MAINTAINING SUMMER GARDENS
While summer might feel like a lull in your garden, there are still many things to keep you busy! When the heat is at its highest and water at its lowest, plants can feel stressed and start to suffer. This can come in the forms of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiency. It's important to take the proper steps to prevent and manage these occurances.
Let's take a look at some products we recommend when dealing with struggles such as pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiency:
BLOSSOM END ROT
Blossom end rot can be very frustrating to deal with while are gardens are working hard to flourish and produce fruits and veggies throughout the summer! Many of our customers experience blossom end rot on their tomatoes, which is caused by a calcium deficiency. This can be caused by drought stress, overwatering, and high levels of nitrogen. During a drought, water is not helping move calcium up our plants efficiently, while overwatering may leach calcium from the soil and away from the plants roots. If too much nitrogen is present, then it can compete with calcium intake as both nitrogen and calcium are taken up by the plant by the physiological processes.
We recommend tackling Blossom End Rot with the Bonide Rot Stop. This can be applied every 5-7 days, spraying directly on your foliage and fruits until the point of run off.
IMPORTANT: Only apply Bonide Rot Stop in the evening when the temperatures have cooled to ensure the product has dried before the summer heat burns the product onto the plant.
FUNGAL INFECTIONS
The summertime can also bring a plethora of diseases and fungus such as black spot, powdery mildew, downy mildew, rusts, leaf curl, and blight.
A great fungicide we recommend is the Bonide Captain Jack's Copper Fungicide. The active ingredient in this is copper which releases copper ions (Cu²⁺). These ions actually attack fungal and bacteria pathogens at the cellular level, disrupting cell function, and ultimately killing the pathogens.
Copper Fungicide works as a preventative product, meaning you should begin using it before any signs of disease or fungus have begun. You’ll want to spray all plant surfaces including the top and bottom of the leaves.
IMPORTANT: Only apply in the evening when the temperatures have cooled so that the product can dry before it heats up in the sun and burns the plant.
PESTY PESTS!
We must all face the fact that insects love our gardens just as much as we do! However, there are some that just are not welcome. This can include spider mites, leaf miners, tent caterpillars, bagworms, thrips, borers, and a whole host of other insects.
To help control the presence of these insects, we recommend using Bonide Captain Jack’s DeadBug Brew. The active ingredient is a soil bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa or Spinosad. This bacterium disrupts the nervous system of insects causing paralysis and death. Humans and mammals have different nervous system receptors which means this product is safe to use in your home garden.
PROTECT YOUR BEES: It is important to note that this product is harmful to bees in the first three hours after application. You should not spray this on the flowers of your plants in the case that a bee is there to pollinate.
IMPORTANT: Only apply in the evening when the temperatures have cooled so that the product can dry before it heats up in the sun and burns the plant.
MULTI-USE PRODUCT: NEEM OIL
Neem Oil is a great multi-use product that is safe to use not only on your organic garden, but also on your houseplants!
FUNGICIDE
The bioactive ingredient in Neem Oil helps fight against fungal infections such as black spot, powdery mildew, and rust. It works in coating plant surfaces, which suffocates active mold and disrupts fungal life cycles. The oil interferes with the ability of fungal spores to germinate, prevents them from penetrating plant tissues, and can dissolve existing mold growth, helping to suppress these diseases.
INSECTICIDE
Neem Oil works by interfering with the hormones that are connected to molting and reproduction in insects. Neem Oil contains azadirachtin, which mimics natural insect hormones. When insects ingest the sprayed foliage, it halts the molting process, preventing them from maturing or laying eggs.
MITICIDE
Mites are not insects, so the hormonal-disrupting properties are less effective on them. As a miticide, neem oil works almost entirely as a contact spray that coats their bodies and blocks their respiratory pores. The oily residue can also damage the development of mite eggs.
IMPORTANT: Only apply in the evening when the temperatures have cooled so that the product can dry before it heats up in the sun and burns the plant.