Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[efisakov]

Hi, everyone,
how are you with that storm? Hope all are ok.

[ginger2778]

Did we have a storm down south? I am in South America this week, having fun and cooling off! (Freezing, lol!)

[efisakov]

ha, ha, ...
that is fun
hope u are getting some tomato salad as refreshments.

[Fiishergurl]

Ella,

I'm not home but my neighbor called me and said they lost their screen room and all my tomato plants and my neighbors tomato plants blew over. They said they stood them back up by2t the storm wasn't over yet so not sure if they would stay.

But almost time to start fall plants anyways so no worries... :-)

Ginny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[Barb_FL]

I saw 2 of my EB down on the east side of the pool deck; I didn't bother to pick them up; thinking more damage would be done to them if they fell again. The One attached to a T Post was standing.

the EB on the West side of the pool deck were standing; didn't go in the back. Will check tomorrow on the plants in the back yard. I hope my Esterina and Pepper plants are OK.

Our winds were 50 MPH.

-----
Ginny - My original Blueberry plants Sunshine Blue had the least amount of chill hours; I think where your mom picks blueberries has much cooler nights in the winter. I don't think the warm winters killed the plants; more likely mites. The 2 from Etsy were just wrong but my own fault for even buying them b/c no one at all had Sunshine Blue and magically they appeared on Etsy; I had my doubts from the start.

Ginny - The Small Brad Gates Mix; remember I had a GWR plant and a red striped plant. I saved a lot of seeds from each; one stray seed from the Red one grew in the ground; produced 2 beautiful tomatoes; ate one and it wasn't very good; BUT it was true size and color wise to the ones I grew. After growing 3 other red striped ones (Red Jazz, SkyReacher, Solar Flare), the fall SBGM Reds were the best tasting.

RickyShaw - My Crnkovic Yugos. are now about 10 oz. Some were larger but we are at the end of the season and they kept their size fairly well. I took a picture of one sliced today. I liked the taste a lot; Not quite wispy leaves. Not a water Hog.

Marsha - That is so exciting; have fun!

[efisakov]

O, ladies,
I hope the damage is minimal. 50 mph wind is a lot.

[ginger2778]

Looks like high pressure isn't going to let it get to Plantation. Good, I worry about the mangoes being knocked off in a storm.

[verobeachbob1]

My nickname is Farmer Bob and being newly retired in Vero Beach, FL, I am in my second year of tomato gardening. This year much better than last; Beefsteaks (Beefstakes? sp) are producing, actually eating some now. Leaf miners are bad again this year, was just about to lay down a bombardment of Sevin from hose and bottle attachment, when rain came! Hardly rains here this time of year so didn't proceed. Now checked here before trying again, and fellow Tomatovilles said No to Sevin! Now what, spinosad (?), or Neem Oil?

About February, bought some Bonnie Plant seedlings from Home Depot and Walmart. Phoenix doing ok, Solar Fires and Florida 91s, too; Heatmasters, not so good. Too early to pick yet.

Burpee seed order of Heatwave II Hybrids fairly expensive, and a fail. Just got past germination as seedlings and stopped. Is there a way to share photos here? Any and all help appreciated.

Thanks, Farmer Bob, Vero Beach, Southern Florida ]

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by verobeachbob1

My nickname is Farmer Bob and being newly retired in Vero Beach, FL, I am in my second year of tomato gardening. This year much better than last; Beefsteaks (Beefstakes? sp) are producing, actually eating some now. Leaf miners are bad again this year, was just about to lay down a bombardment of Sevin from hose and bottle attachment, when rain came! Hardly rains here this time of year so didn't proceed. Now checked here before trying again, and fellow Tomatovilles said No to Sevin! Now what, spinosad (?), or Neem Oil?

About February, bought some Bonnie Plant seedlings from Home Depot and Walmart. Phoenix doing ok, Solar Fires and Florida 91s, too; Heatmasters, not so good. Too early to pick yet.

Burpee seed order of Heatwave II Hybrids fairly expensive, and a fail. Just got past germination as seedlings and stopped. Is there a way to share photos here? Any and all help appreciated.

Thanks, Farmer Bob, Vero Beach, Southern Florida ]

Hey Farmer Bob, leafminers are a maggot of a fly. The flies are strongly attracted to bright yellow color. Chemicals wont kill leaf miners because they are inside the leaf where it can't get the spray to touch it, so you get rid of the fly before it lays eggs. We all use yellow sticky traps, and they are magical, no chems needed. It may not get rid of every one, but the vast majority will be controlled.
Please use only this brand, it has glue strong enough for flies, moths, whiteflies and thrips, but will not trap birds and lizards, which happened to several of us with cheaper brands. Actually, this price is the cheapest I have seen them, I need to stock up. Put them out at every 5 feet for best results.
https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Sticky...w+sticky+traps

There are several leaf miners threads here in the pest management forum. Also, if you can read this monumental Florida thread, you will learn so much about everything we do to garden here with our unique challenges, and what tomato varieties work well here.

Welcome to the Florida thread.

[Merridiel]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Please use only this brand, it has glue strong enough for flies, moths, whiteflies and thrips, but will not trap birds and lizards, which happened to several of us with cheaper brands.

I read that yellow sticky traps would work for fungus gnats, too - do you think they would? I have fungus gnats indoors that have been driving me up a wall. They started on some seedlings but have hung around even after I moved all of my plants outside. They're in almost every room of the house now, and I don't want to start any more seeds indoors until I have them under control. I've hesitated to try the traps for them because I've been afraid that if my pets (parakeets and snakes) break out of their enclosures while I'm sleeping or not home, they could get stuck to the traps before I find them. It's unlikely, none of my pets have actually broken out, but the mental image of it happening was enough to stop me. But this sounds safe enough for me to use.

Since I'm here, I'll attach a few pictures. A sweet potato flower, baby banana pepper, and a passionfruit flower (passiflora incarnata).

[Barb_FL]

Merridiel - I don't know about sticky traps and fungus gnats, but you don't have to worry about your pets getting stuck if you only use that brand that Marsha linked to.

It has the consistency of Vaseline. Marsha and I know from experience NOT to buy any other brand if you live in Florida and grow outside. The other brands are too sticky and cruelty to animals.

I've never had Fungus gnats but wouldn't crushed shell or oyster shell work? The ones from Down to Earth are very fine vs the Neptune's Harvest being just crushed and not at all fine.

[Merridiel]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Merridiel - I don't know about sticky traps and fungus gnats, but you don't have to worry about your pets getting stuck if you only use that brand that Marsha linked to.

It has the consistency of Vaseline. Marsha and I know from experience NOT to buy any other brand if you live in Florida and grow outside. The other brands are too sticky and cruelty to animals.

I've never had Fungus gnats but wouldn't crushed shell or oyster shell work? The ones from Down to Earth are very fine vs the Neptune's Harvest being just crushed and not at all fine.

Thanks! I went ahead and ordered them.

I don't know. I've never had these before, either. I know the reason I got them is that I let the soil of my seedlings get too wet. But now that all of my plants are outside, they show up anywhere there's moisture. They dive into drinks, glasses, bowls, my pets' water dishes. A few show up any time we turn on a sink in the kitchens or bathrooms. I'll put some of these traps by the sinks, maybe I'll try a bowl of water with a trap over it. They buzz computer screens too, so maybe I'll try one on the wall behind a nightlight.

[ginger2778]

Merridiel, they will attract fungus gnat adults, but to kill the larvae that are in your soil, just buy some Gnatrol,(Amazon) and mix a few grains, a pinch of the stuff, right into your soil. Its the right kind of BT to kill that larvae fast. Since it's bacteria, a few grains will grow and divide and make lots more BT. (Bacillus Thuringiensis)
I have started putting a pinch into my seed starting mix cells, and into my transplant 4" pots too.

[Merridiel]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Merridiel, they will attract fungus gnat adults, but to kill the larvae that are in your soil, just buy some Gnatrol,(Amazon) and mix a few grains, a pinch of the stuff, right into your soil. Its the right kind of BT to kill that larvae fast. Since it's bacteria, a few grains will grow and divide and make lots more BT. (Bacillus Thuringiensis)
I have started putting a pinch into my seed starting mix cells, and into my transplant 4" pots too.

Oh! Thank you, that sounds awesome, I'll pick some up. I don't have any soil currently indoors, though. I moved all of my plants outside hoping that would stop the fungus gnats, but it didn't, they stayed indoors without the plants. Maybe I should set up a few pots of soil to attract them out of wherever they are. They've gotta be breeding somewhere... sink drains, maybe.

[Barb_FL]

Yesterday, May 26 the weather here was absolutely delightful. Low humidity and didn't even hit 80. Nighttime lows were 67. Today it's 81 but has the feel like 86 thing going on. Nighttime lows were still under 70.

All that is going to change tomorrow.

This is my biggest Yellow Monster pepper to date. I thought it would be 1 lb but still happy with everything about them. Actually, with the really warm weather starting tomorrow, I will be happy for smaller Monsters. We grilled some last night; the best tasting peppers I've ever grown. Picking about 4 per day.

RickyShaw - Pic of Crnkovic Yugoslavian sliced. We ate today. Excellent. I still have quite a few large green ones on the vine.