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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JUNE 17. 2021
Too much love can ruin the chances of growing perfect summer tomatoes
By Mary Carol Sheffield
for CAES News
During the summer grow
ing season, the love many
have for a homegrown
tomato approaches obses
sion. In fact, some people
love tomatoes so much that
they struggle to grow them
— because they give their
plants too much care.
The calls have started to
come in to University of
Georgia Cooperative Exten
sion offices: “My tomato
plant leaves are yellowing or
browning, curling, spotting
or wilting.” I hear it every
year, beginning right about
now.
As I talk to gardeners, I
learn that they water the
plants every day, fertilize
them dutifully and plant them
in the same spot year after
year. This well-intentioned
care has resulted in the prob
lems they are desperately try
ing to solve.
Follow these rules and
you will produce a great crop
of tomatoes this summer:
• Water correctly. Do not
overwater. The first week
tomato plants are in the
ground, they need water
every day, but back off water
ing after the first week,
slowly weaning the plants
down to 1 to 1.5 inches of
water per week. Watering
tomato plants every day will
prevent them from develop
ing a strong root system and
sitting in wet soil is an invi
tation to root rot and other
soilbome diseases.
When you water, do not
wet the plant leaves. Wet
leaves invite infections that
can cause your plant leaves to
spot, yellow and wilt before
the plant has a chance to pro
duce any of the tasty toma
toes that you are so anxiously
anticipating.
Water early in the day.
Early watering gives the
plant time to take up the
water before the heat of the
sun increases evaporation,
making your water applica
tion more effective.
• Mulch around your
tomato plants. To help con
serve soil moisture, keep the
root system cool. Mulching
also helps reduce the chance
of diseases infecting your
tomato plants. A 2- to 3-inch
layer of mulch will suffice
and can help protect your
plants from weed competi
tion. It can also reduce the
splashing of water that can
transfer soilbome diseases to
the leaves and stems of the
plants.
• Rotate your crop each
year. Try to plant tomatoes in
a different spot every year,
rotating through your garden
space every three to four
years. Planting them in the
same place allows disease
pathogens that are specific to
tomatoes to build up in the
soil. By moving them around
in the garden each year, you
can break up the disease
cycle.
• Be careful with fertil
izer. Young tomato plants are
sensitive to nitrogen and can
be easily burned if overfertil
ized. Also, have your soil
tested and follow recommen
dations based on test results
carefully. Don't apply all of
the recommended fertilizer at
the time you plant tomatoes.
Wait until they have estab
lished a good root system and
started to grow before you
fertilize.
Overfertilization of ma
ture plants can result in lush
green plants that never flower
and therefore will not pro
duce tomatoes.
More information is avail
able in UGA Extension Bul
letin 1271, "Georgia
Homegrown Tomatoes."
UGA Extension can help
answer questions about home
horticulture, sustainable
landscaping and environmen
tally friendly gardening prac
tices using unbiased,
research-based information.
For more information contact
your local UGA Extension
office.
[Mary Carol Sheffield is
the UGA Extension Agricul
ture and Natural Resources
agent in Paulding County.]
Tips to keep gardens safe in the summer heat
Summer is a season to
relax and enjoy the warm
weather. Basking in the sum
mer sun is a great way to
relax, but only when the tem
peratures are safe. Summer
heat waves can compromise
the health of human beings as
well as their pets. Gardening
enthusiasts also may need to
go the extra mile to keep their
plants and gardens from wilt
ing under harsh summer sun.
Extreme heat stress can be
very harmful to plants. The
online gardening resource
Gardening Know How notes
that some plants can with
stand summer heat waves
better than others. For exam
ple, succulents conserve
water in their leaves, helping
them to withstand heat waves
when the dog days of sum
mer arrive. But succulents
are unique, and many plants
will require a little extra help
to withstand a heat wave.
Heat waves are inevitable
and potentially harmful to
gardens. Gardeners can help
their plants beat the heat in
various ways.
• Take a proactive ap
proach with mulch. Garden
ers need not wait until the
heat arrives to protect their
plants from searing summer
heat. The sustainable living
experts at Eartheasy recom
mend utilizing light-colored
mulch during heat waves.
Such mulch will reflect the
sunlight and help to maintain
cooler surface soil condi
tions. Eartheasy even notes
that grass clippings, once
they’ve turned from green to
light brown, can make for the
perfect mulch to protect
plants from the heat. Clip
pings also are free, making
them a cost-effective solu
tion.
• Water wisely. The horti
cultural experts at Yates Gar
dening note that water only
helps plants withstand heat
waves if it’s applied effec
tively. If water is only applied
in short bursts and not long
enough so it can penetrate all
the way to the root zone,
roots will then stay near the
surface. In such instances,
roots will dry out during a
heat wave and plants won’t
make it through the season.
Timing also is essential when
watering. Eartheasy recom
mends watering in the morn
ing to avoid heat scald and
also ensure as little water is
lost to evaporation as possi
ble. When watering during a
heat wave, do so by hand
rather than through a sprin
kler. Hand watering allows
gardeners to direct all of the
water onto the plants that
need it most during a heat
wave.
• Let your plants pitch in.
When planting new plants,
it’s important that gardeners
recognize it takes time for
these plants to establish their
roots so they’re strong
enough to withstand heat
waves. In the meantime,
strategic planting can help
them make it through their
first heat waves unscathed.
Eartheasy notes that planting
by taller, more established
plants can provide new plants
with shade that can help them
survive heat waves. Just
make sure new plants can
still get the sun they need to
thrive.
photo/UGA extension
Tomato lovers will attest that homegrown always tastes
best, even if they don't always win beauty contests.
Good Samaritan
HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
Restoring Health. Saving Lives.
All kinds of care for all ages.
All types of payments.
All under one roof.
Medical • Dental
Behavorial Health • Pharmacy
Open Monday - Friday.
Call 706-253-4673 for appointments.
75 Samaritan Drive • Jasper; GA 30143
goodsamhwc.org
We accept a wide variety of insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield,
Cigna, United Healthcare, plus Medicare, Medicaid & Veterans
Choice. Plus, we have a low-cost sliding fee scale for
individuals without insurance.
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