Why is squash cracked ? Qu about cross -breeding?
doriswk
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last yeardaninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
last yearlast modified: last yeardoriswk thanked daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)Related Discussions
Why is my apple tree turning black and has cracks in the bark?
Comments (8)Keepitlow, I'm not sure they're increasing on a global scale, it's just that societies are much more mobile now, and bring pests along with them, so that there is a larger diversity of pests here. A couple more imported pests that come to mind are Japanese beetles introduced in the early 1900s, and the very recently introduced spotted wing drosophila fly. Once introduced, it has generally taken a long time for some of these pests to become omnipresent. Codling moth, even though introduced with the first settlers, didn't find it's way to Kansas until 1850. Japanese beetles, even though introduced 90 years ago, are still not found in all KS counties today. However, in the future with our society even more mobile, it may take less time for these newly introduced pests to fully disseminate. OFM has become more of a problem due to mutation. Originally it was exclusively a stone fruit pest. In recent years it has become a pest in commercial apple orchards as well. I've also read it can be a problem in some home orchards where there are lots of stone fruit and apples planted together. To the naked eye, the larva are indistinguishable from CM. Lastly, introduced pests are not limited to fruit. Bedbugs have been practically unheard of here for half a century. Remember the old adage, "sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite"? That came from a time when people slept on hanging rope beds. Bedbugs could be somewhat thwarted by tightening up the ropes to prevent the bed from touching the floor. In recent times some hotels (even nice ones) have had problems with bedbugs being reintroduced from overseas travelers. That'd be a case where I'm going to kill some nature, and feel really good about it....See MoreWhy did the Bermudagrass cross the road?
Comments (24)Here's something to think about. We have dry summers. There's nothing new about that. Even though the drought we are in is really unbelievable, our summers are often droughty. This mean you have to water some cool season grasses to keep them alive. This also means you have to water bermuda because it needs water to stay green (and alive too). During the summer you can expect very high quality turf from bermuda, unmatched by an cool season grass, anywhere on the planet. However to bring out that potential, it needs water, close mowing, monthly ferts etc. All of the maintenance would make sense unless the following are true: * We have dry summers * We have a cool season, in most years it is longer than the warm season. * We can grow alternatives. When the growing season is short (unlike the desert SW) and it is droughty, it is a struggle to bring out bermuda's high quality potential. Why bother with that struggle? Instead of the status quo, why not instead put away the lawn mower for summer instead. It easier to grow grass in the cool season when moisture from cold fronts is more regular. If the summers were wet, that would change things because then if you wanted to grow bermuda, it would be easier to acheive the 8-9 quality ratings. Whereas TTTF may avg a high 5 or 6 rating year round, at least in an area with dry summers and mild winters, the grass will have more growing time. The alternative would be either dormant or coming into or coming out of dormancy. As a result, the whole city has not had good color lawns this summer. Since the lawns will be dormant til almost june, we've just lost an entire year. There has been lost opportunities for a beautiful green lawn that will cover up the mud in the cool season. I just don't get it. I don't see why others think brown grass for virtually the entire year (most years) is acceptable. And not just that but they eagerly throw money at chem spraying companies to make the grass green when it just isn't going to be more than a 4.5-5.0. I'd love for someone to explain it to me. I will admit, seeding lawns is a pain and stressful and I'd rather not have to do that every year. Not everyone does (those in shady yards etc) but I am literally the only one in my neighborhood that has had grass this year with a quality rating more than 5. A 5 isn't something to brag about, it's bare minimum acceptable quality. When I drive around town, I want to see pretty green grass. Not dead grass and stems that just makes the place look unpretty....See MoreWhy is California so strict about plants being imported??
Comments (39)Dick Sonia, While there may be no avocado orchards in Oregon or Washington, I would disagree that these states aren't a potential source of infestation for California. You are forgetting that so many people smuggle in plants, seeds and fruit and vegetables from all over the world via air travel, and then can easily drive across a state border and be a potential source of infestation. Also diseases and pests that may require a warmer climate such as California's, can also easily establish a beach head inside greenhouses, and spread throughout the country. So it doesn't really follow that any state is more at risk from California pests than vice versa. All parts of the country are equally accessible to bone headed people who bring in infected materials without thinking of the potential harm, and can then easily cross state borders and spread the risk beyond their initial entry point. While diseases such as Sudden Oak Death are already here in California, they also occur in Washington and Oregon states, and infected plants from nurseries there if not inspected could still easily spread this disease to parts of California where it doesn't occur (yet). So your analogies don't make total sense, and we are back to relying on an imperfect system that assumes people will cooperate in their own self interest. Education of the public is the key factor, making people feel that it IS in their self interest to cooperate and attempt to keep pests out. The alternative is resorting to police state inspection policies. Given how there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for cooperation and the public good anymore, it may come to that....See MoreSummer Squash Evaluations (and winter squash)!
Comments (5)I ate my first spaghetti squash last week. I'm going to try to grow some next year. I saw seeds for single serving size squash at Park Seed, and since there are only 2 of us, that sounds like a good idea, since the bowl I tried reheating was not great. We sliced it in half, scooped the seeds put garlic & butter in it and popped it in the oven. Next time, I won't put the butter on before cooking. It seemed to make it mushy. Other than that, I really liked it. Next time, we'll cook it plain, add garlic, butter and parmesan cheese, then pop it back in the oven for a minute to melt the parm. I cooked the seeds too, like pumpkin seeds, but I cooked them in the frying pan instead of the oven, just to try it. They were good too. I planted my zucchini too close this year (to each other, and to everything else). Next year, it's not going in the raised bed. It's getting some space of it's own. Of course like a dope, I thought it was a vining plant. I've only grown it once, and that was several years ago. I just though - zucchini is squash, squash grows on vines... Lesson learned... We did get some very good zuchs though. About one a day for several weeks. My potatoes were looking great until I left town for a couple weeks. DH overwatered them. They got hit when the sprinkler system came on, and he didn't realize it. As they yellowed, he watered them more, thinking they were dry. I salvaged a few that hadn't rotted. My carrots were less than stellar. I grew Danvers half long I think. They weren't sweet at all. All in all though, the new raised beds I built this spring produced by far the best garden we have ever had. DH didn't want me to garden this year (first year in the house, too much work he thought, so I built it while he was gone to TX for 2 weeks). I had 80 square feet this year. Next year I'll have about 200, plus a raspberry patch. DH is happily helping me this time : )...See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last yearcarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last yeardoriswk
last yearlast modified: last yearCA Kate z9
last yeardoriswk
last yearcarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last yearlast modified: last yearCA Kate z9
last yeardoriswk
last yearDon V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
last yeargardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year- doriswk thanked daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)