Fungus is killing half my garden

[Rob Tucker]

I am just a beginning amateur and am planting various things just to see how they do on my land.

Some of the plantings, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, look absolutely great until they begin to bear fruit and then get descimated by some scurvy mold.

Who can tell me what's going on and what to do about it?

Thanks in advance

[Scott_S]

It could be powdery mildew, a baking soda and water mix sprayed on it should clear it up. There are some commercial sprays that will wipe out most kinds of fungus. I have been having the same problem with my bocolli and squash.

Scott

[Andrew]

Rob:

A sure fire way to identify the problem is to take a sample in a sealed zip-lock back to Garden Exchange in Hilo and ask the expert what it is and how to deal with it.

Andrew

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DiveHilo Dive Club Website:
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[DickWilson]

Rob;

Copper spray will eliminate almost all mildew, But as Andrew suggested, best to get a professionals opinion.

dick wilson

[kani-lehua]

ah, yes powdery mildew has attacked my cucumber plants, too. i keep spraying the safer brand product to try and control it, but i don't think it's working. i have heard of the baking soda and water mixture, but haven't tried it. also, i was told that a douse of camomile tea would do the trick. that didn't work.

"chaos reigns within.
reflect, repent and reboot.
order shall return."

microsoft error message with haiku poetry

[Chuysmom]

What Andrew said is so right! Go to Garden Exchange and talk to Jeff...he's the owner. My first romas were slow and got rotty looking...I got a great organic bug spray and a good FOOD rather than just a fertilizer...and all my stuff seems to be booming! Check it out, Rob.[]

Rob - Here's a great pic of our romas AFTER we started feeding them and spraying with organic bug spray:
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/PunaWeb.../7385?b=15&m=f&o=0

Carrie Rojo

"The sun and moon collide. Isn't gravity a funny thing? The universe explodes apart. All the children sing..." Todd Rundgren

[nanasohana]

Aw what pretty '[]maters, carrie!

[Rob Tucker]

I will try to get down to garden exchange. I have the organic bug spray and have noticed minimal to no results with that. It's a shame to see plants start off so well and healthy and then take a turn for the worse.

Thanks for all the advice. I will report back if I have success.

[gtill]

This thread is a lesson in why there are not a lot of of agrculture agriculturalendeavours on the Island. Location is everything, the right climate zone, for each crop. And know your enemies in the bugs and disease. Immediate treatment or loose all. Overall an expensive investment when the odds are so stacked against you. Root crops seem to be the best and easiest to grow!

[Rob Tucker]

As I have launched my garden I have, quite pragmatically, been trying a number of plants just to see what might actually thrive in my location with minimal nursing along. I still would like to have them all do better though.

Surprising to me the lettuce beds are thriving and not a bug bite on them. More lettuce than I can eat. I'm planting different varieties now to see how that goes. Beets seems to be doing just as well. So I am expanding my bed of beets from a few dozen to a few hundred.

I have fifteen acres available to plant so if there is some success I can expand on it and develop a field crop over time.