Summer doldrums

[Starlight]

I wish!!!!! Big time I wish. Other than a piddy little shower that didn't even wet the top of the soil decent, this going on week three now with no rain and temps well over 100F with the heat index.

I'm wilting faster than my plants. Becareful Bill. Gave myself a good case of heat exhaustion and the body is still not recovering from it even with drinking tons of water and gatoraid and cool to then cold showers.

We are past the point of miserable. It is just pure heck and no relief at night. The rain has been going all around me. Lots of thunder and heat lightening, but that is about it. Even the weeds are finally starting to die and have been watching tree branches and leaves already start to fall.

I already have several plants that have just bit the dust. I'm actually thinking of removing those out there now, doing a major clean up and see about planting a few for fall. I read about the three you suggested for being good ones for the fall and know I have two of them.

They saying most of us should get some rain later today. I can only hope. Even a spintz of rain helps bring the temps down for a little bit. I'll take and hour or two of cooler weather.
One thing I have noticed though is that the flea bugs have all buit disappeared. Whether it is from the extended heat and humidity or beneficials I don't know, but I sure am glad to see them go.

[b54red]

Starlight you better watch for spider mites they are destroying my plants now after nearly a month of 100 degree days and no rain. I hope it rains every day for a few days to give me the cooler mornings to get a little done. I'll worry about diseases later cause if the spider mites aren't gotten under control I might as well have Late Blight.

Bill

[Starlight]

I been keeping an eye out since you said you had them so bad. So far, I'm not having a problem with them. Keeping fingers crossed and now that I said that you watch I'll get them big time.

Have you tried to bring in beneficial mites to eat your bad guys up? If you put "beneficials that destroy spider mites" into google there are all kinds of places that sell beneficial spider mites that eat the bad guys and some organic sprays too.

From what I know about the spider mites, which isn't too much is that they make teeny tiny webs on the back of leaves near the veins. Would probably take a magnifying glass to see the webs or maybe running fingers on the backs of leaves or using something maybe like a toothbrush that would snag the almost invisible webs would help.

You would think that the bleach spray would kill the eggs, but I guess not. I've read where jet spraying underside of leaves is supposed to help and also using Rosemary oil for spraying leaves that it kills bad mites but not good predatory mites.

I feel for you. I felt the same way about flea beetles as you do mites. Frustration... frustration.. frustration when you can't seem to get rid of them. (sigh)

[efisakov]

Starlight, you are growing peppers. Your hot peppers, are they near tomatoes? Maybe spider mites do not like them.

[b54red]

You will rarely see any spider mites on any healthy pepper plants. I have seen a few on older sickly plants but even then they much prefer tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans and sweet potato vines around here.

Bill

[efisakov]

I my garden, they start with marigolds and cherry tomatoes.

[Starlight]

Finally!!! We got some rain last night. Lots of thunder and lightening and for awhile I thought it was going to go right on by again and than a miracle, rain!!!!!!! FAst and furious and it lasted for about a half hour. Was amazing to watch temps go down 25F in a matter of minutes. I wanted so bad just to sit out in it, but to much lightening.

Back to thunder and no rain again today. Sure was nice while it lasted.

Ella ... Nope , I have lots of sweet banana peppers at one end of the tomatoes and at the other end is a jumble of plants like Echinacea, Salvias, Pomegranate , Lavenders, stuff like that. I keep forgetting to ask you too... Who is that huge tomato your holding? Sure is pretty one! : )

I wonder if we will have an early winter or a nice long fall. I'm hoping for the long fall and an Indian Summer. It could start now and run to Jan and I wouldn't complain. ; )

[efisakov]

It is Cherokee Purple. I liked it a lot. Took picture to make my avatar. Did not know at a time that it is a legend tomato. Have it in my garden every year since.

[b54red]

Finally got all the bad looking foliage removed off all my plants and applied a second coat of DE in water. I almost stopped up my sprayer because I used so much DE. I put in about 20 tablespoons to the gallon. When I finished and everything had dried there was a nice white powdery surface on everything I sprayed.

Bill