ASK A SILLY

IF IT LOOKS LIKE IT…IT IS.

Source: The Californian Newspaper, Sunday-August 12, 2012 Home Section (Section F) “Ask Rose” Crawford Column

You’ve heard the phrase, “Ask a silly question and get a silly answer”? Well, here’s another “ask a silly, get a silly” situation that has been printed in our local newspaper.  The silly Q?  “Why do my tomato plants look like they have mildew on them?” 

Now I’m sure the columnist would have loved to have written back and said, “Because it is mildew, nummy!”  But being the professional she is, Rose Crawford used the moment to educate novice gardeners on what mildew really is, what it does to plants and how to get rid of it. So here are tips from “Ask Rose”:

1.  The powdery white stuff on your leaves is mildew, a fungus.  The fungus thrives in nitrogen-rich soil. The fungus spores is thrown onto the leaves through watering, and overwatering is often the culprit to spread the fungus. 
2. The disease will not kill off your plant entirely unless completely ignored, but the leaves will eventually turn yellow, then brown, and then fall off.  Not good for plant growth!  Fruits and veggies still grow, but not as well, so it’s best to treat mildew as quickly as possible.
3. A fungicide that contains sulfer will do the best, and must be applied in the early, shady cool, of the morning. Let the sunlight dry the plants, and trim dead leaves, providing air circulation around the plant infected. Remove any debris from the root branch, too, which helps air the plant.

That’s it! Be sure to water in the early cool mornings and fertilize with a good time-release fertilizer, such as Bayer’s Shake and Feed Flower and Vegetable granular food.  Soon your tomato plant will be pumping out the normal overload of veggies, requiring you to get another trellis, move all your decorative garden stakes and birdfeeders, and share as many tomatoes amongst all the neighborhood as possible before the next crop ripens!