Ramsey County

Howdy!!!!!     

Wow!!!!!!, what weather we have been having!  What a difference from last year.  I did do pretty good last week asking for a little rain.  There was a couple of small areas that did receive to much, around 2 inches, but by and large the area received from ½ to 1 inch of rain.  It sure did not take long for the yards to green up and also the flowers to perk up.  I know that the warm season crops will flourish from the rainfall. 

I hope everyone is enjoying a bountiful harvest from their gardens.  I have been loving the world out of the fresh garden, especially the cucumbers.  I am not anxiously waiting for the sweetcorn to get ready for the dinner table.  Which reminds me, I am looking for sweetcorn to can, if you have any or know of anyone that does please give me a call.

This past week I have looked at more herbicide damage than I have all summer long.  We need to remember, as applicators, to read and follow the directions on the label and also use wise judgement on applying herbicides around sensitive areas including around farmsites.  People in general think about one thing and that is killing the weed in mind and do not worry about wind speed, wind direction and temperature.  All these variables play a very large roll where the applied herbicide might end up.  All of our neighbors take pride in their homes and yards and herbicide damage can destroy a yard in a matter of seconds, which took a life time to establish.  Remember, READ THE LABEL, THINK AND BE COURTEOUS OF YOUR NEIGHBORS.  DON’T DO TO OTHERS THAT YOU WOULD NOT LIKE DONE TO YOURSELF.

 Tomato Blight!!!! 

This is the time of year when tomato blight really starts showing off.  I say this not in a funny matter, as tomato blight will reduce your tomato harvest significantly.  Early blight and late blight will appear on the lower leaves of a tomato plant.  This fungus forms spots on the lower leaves.  The leaf area around the infected site will usually turn yellow and then a brownish dark color before falling off.  These diseases move very rapidly up through the tomato plant during wet or damp days with temperatures in 75to 85 degree, 50-55 degree nights, and will cause severe defoliation.  Early blight can attack the fruit causing large sunken black spots on the stem end or shoulder of the fruit.  Infected fruits generally drop before they are mature.  These diseases are most common late in the growing season.

The danger from leaf diseases is reduced by rotating the planting areas in your garden; plant tomatoes in the same place only once in three or four years. Remove and destroy tomato vines in the fall. Use healthy transplants. Remove badly diseased lower leaves, as these are a source of leaf spot fungus spores that help spread the disease.

Water at the base of the plants. Use a garden hose to trickle water into a shallow trench or depression in the soil. Avoid watering with overhead sprinklers in late afternoon or evening; if the plants stay wet all night, leaf spot infections are likely to occur.

Use fungicides when needed. These diseases spread rapidly, and are difficult to control once established. Use products containing Chlorothalonil.  These products can be found at most of local nurseries.  They should be applied to the plant before the disease first appears or at the first sign of disease. Since timing is critical, it may be preferable to start a preventive spray program when the first fruits are marble-sized. Usually good control is achieved if you begin spraying about mid-July. Chloro-thalonil can be applied up to the day of harvest.

Proper Stage to Swath Canola

The color of canola seed is more important than the overall color of the field in determining the stage of maturity. The best time to swath for optimum seed yield and quality is when all the seeds contain about 30 to 35 percent moisture. The color of the seeds is a good indicator of seed moisture contents. Seeds in all pods on a plant complete filling (physiological maturity) at about 40 percent moisture and then slowly turn from green to light yellow, or reddish brown to brown, depending on the variety. Once filled, the seeds rapidly lose moisture at about 2 to 3 percent or more per day, depending on the weather.

Examine only those pods on the main stem. Seeds in pods on the bottom third of the main stem were formed earlier and will turn color much sooner than seeds in the pods of the top third of the plant. When the overall moisture content of seed from the total plant averages 30 to 35 percent, about 30 to 40 percent of the seeds in pods on the main stem only will have changed color or have started to change color. Seeds with only small patches of color should be counted as color changed

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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