong?

June 15, 2009	#1
matoman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 12	It's that time of the season.... It's come to that point in the Garden Season that I face my two most annoying problems... The first...Bacterial Wilt on my tomato plants. My third plant this season is showing those tender new branch wilting signs that can lead to the whole plant going south in about a week. Two of the three plants are in sections of the garden that did not have any plants that are sensitive to this wilt in years...one of the plants is in a newly dug bed this year. It's frustrating to see a 4 to 5 tall tomato plant suddenly start wilting. At this point I keep my fingers crossed for all of my plants. My second issue....The Asiatic Garden Beetle I do not have that much trouble with Japanese Beetles (My neighbor has Rose Bushes - Thanks Neighbor....and I plant Marigolds to use the flowers as trap plants. The Asiatic Garden Beetle can do just as much damage as the Japanese Beetle but the difference is they only come out at night. So my neighbors think I'm crazy walking around my garden at 10:30 at night with a flashlight and catch jar. Last nights catch...about thirty of those little pains in the butt. They have a particular fondness for sunflower leaves, basil and zinnia...but if it's green and has a leaf they will eat it. This process will become a nightly ritual until I see reduced numbers. This year is not as bad as a few years back when I had what would be called an infestation...not a good sunflower year that year. So....tell me I'm not the only person suffering with certain garden nemesis issues. Anyone troubled with bacterial wilt or Asiatic Garden Beetles? Any hints or suggestions....am I doing something wrong?