A disease that restricts water use in trees has been found in Central Islip. The Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic has identified the disease as ‘Oak Wilt.’ The disease has been confirmed in New York State before, it was last seen in Schenectady County in 2008 and 2013. After a test sample of the trees returned positive for the disease, tree-care professionals removed and destroyed the trees to curb any spreading. As of right now, there is no known treatment to contain and kill oak wilt fungus. All officials can do is remove any trees in the vicinity which can be hosts. Basil Seggos the commissioner of the DEC has reported “The infestation is small and isolated making an aggressive eradication response warranted and feasible to address this serious disease. Additional oak trees will need to be removed in the immediate infected area to stop oak wilt in its tracks.” The DEC said that it will use protocols from the Schenectady County situation to control whats going on in Islip. There has been an emergency order put into place that establishes a ‘protective zone.’ This zone prohibits the removal of any dead, living, standing, cut or fallen oak trees, or any portions of the trees including branches, logs, stumps, roots, green oak lumber or firewood from the immediate area. It can be removed from the area if it has been chipped to less than one inch in two dimensions. This order also decrees a 150-foot red ‘oak free zone’ around the area where the infected trees were initially discovered. All red oaks found in these zones will be removed and destroyed by the DEC to protect the remaining healthy trees. The DEC will schedule a public meeting to address questions and concerns. There will be both aerial and ground surveys taken that will conduct how many trees need to be removed. This is supposed to happen within the next 6 months. Oak wilt kills thousands of trees and forests each year due to the wilt, primarily on the eastern United States. The disease is caused by a fungus that grows in the water-conducting vessels of infected trees. These fungus’ create gummy like plugs that block the ability to get water from the roots. Residents can report sudden leaf loss from oaks (as a possible sign of wilt) by calling 866-640-0652. For more information you can visit the DEC’s website here.
Van Dyke Gardens: disease
Blossom End Rot
If you grow tomatoes, you are familiar with Blossom end rot. This disease can cause severe loss in both garden and home tomatoes if precautionary measures are not taken. Symptoms can happen at any stage in the development of the fruit. Most often however, it can be seen when the fruit is one-third to one-half of its full size. As implied by the name, symptoms will only occur at the blossom end of the tomato. First you will see a small, water soaked spot which will eventually grow and darken rapidly. This spot can grow until it covers as much as one-third to one-half of the full fruit. However, the spot can stay small and superficial. Large areas will quickly dry out and become flattened, black and leathery.
The disease doesn’t spread from plant to plant in an area, nor from fruit to fruit in transit. Therefore, since to the physiological nature fungicides and insecticides are useless. The occurrence of the disease is reliant on environmental factors. Factors that influence the uptake of water and calcium through the plant have an effect on the incidence and severity of the disease. Blossom End Rot is most common when there is rapid growing and then a sudden period of drought. What happens when the roots fail to obtain sufficient water and calcium that need to be transported up to the fruits- they become rotted on the ends. Another common predisposing factor is cultivation too close to the plant; this practice destroys valuable roots, which take up water and minerals. Tomatoes planted in cold, heavy soils often have poor root systems. Since they are unable to supply the necessary amounts of water and nutrients to plants during times of stress, blossom end rot may happen. Soils that contain excessive amounts of soluble salts may lead tomatoes to the disease, for the availability of calcium to the plants decreases rapidly as total salts in the soil increase.
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We are starting to notice Blossom End Rot at the greenhouse in beds. Here is an organic way to control the disease. Use Epsom Salt!
To prevent blossom end rot, work Epsom Salt into the garden soil before planting tomatoes. Apply one pound of Epsom Salt to the standard sized raised bed garden (4 x 6-8’) or one cup of Epsom Salt per container that tomatoes will be grown in and work into the soil. The Epsom Salt will then be a readily available source of calcium and magnesium for the tomato plant.
Epsom Salt also promotes root growth and development for all garden vegetables and flowers and should be worked into the soil along with organic matter at the beginning of spring. A side dressing of Epsom Salt or watering gardening vegetables with a mixture of ½ cup of Epsom Salt dissolved in one gallon of water a couple of times during the growing season will keep plants healthy and growing vigorously. When applying dry Epsom Salt as a side dressing, be careful not to allow the Epsom Salt to touch any part of the plant.
Thank you to Twin Oaks Nursery and Cornell University for the original information! You can click on their names to read more!
Late Blight? What to do now!
Infected Potato Plant Leaves
One of the worst problems that could happen in your garden isn’t pests- its a late blight. Late blight is a destructive fungal disease, and did we mention it is highly contagious? Tomato and Potato plants are the most susceptible to this disease. Action is needed to be taken immediately to prevent the destruction of your harvest. The epidemic of this diseases that occurred between 2009 and 2011 was started with just a few infected plants. There are many steps that can be taken to prevent Late Blight, here is a list to help you.
- Select plant varieties that have resistance to late blight. One type of tomato that is resistant is the Jasper Tomato.
- When planting potatoes, Do not plant from last years garden or even from the grocery store. There is a higher chance for the late blight pathogen (Phytophthora infestins) to be in “table-stock” potatoes.
- Get rid of any potatoes that have grown as “volunteers” in compost piles or from un-harvested potatoes from last year.
- You always want to inspect your tomato seedlings carefully for blight symptoms before purchase. Seedlings will only become infected by growing near other infected plants. The seeds do not carry the disease within.
- Learn the different symptoms of Late Blight and its imitators. Also monitor the occurrence of Late Blight in the United States by visiting usablight.org
- Inspect your tomato and potato plants at least once weekly. Happy planting!
What to do when late blight symptoms are found: Immediately call our Horticulture Diagnostic Lab at our hot line at 631-727-4126 from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Alice Raimondo and Sandra Vultaggio, our Horticulture Consultants, can help determine whether you do, indeed, have late blight, and answer questions about proper handling of an outbreak.
Thank you Cornell University for the original information. You can read more here.