Home Gardening

Oh Monday, Monday
Mississippi Gardens Newspaper and Web Column - July 26, 2004

Monday mornings get very interesting in the Extension Service Office where I work. That's because folks have been home for a day or so over the weekend and found all sorts of things happening in the lawn and garden. This Monday was no exception and today's article will let you in on a few of the situations that arose and how we dealt with them. This all happened before 11:00 a.m.

An email came in from a woman who gardens on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. She had received some info from us about preventing blossom end rot of tomatoes. It seems that every year she had been incorporating calcified seaweed into her garden soil. This year she didn't use it and blossom end rot (calcium deficiency) spoiled her tomatoes. A spider identification request came in from southern Florida. They have Golden Silk Orb Weavers there, too. We received another request from Washington for a source for Firminia simplex, Chinese Parasol tree. Do you believe I directed him to E-bay?

Folks along the coast called in as well. One gentleman was looking for a source for pomegranates. I had previously purchased a pomegranate plant from a man in Georgia who was selling numbered varieties at the Fall Field Day at Crystal Springs last fall. The fruit from this tree, he called it #8,was beautiful. I gave the source info to the caller who just happened to be from Georgia and was going back this weekend for his grand nephew's graduation.

In addition to these, we responded to requests regarding Take-All disease and chinch bug infestation of St. Augustine grass, a sick maple, worms falling from sycamore trees, pruning shrubs and weed control in a commercial turf farm. My brother says all I do is ride around and sniff flowers. What does he know?

Sometimes the problems our clients face are easily solved and others require further examination in our mini-lab consisting of two microscopes and a digital camera. This high dollar equipment allows us to give diagnosis and treatment recommendations much faster than in times past.

As much as I enjoy writing this article, this one is the last for a while. I am returning to Mississippi State University to work on my posthole digger (PhD) and that will take me out of circulation for about 10 months. While out I hope to learn a lot more that will help me do a better job and get me better prepared for Monday mornings. Happy gardening!