The Rural Voice, 1999-09, Page 68RENT IT
TE -EM FARM
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The best time to plant
was 10 yrs. ago.
The second best is now.
SOME NURSERY STOCK
& FLOWERING SHRUBS
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FIELD TOMATOES
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by the pound or by the bushel or
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A LARGE SELECTION OF PERENNIALS
Goderich
T
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519-482-3020
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Various models equipment
options include'
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64 THE RURAL VOICE
Gardening
Putting pests in their place
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
By now you should be up to your
eyeballs in tomatoes and have
zucchini coming out your ears. The
heat and rain has been a real blessing
to gardeners in the area. But with all
this produce and Tush growth also
comes some problems.
1 have heard from a number of
people who are fascinated with the
tomato hornworm. The hornworm is
a Targe four -inch caterpillar which
has distinct white diagonal bars on its
sides and a prominent red horn at the
back end. It leaves holes in
the leaves and
sometimes on the
fruit. To spot them early
look for dark coloured
droppings on the
foliage. Spraying water
on the plants will cause
them to
thrash about and give
away their position. They
are easy to pick off once
you spot them. Like any
other insect, knowing its
life cycle helps you
battle it in the garden.
The tomato hornworm is
the larval stage of a gigantic
moth known as sphinx,
humming bird or hawk moth. I
remember seeing one when 1 was a
child and was totally fascinated but I
never made the connection between
the huge green caterpillars we
squished in the garden for Dad and
the spectacular moths we watched for
eagerly around the back porch light.
They would fly at twilight and sip
nectar from the flowers just like the
hummingbirds would do.
The eggs are laid singly along the
underside of the leaves and hatch in
three to eight days. The larvae or
hornworm feeds on the leaves
steadily for three to four weeks until
it reaches full size. Once this stage is
complete it rolls itself into the pupae
stage and burrows into the ground
about three to four inches deep to
spend the winter months. The moth
appears in May or June and starts the
cycle all over again. Armed with
this knowledge you can plan how to
prevent them from decimating your
tomato crop.
If you only have a few plants you
might consider plucking them off by
hand. If they are carrying white
pupae or cocoon spinning grubs leave
them be. They are the victim of a
parasitic brachonid wasp and should
be left to nurture this beneficial
insect.
Some gardeners have found that a
sprinkling of hot pepper on
• plants keeps the
oornworms at bay
while others have
found a black
light trap
captures the
adult moths
and they can
stop the cycle
before it gets to
their
plants.
One final
note before I
move onto
) another pest.
If you've ever
seen a
sphinx moth you will be
fascinated with its
magnetic eye, design on the
wings. It truly is a spectacular night
insect. Sacrificing one or two tomato
plants to keep this marvel in our
garden to enjoy may not be a bad
thing.
If you haven't been lucky enough
to spot a hornworm among your
ailing tomato plants you could be
looking for Colorado potato beetles
that also feed on the foliage. The oval
hard -shelled adult is abouts/8 inch
long with black and yellow stripes.
Its young are soft -bodied, hump
backed grubs coloured red with two
rows of back spots on each side of the
body.
Both the adult and the larva feed
on the leaves. The larva hatch from
the soil in the spring and take up
residence in your potato and tomato