Bugs

I am new to this website, but have been lurking and reading for several days. I have already learned so much. Thank you! I also truly appreciate the way you all interact with each other. It sounds like many of you are old friends. ( smile)

I am learning my way around the site a little but have a question about formatting - and another question about gardening. I have noticed where some people have put their first names in parentheses (btw, my name is Patti). I don't know how to do this...call me dumb – or just computer challenged. LOL If someone could tell me how to do that, I would be so grateful. I did figure out how to add my zone.

My gardening question: I have three tomato plants and there is something on them. In fact, it looks like several somethings. I've attached a picture. Any ideas? Would BT work for this issue or can I just mixup some Dawn detergent and water and spray the tomatoes, trying to knock these off? Over the course of my life, I stuck a few flowers in the ground, but that's pretty much it. I do try to grow my plants as organically as possible. However, I certainly wouldn't call myself organic. LOL

I initially posted this in the landscaping form by accident. Hopefully, I'm in the correct place now.





Read more: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1398973/#ixzz3dv0CYSwg

Hi and welcome, Patti. I don't really see a problem with that tomato except maybe a few aphids at various stages of development. In those quantities they shouldn't cause a problem. If it seems like there is a large infestation there are a variety of controls. Aphids are attracted to plants that are being fed a lot of nitrogen. Be stingy with fertilizer and don't use anything with a high N value.

Thank you for the welcome and the advice. As I've never grown tomatoes before, I'm probably a little paranoid. I just returned from the nursery where I bought a sprayer and some bird netting, garden netting, whatever you call it. See what I mean about paranoid? LOL I've worked hard, counting tomato blossoms and ripening tomatoes in this heat, and I'll be darned if some bird is going to compromise my eating pleasure!

I found your remark about the nitrogen very interesting. I have not fertilized. I put Pete Moss and composted cow manure in the hole when I planted them. They are mulched with grade A Cedar bark. ROTFL. Peat moss... No, I did not bury some guy! AutoCorrect is not my friend.

Also, thank you for the link. I have so much to learn!

I will be writing in again soon. My neighbor and I share an Elm Tree that has to be 100 years old and it's coming down sometime this summer. With the winter ice storms, it's dangerous. The area along my driveway will go from dappled shade to full sun. I am definitely going to need some help, as we get closer to fall, picking out plantings. I'm excited. I am already thinking about training a smokebush to be a Smoketree. Can that be done?

Thank you again for your help. Patti

Smoke bush (Cotinus, several varieties) can be trained to a single trunk. Select one of the taller growing varieties.

Thank you Diana. Good to know. I priced Smoketrees at my local nursery. The only pretty one they had in purple was around 10 feet tall. They wanted $300 for it. I think I can buy a bush and have money left over for perennials. In addition I'm going to have to amend the heck out of the planting area and that's going to take money too.

I am quickly learning how expensive gardening is. .

You are recommending a taller variety. I really don't want anything over 15 feet tall because it will be too wide for the small area it's going in. However I'm sure you have a reason for saying that. I would love to know your thinking.

Thank you again.

Ask what varieties they can order.
As long as the adult size will be large, it does not much matter what size plant you start with. Just select one that has one central branch that seems straight and upright. That is what they do at the growers:
Sort through the crop, and any that have multiple branches, none really dominant, become shrubs. Any that have a 'tree trunk' sort of beginning will get further training and pruning to develop into a single trunk with branches higher up.

That makes perfect sense. Thank you so much for following up on this.