Sorghum is growing in one of the five raised beds maintained by the master gardeners. Half of the raised bed was amended last fall with sheep manure and two types of compost. The other half was unamended. The amended half is a darker green with a more complete head. The unamended half is light green with an incomplete head. However, all the sorghum plants are shorter and showing some signs of powdery mildew. This time of year the sorghum should be about four feet tall with a fuller head. It’s important to know your soil and possibly have the soil tested for the pH level. Also, using the right plant in the right place is important. The plants currently are in a slightly shaded enclosed area. Sorghum prefers full sun and good air circulation.
The various soybean fields have different varieties. It’s important to plant different varieties to lessen the risk of loss from disease and insects. One variety is more pointed at the tip, while another is more rounded. The pointed variety is showing signs of drought stress as the leaves are pointing upward. These are more susceptible to spider mites, aphids and green clover worms. Still, the plants do not show that much leaf damage from insects.
The field corn is showing damage from the corn borer. One strip-down stalk showed severe corn borer damage inside the corn plant. Unfortunately all the field corn is non-BT corn, and it remains to be seen how successful this field corn harvest will be in October.
The sweet corn field was mowed down last week. Much of the sweet corn had been damaged by birds. Advantages of leaving the corn plant on the ground would be to provide a blanket for the soil (preventing erosion) and nutrients for the soil. Disadvantages would be that it attracts disease and wildlife. It can also serve as an inoculum for disease the following season.
In the demonstration plots the giant pumpkins need almost daily monitoring. New buds and flowers are cut off, providing more energy to the established pumpkins. Keeping the plants free from insect damage is a never-ending chore. Several pumpkins look to be more than 20 inches. However, the pumpkin vines are starting to wilt and shrivel from disease. The millet has recently been fertilized and are just beginning to pollinate. The seeds should soon begin to develop. The broom corn needs to be fertilized and the plants should have been thinned-out. Not doing this, the broom corn will not have a strong healthy head as it could have. The Bell peppers and hot peppers have bacterial leaf spot from all the rainfall. They are still producing some good size fruit, but also are suffering from leaf drop. The everbearing strawberries were clipped back from their runners and are producing one pint of berries per week. They probably will shut down with this recent heat wave. The pollinator plot has made a nice comeback this year and is attractive heading to the high point of summer.
Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps.
Trap 1 (Black Cut Worm) – 3 each chafer beetle and click beetle, 1 each June bug and black cut worm.
Trap 2 (European Corn Borer) - 4 click beetles, 2 each stink bug and lightening bug, 1 each Fall armyworm and European corn borer.
Trap 3 (Fall Army Worm) - 3 each true armyworm and click beetle, 2 each bumble bee and chafer beetle, 1 wasp.
Trap 4 (Corn Ear Worm) – 24 noctuids, 3 chafer beetle, 2 leperadoptera ssp., 1 click beetle
Notes compiled by John Siemanowski
