Apply Now for Master Gardener Volunteer Training

CCE Suffolk trains Master Gardener Volunteers to provide the public with gardening programs and activities that draw on the horticultural research and experience of Cornell University. MG Volunteers receive research-based instruction and are kept up-to-date through continual exposure to the latest developments in environmental horticulture. In return, they agree to share their knowledge with neighbors by volunteering to do community service. After completing the training course and volunteering for 125 hours, they become certified as CCE Suffolk MG Volunteers. Suffolk County’s MG Volunteer Program, along with similar programs in other counties in New York State, is directly linked to Cornell University as part of its National Land-Grant College charter. This tie to Cornell provides MG Volunteers with state-of-the-art gardening knowledge.

A happy tribe of MG Volunteers keeps the Children's Garden growing at Suffolk County Farm.

A happy tribe of Master Gardener Volunteers keeps the Children’s Garden growing at Suffolk County Farm.

Anyone who enjoys gardening and has a desire to share knowledge and skills in their community can apply by October 31, 2015 to become a MG Volunteer. Every year hundreds of these service-minded folks from Suffolk County do the following:

  • Organize a Spring Gardening School for the public, including workshops, exhibits, and a plant sale
  • Table with gardening information at community events
  • Cultivate the land and teach youth at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm
  • Design and help maintain community beautification projects, demonstration gardens, community gardens, and school gardens
  • Offer gardening talks and classes at public libraries, schools, and for interested groups
  • Create and participate in programs for senior citizens, youth, and the physically and mentally challenged
  • Teach the proper care of lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and how to grow fruits and vegetables
  • Install exhibits and provide gardening information at flower shows and events such as the Suffolk County Farm PumpkinFest and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum Fall Harvest Festival

The next training course for new MG Volunteers will be held in 2016, beginning February 3 and ending June 29. We are revising the curriculum and weekly schedule to provide more hands-on training and make it accessible to people who work Monday through Friday. Starting February 3, weekly Wednesday evening lectures will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. at CCE Suffolk, 423 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead. Starting April 2, Saturday morning classes will also be held 9:00 a.m.-noon in the field (weather permitting) every other week at various locations from Amityville to Riverhead until the course ends June 29.

The cost of this comprehensive gardening course remains $375 with an additional $125 deposit, refunded upon completion of 125 hours of volunteer service. Download an application here.  For more information, please call or email me soon; the deadline is October 31.

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.

Late Blight on Long Island – Did We Dodge the Bullet?

While gardeners and farmers elsewhere, including upstate New York, have been battling late blight in 2015, so far it hasn’t been found on Long Island! At least, not yet . . . This is the first year since 2008 that this highly contagious and very destructive disease of tomatoes and potatoes hasn’t been observed here in spring and summer. Its absence means that on Long Island, we are successfully managing plant sources of the late-blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, in three ways by:

  • not planting infected potato tubers to grow new crops
  • not leaving infected potato tubers from previous crops in the ground or putting them in cull or compost piles
  • not planting infected tomato seedlings
We all dread seeing these symptoms of late blight appear on our tomatoes!

We all dread seeing these symptoms of late blight appear on our tomatoes! Photo by Meg McGrath.

But one source of late blight remains on the scene and continues to be a threat until frost: spores blown long distances by wind. Typically spores of Phytophthora infestans blow no more than about 30 miles, but their farther wind dispersal is possible. A Long Island outbreak of late blight in August 2007 was, I think, the result of a storm carrying spores here from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And in October of 2002 and 2008, late blight made its first appearance of the year on Long Island. There have been reports recently of late blight in New Jersey, so we’re not out of the woods yet.

Here is when late blight was first observed on Long Island in recent years:

  • October 3, 2002
  • July 5, 2006
  • Aug 26, 2007
  • October 3, 2008
  • June 23, 2009
  • June 18, 2010
  • June 24, 2011
  • May 29, 2012
  • July 25, 2013
  • June 20, 2014

Do you want to know where late blight has been reported in the United States this year? Check out www.usablight.org. Anyone can sign up on this website to get an alert by text or e-mail when a report has been logged nearby, so you can be one of the first to know when late blight has been found on Long Island. But realize your plants could be the first affected; therefore, signing up for alerts is not a substitution for looking for symptoms at least once a week. My own garden plants were part of the August 2007 outbreak!

Considering the potential impact of late blight, everyone who grows tomatoes and potatoes is responsible for inspecting their plants for late blight, reporting it when seen, and managing affected plants to minimize its spread. Photographs and information about late blight are posted on my website at: http://livegpath.cals.cornell.edu/gallery/tomato/tomato-late-blight/

If you see symptoms you think might be late blight (rather than one of its imitators, also shown on my website) call our Horticulture Diagnostic Lab at our hot line at 631-727-4126 from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, where Alice Raimondo and Sandra Vultaggio, our Horticulture Consultants, can help determine whether you do, indeed, have late blight, even this late in the year.

Dr. Meg McGrath is Associate Professor at Cornell University’s Long Island Horticulture Research and Extension Center in Riverhead, New York, where she conducts research and extension activities to help farmers manage diseases.

Tomato Troubles? There’s an App for That

As Cornell University’s vegetable pathologist doing research at the Long Island Horticulture Research and Extension Center (LIHREC) in Riverhead, NY, I’ve seen a lot of sick tomatoes over the years, and I’ve been posting photographs of what I’ve seen on my website: http://livegpath.cals.cornell.edu/gallery/. When not at work, I’m an avid home gardener, too, so I have first-hand experience with the diseases popping up in Long Island gardens. In fact, many photographs on my website were taken at home.

Septoria leaf spot symptoms usually first appear on the lowest, oldest leaves after fruit start to ripen.

Septoria leaf spot symptoms usually first appear on the lowest, oldest leaves after tomatoes start to ripen.

This year my tomatoes have Septoria leaf spot, which started on one plant and has been slowly spreading to others. The spores of this fungal pathogen, Septoria lycopersici, are spread by splashing water. It hasn’t rained much this summer, and I usually water at the base of plants rather than use an overhead sprinkler, but the few rains we’ve had spread the pathogen a lot. Septoria gets into a garden when seed containing the pathogen or infected seedlings are planted, or a windy rainstorm moves it from a nearby infected plant. Once in a garden, this pathogen survives overwinter in tomato debris; hence the recommendations to remove infected plant debris and to rotate the areas where you grow tomatoes. Other diseases and disorders I’ve seen on my garden tomatoes include anthracnose and blossom end rot (both every year), drought stress on leaves, leaf mold, powdery mildew, and late blight, all of which appear on my website.

Small dark brown spots with tan centers containing very tiny black specks called pycnidia (spore structures) are characteristic of Septoria leaf spot.

Small dark brown spots with tan centers containing very tiny black specks called pycnidia (spore structures) are characteristic of Septoria leaf spot.

Recently some colleagues and I at the American Phytopathological Society, including Dan Gilrein and Margery Daughtrey from LIHREC, developed a new app for smart phones called Tomato MD. It costs $2.99 and is available for both Apple and Android phones. Learn more about it here: http://www.apsnet.org/apsstore/shopapspress/pages/apps.aspx

This interactive reference tool is set up for fast identification of tomato problems, based on symptoms of root, leaf, stem, and fruit. The goal of the app is to move you quickly through the most difficult part of dealing with a sick plant: what’s wrong and what is causing it. The app includes an index of nearly 30 diseases and insect disorders, an extensive photo gallery of the most common problems, and a list of diseases according to their characteristics. Tomato MD does more than just help with identification; management tips are included, too.

For more help in identifying what’s wrong, take a look at my website (above), then read our online fact sheets about dealing with tomato problems, which can be found here: http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/horticulture-factsheets/vegetable-diseases. If you’re still stumped, call our Horticulture Diagnostic Lab at our hot line at 631-727-4126 from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, where Alice Raimondo and Sandra Vultaggio, our Horticulture Consultants, are available to answer all your horticulture questions.

Dr. Meg McGrath is Associate Professor at Cornell University’s Long Island Horticulture Research and Extension Center in Riverhead, New York, where she conducts research and extension activities to help farmers manage diseases.

Buff Up Your Conservation Buffers

Because Long Island is surrounded by water, responsible residents strive to keep pesticides and fertilizers from polluting our coastal and drinking water resources. And as stewards of our land, we need to preserve as much habitat for wildlife as possible. One way to accomplish both goals is to plant garden or conservation buffers. These small pieces of land with permanent vegetation help control pollution while providing undisturbed habitat for wildlife. Examples of buffers include riparian buffers, small wetlands, shallow water areas, herbaceous and woody windbreaks, contour grass strips, living snow fences, and field borders.

Garden buffers like this one at Cornell Plantations in Ithaca can be used to filter polluted run off from parking lots.

Garden buffers like this one at Cornell Plantations in Ithaca can be used to filter polluted storm-water run off from parking lots. Photo © Robin Simmen

Although you may view them primarily as pleasant landscape features, buffers quietly prevent soil erosion, improve soil and water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, reduce flooding, conserve energy, and ultimately conserve biodiversity. By capturing up to 75 percent of flowing sediment and by enhancing infiltration, buffers trap heavy metals. When properly installed and maintained, they can remove up to 50 percent of pesticides and nutrients from polluting coastal waters!

In addition to providing wildlife habitat (increasing the number and diversity of birds and butterflies) and creating corridors for their movement, buffers are attractive, low-maintenance, sustainable alternatives to traditional turf. Water moves more slowly through shrubs and other buffer plantings as compared to turf, thus reducing your irrigation needs. Conservation buffers can also improve your quality of life by reducing noise from the street and odors from garbage.

An added benefit is that buffers help reduce flooding. They also help stabilize streams, enhance biodiversity by providing micro habitats, and decrease and then stabilize water temperature. Fluctuations in water temperatures and warming can be very deleterious to fish and other aquatic creatures important to the stream food chain.

A shallow water area or a small wetland is a place where water depth is usually less than 2 feet with no more than 10 percent of the entire area being over 4 feet deep. These wet areas may be seasonal in nature, such as vernal pools, so you might be tempted to “dry ‘em out or fill ‘em in,” but DON’T DO IT! Not only is it often illegal to do so, but such spots are of particular importance to certain plants and animal species that depend on transient moisture for parts of their life cycles, e.g. reproduction or nesting.

To learn more about how to construct a conservation buffer on your property or how to evaluate your existing landscape, please join me and Joann Gruttadaurio, Senior Extension Associate Emerita, Cornell University, on October 15, 2015, 9:00 a.m. until noon, at the Suffolk County Farm for a hands-on workshop on how to “Buff Up Your Soil and Garden Buffers.” The cost is $30, and preregistration is required. Click here to download the registration form.

Dr. Tamson Yeh is CCE Suffolk Turf Use and Land Management Specialist. She can be reached at tsy3@cornell.edu or 631-727-7850 x240.

Best Way to Water Your Lawn

Question: I water my lawn every day, but it still looks like it’s drying out and turning brown. What is the correct way to water?

Answer: Usually there’s plenty of rain on Long Island during April, May, and sometimes well into June, but this year we weren’t so lucky. And summer rainfall has not been forthcoming. Most lawns need an inch or so of water each week to stay green, which is approximately how much moisture they lose weekly through evapotranspiration.

I suspect you are running your sprinklers for twenty minutes or so daily. Unfortunately, this means you are wasting lots of water and not helping your lawn. A brief daily shower only moistens the grass blades and doesn’t deliver enough water to the turf roots, which is why your lawn is going into drought stress.

Daily watering resulted in the drought-stressed lawn at the top of this picture. Compare it with the next-door neighbor's healthy lawn at the bottom, which receives one-inch of water just once a week.

Daily watering led to the drought-stressed lawn at the top of this picture. Below it, the next-door neighbor’s green grass receives only an inch of water once a week.

The best way to water your lawn with an inch of water is to soak it just once a week, which may take several hours depending on your water pressure and sprinkler heads. You can determine how long your system takes to supply one inch of water to your lawn by setting several empty tuna cans inside the spray pattern of your sprinklers and watching until they fill up to one inch; or you could buy a few inexpensive plastic rain gauges.

Late summer storms often supply ample amounts of water. As summer winds down, keep track of how much rainfall you get; then adjust your irrigation accordingly. Learn more about correct watering practices by looking at Suffolk County’s Healthy Lawns, Clean Water website, which discusses this in greater detail: http://healthylawns.suffolkcountyny.gov/lawn/watering.htm

Alice Raimondo is Horticulture Consultant for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at aw242@cornell.edu or 631-727-77850 x335.

Gypsy Moth Defoliation across Long Island

After decades of very little gypsy moth activity, we are seeing “outbreaks” again this year. Many areas of Long Island have experienced extensive defoliation from gypsy moth caterpillars this summer, and other areas in New York and around the region (CT, RI, MA, PA) have also been affected. Homeowners are learning the hard way that touching the hairs on these caterpillars can be quite irritating, so minimizing contact with them is important, especially for those with sensitive skin.

Photo credit: USFWS/James Appleby

Photo credit: USFWS/James Appleby

Long Island’s NYS DEC Forester is aware of the situation, particularly since it is affecting forest areas and not just those in residential landscapes. At this point nothing can be done; gypsy-moth damage is about finished for the year. The adult moths are now active and egg masses are very obvious on tree trunks, suggesting we’re in for another round next year (there is only one generation a year). Trees that have been heavily defoliated should, however, be protected from a second wave of defoliation from other insects this summer, such as the orange-striped oak worm, which we sometimes see in August. One defoliation weakens trees, but a second one in the same season can kill them or make them more susceptible to opportunistic pests like two-lined chestnut borer. You’ll want to protect trees from defoliation next year, too, which would also weaken them. Now is a good time to examine cultural conditions around affected trees – are they getting too much or too little water? Do you see soil compaction, root competition, or root disturbance around them?

Our Horticulture Diagnostic Lab is a good place to get information on helping trees recover from gypsy moth defoliation and on management options to reduce the risk of damage next year. Call the Lab’s hot line at 631-727-4126 from 9 a.m. to noon. Options might include systemic treatment (trunk injection) where foliar pesticides aren’t an option, or foliar sprays where spray drift and getting tree adequate coverage are not problems. A fact sheet about the gypsy moth is available on our website: http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/horticulture-factsheets/tree-and-shrub-insect-pests (Note: this fact sheet is for homeowners; CCE Suffolk has additional information for arborists and other professional applicators).

Many years ago a natural insect-killing fungus was introduced to control the non-native gypsy moth. This fungus has done a good job of regulating its population since 1988, but this year’s exceptionally dry spring probably contributed to the fungus’ limited impact this summer (we did see some evidence of it at Heckscher State Park and elsewhere). Unfortunately the fungus tends to “kick in” after some defoliation is already apparent, but when spring conditions are wet, the fungus can be highly effective in minimizing the problem the following year.

Late this summer we’ll be better able to gauge the risk for 2016 based upon counts of gypsy-moth egg masses. These counts are usually done by forest entomologists and professional foresters. The procedure is outlined in a document posted at the NYS DEC website (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/83118.html), providing an estimate of expected severity in the coming year. Homeowners can also check around their properties to see what might be in store locally for next year. Since the newly hatched caterpillars can blow around to other areas, infestations outside your property can also be a threat and should be taken into consideration. If you see lots of tan, felt-like egg masses in your area (including adjacent forest trees) then expect another year of significant damage in 2016.

If you have valuable, susceptible trees, you might want to plan accordingly by engaging a consulting arborist this fall or winter for spring treatment to deter risk of heavy defoliation. There are a variety of options, including some organic products and other products used as trunk injections (noted above) where spray drift or adequate coverage are issues. You can remove and destroy egg masses on trees during late summer through early spring; however since the caterpillars can migrate from other areas it doesn’t provide absolute protection in large outbreaks.

Dan Gilrein is Extension Entomologist for CCE Suffolk. He can be reached at dog1@cornell.edu or at 631-727-3595.

Join the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) has been launched by the National Pollinator Garden Network, an unprecedented collaboration of national, regional, conservation and gardening groups to support the President’s Executive Strategy to “Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.” MPGC is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that help revive the health of bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators across America. The goal is to move millions of individuals, kids, and families outdoors and help them make a connection between pollinators and the healthy food people eat.

MGPC logo 2MPGC wants people like you to register your gardens through their Pollinator Partnership and thus be added to the map they’ve created in support of this campaign. Along with a handful of other gardens on Long Island, the Children’s Garden, which is maintained by Master Gardener Volunteers at Suffolk County Farm, has been registered and is on the map, which appears in the link below.

To meet the criteria for registering, your pollinator garden should:

  • Use plants that provide nectar and pollen sources
  • Provide a water source
  • Be situated in a sunny area with wind breaks
  • Create large “pollinator targets” of native or non-native plants
  • Establish continuous bloom throughout the growing season
  • Eliminate or minimize the impact of pesticides

For more information and to join MPGC, visit http://millionpollinatorgardens.org

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.

Best Plants for Attracting Ruby Throated Hummingbirds

Question: What are the best plants to grow for attracting ruby throated hummingbirds? I put up a bird feeder but was told that having the right plants is really important.

Answer: Yes, growing the right plants is critical for attracting these little jewels to your yard. These flowers provide not only the nectar the birds need but also habitat for all the little insects they like to eat. Best of all, flower nectar doesn’t require cleaning and refilling like bird feeders do!

Bee balm is a favorite flower of hummingbirds in my yard. Photo c Alice Raimondo

Bee balm is a favorite flower of hummingbirds in my yard. Photo © Alice Raimondo

Some of the best plants for landscaping for hummingbirds include the following (there are others plants that hummers can’t resist, but here are the plants they go nuts for in my yard):

  • Trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens
  • Cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis
  • Bee balm, Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’
  • Anise-scented sage, Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
  • Cuphea, Cuphea ‘David Verity’

On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, you can join me and my colleague Sandra Vultaggio for a presentation and tours about gardening for the ruby throated hummingbird. We’ll start at 3:30 p.m. with a PowerPoint presentation about this magical little bird, including how to attract them to your backyard and keep them coming back year after year. Then take a tour of two local backyard gardens to witness these natural jewels within garden habitats we designed just for them. The cost is $30. Click here to register for the hummingbird workshop and tour.

Alice Raimondo is Horticulture Consultant for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at aw242@cornell.edu or 631-727-77850 x335.

Managing Mile-a-Minute Weed

Mile-a-minute weed, Persicaria perfoliata, is a highly invasive annual vine appearing on the East End and other parts of Long Island. Its triangular shaped leaves are very distinctive and easy to identify. The weed is invading natural areas, residential yards, and landscapes. It thrives in areas of partial shade but can survive in full sun; mile-a-minute can potentially invade and establish itself in many environments. It is often found on the edges of residential properties near woods and sometimes on the periphery of field nurseries. It has also been spotted growing on the beach in different locations.

This site was infested by mile-a-minute seed that Hurricane Sandy carried here.

This site was infested by mile-a-minute weed carried to Long Island by Hurricane Sandy.

Mile-a-minute weed has several commonly used nicknames: Asiatic tearthumb, climbing tearthumb, and devil’s tail. These monikers describe the sharp downward-curved prickles or spines that grow on the vine’s stem and petioles. Any attempts to hand pull this weed without wearing heavy leather gloves quickly illustrates why tearthumb is one of its names. Its spines act like claws that enable the vine to attach easily to nearby vegetation. This adaptation allows it to grow straight up towards open areas of tree or shrub canopy without having to waste energy by twining like other plants.

This rapid upward growth is the reason for its other common name: mile-a-minute. It takes advantage of most of the growing season on Long Island to produce multi-branched, thin-stemmed vines that are loaded with attractive blue fruit. When ripe, individual shiny black seeds are contained within a fleshy fruit that is very easily knocked off the vine. The seeds spread to new sites via migrating birds and other wildlife. Because the ripened fruits are so easily dislodged, hand pulling the vines after fruits begin to form in late July is not recommended. Leaving the vine alone in late summer and fall is a better option than trying to remove it from a site.

Immature and ripe mile-a-minute fruit in late July are easily dislodged.

Immature and ripe mile-a-minute fruit in late July are easily dislodged.

Recent research has shown that even immature green fruits can eventually mature off the vine to produce viable seeds for re-infestation. That leaves the months of May, June, and most of July to use cultural practices like hand pulling, string trimming, and mowing to suppress/control this weed. Because it has an annual life cycle, removing young plants has a very reasonable chance of significantly reducing the population. If mature plants are hand pulled after late July, the vines should not be placed directly into compost piles or other areas where the viable seeds can remain a threat. The pulled vines should be put under a tarp or landscape fabric until the fruit is no longer viable.

In addition to cultural practices, the NYSDEC recently approved a 2(ee) recommendation for the herbicide glyphosate (Accord XRT II, EPA Reg. No. 62719-556) for post-emergent control of mile-a-minute vine in non-crop areas. Because glyphosate is non-selective, it should be used only in areas where no desirable vegetation could be exposed to drift. However, in such areas where many seedlings are growing, using this herbicide can be an efficient way to control young plants.

Beneficial weevils eat the leaves of mile-a-minute weed.

Beneficial weevils eat the leaves of mile-a-minute weed.

Since 2004, a biological control has been released to help suppress this weed. Developed by Dr. Judy Hough-Goldstein at the University of Delaware, a small weevil, Rhinomomitus latipes, was found to feed on the leaves and stem of mile-a-minute without eating other desirable plants. On eastern Long Island the weevil has been evaluated since 2012 through controlled releases of it in areas infested with mile-a-minute. The weevil has also found its way here from surrounding states that use it to manage this weed. The weevil begins to feed on mile-a-minute leaves in early spring and continues all season. It lays eggs in the plant stem, which the subsequent larvae weaken as they develop and begin to feed. The adults overwinter in the leaf litter at the ground surface.

Unfortunately, there is a lot more weed than weevil, so we need to continue to increase the weevil population here. Funding cuts have meant CCE Suffolk must now purchase the formerly free weevils. We are hoping to develop a program that would not depend on re-introduction of the weevil every year. These beneficial weevils may play an important role in helping eradicate this scourge from our landscape before it becomes better established on Long Island.

Andrew Senesac is Weed Science Specialist for CCE Suffolk. He can be reached at afs2@cornell.edu or 631-727-3595. 

Stop Blossom-End Rot from Ruining Vegetables

There’s nothing like putting your heart and soul, sweat, and tears into creating a beautiful vegetable garden only to have your fruits turn out all wrong. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be writing about some reasons your vegetables might not shape up to be county-fair contestants this year. Blossom-end rot is the first early season roadblock most people encounter.

Blossom-end rot occurs in tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and other cucurbits. Early in the season as fruits develop quickly, they require a lot of calcium. Moisture plays a crucial role in calcium uptake in the plant. Though it may look like disease or insect injury, blossom-end rot is a physiological disorder caused by a lack of calcium transferring from the soil to developing fruits during dry weather.

Blossom End Rot

When a dry spell follows a time when plants get adequate moisture, calcium uptake into tomato plants is interrupted, causing the blossom-end of some fruits to develop a water-soaked, rotten appearance. Symptoms in peppers and cucurbits are similar in appearance, and occur for the same reason. Other factors that contribute to blossom-end rot include overly deep cultivation that damages plant roots and excessive applications of fertilizer containing ammonia and/or salts.

Growing vegetables in containers can be particularly tricky because containers tend to dry out quickly, leading to more extreme fluctuations in soil moisture than what plants experience in the ground. Be sure to water your container plants on a consistent schedule, and apply a fertilizer specifically formulated for tomatoes or vegetables that contains calcium as a micronutrient.

Blossom-end rot is typically an early season garden problem that balances itself out as summer progresses. Here are steps for minimizing blossom-end rot:

  • Maintain even soil moisture by adhering to a regular irrigation schedule. Consider mulching around plants to minimize moisture loss.
  • Avoid cultivating the soil too deeply and too close to the root systems of vegetable plants.
  • Use a fertilizer high in superphosphate and low in nitrogen. When adding nitrogen, use calcium nitrate rather than ammonia or urea forms.
  • Have your soil pH tested. Your vegetable garden should have a pH between 6.5 and 7. Visit our website for soil testing instructions.
  • As a last resort, use a foliar spray of calcium chloride. Be aware that calcium chloride can be phytotoxic if applied too frequently or in excessive amounts.

Sandra Vultgaggio is Horticulture Consultant for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at sib7@cornell.edu or 631-727-7850 x387.