35June 29, 2011
June is winding down and the 4 Th of July is this weekend. Summer is officially here.
Tomato plants have grown tremendously in the past week. Some of the early varieties are producing flowers. For many, the arrival of fresh tomatoes cannot come too soon. If you want to increase the yield on your tomatoes and to have better quality tomatoes, here is a product you can try. Many of you know that black plastic mulch can help to cut down on the weeds around your plants and help to hold moisture in the soil. But did you know that there is red plastic mulch that will increase the size and quality of your tomato crop? The red plastic mulch is placed at the base of the tomato plant. The plastic is perforated to allow water and air to reach the soil. The plastic reflects red light towards the plant. The red light increases the yield and the quality of the tomatoes. The plastic can also be used around strawberries, melons and peppers. The plastic mulch is re-usable for 2 to 3 seasons. I have customers who have used this product and they do have very good results.
All of the cool and wet weather has made for lots of growth on our lawns. If you haven’t fertilized your lawn in 8 weeks, its time to apply fertilizer to your lawn. A lack of fertilizer in the soil can make it harder for your lawn to resist fungus diseases. An application of lawn fertilizer now will carry your lawn through the summer and your lawn will be healthier with greater resistance to disease.
Japanese beetles arrive in our area around July 10 Th. You should keep an eye on your plants for these insects and begin to protect your plants with the application of an appropriate insecticide. Now would also be a good time to set up your Japanese beetle traps. These traps capture both male and female beetles. The more beetles you catch, the fewer there are to mate and the fewer eggs that are placed onto your lawn. The eggs of the Japanese beetle hatch into the white grubs that eat the roots of your grass.
Well, that’s all for this week. I hope you have a happy and safe July 4 Th. I’ll talk to you again next week.