What to Do About Drooping Leaves on Pepper Plants and Stop Wilting
Posted on July 19, 2010
Peppers, especially jalapenos, are starting to become just as popular as tomatoes these days when it comes to the home gardener. Unfortunately, both are picky plants that take a little more care than other The good news is wilting can be a real minor thing in most cases. It’s very likely that there’s an easy fix as long as the leaves are still green and don’t dry or curl up.
On particular hot days, it’s not uncommon for wilting to occur. This is a natural reaction to heat and the pepper plant should perk back up in the shade as the sun goes down. When there’s a number of hot days in a row it may be wise to shade your plants a little bit. Also, if you grow your peppers in a gardener’s pot be careful of what the pot is made of and where you set it. Placing a pepper plant on cement, or another material that stores and transmits heat, will essentially cook your plant’s roots on hot and not-so-hot days. Keeping the plant away from warm objects will better serve the growth process of the plant and keep the root system cool.
If the pepper plant continues to wilt or droop regardless of the temperature then it’s time to investigate further. The next thing to check is watering. Under watering will cause the plant to dry up and over watering can cause wilting (the plant is trying to get rid of the excess water). Yellowing leaves, in addition to wilting, could mean many things but is most likely a sign of either a fungus, disease, or bug. Bugs typically leave bite marks, holes in the leaves or other evidence of their existence. Figure out what insect is the culprit and use the appropriate insecticide or repellent.
A plant with fungus and disease issues is a tough one and, to be honest, this kind of problem is a little beyond me. Drooping leaves on pepper plants are most often the result of over heating which should be an easy fix. More serious issues will cause symptoms other then wilting
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Buds Falling Off Tomato Plants: What to Do About Blossom Drop
Posted on July 18, 2010
Tomato’s are a tough plant to grow for most people. They tend to be very picky and climate sensitive and when a tomato plant starts going down it’s quiet noticeable. An obvious sign that a tomato isn’t doing so hot is when its yellow buds start falling off. Known as blossom drop, losing the flower of any plant while in the growing season is never a good thing; unfortunately, it’s can be difficult to diagnose the exact problem.
- Climate: Temperature variation is the most likely reason that a tomato would lose its buds. Ideally daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F (21 to 29 degrees C) are the best, although these can vary depending on the variety of tomato plant. Night temperatures cannot dip below freezing. Folks living in areas with cool or cold winters should hold off on planting their tomatoes until night temperatures are over 50 F (10 C) to ensure the survival of the plant.
- Be Aware of the Amount You Water: Tomato plants have deep roots going down at least a foot and likely more. Make sure that you water enough so that the deep roots can get some water. The plant will struggle with shallow watering.
- Pollination: Don’t spray a plant with so much insecticide that bugs cannot get to them at all. Tomato plants need to be pollinated and if bees won’t go near it, you won’t be getting the fruit. Also be wary of humidity, as pollination is negatively impacted at either humidity extreme.
- Wrong Variation: Gardeners can be fickle at times. Make sure to use tomato plant varieties that are native to your area. Failure to do so will only lead to frustration and problems unless you have a greenhouse or some other mechanism to control the plant’s environment.
- Too Many Blossoms: If your plant has lost some buds but the remain blossoms and fruit still seem to be going strong then it’s likely that your plant simply grew to many flowers. With only a certain amount of resources, a plant must dictate how to use them. If the tomato plant cannot support the growth of all the blossoms, then some will likely fall off as the others get the resources.
Sometimes hard working gardeners just get unlucky. With so many factors, specifically the climate, there is no guaranteeing a fruit set. With that said, do your best to diagnose the problem and adjust accordingly.
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Quick Review: Flip Video MiniHD with 8 GB Memory
Posted on July 3, 2010
I guess this is the IPod or IPhone of the camcorder world. Now Flip Video camcorders aren’t made by Apple, but I still say this because of the size novelty of the device. It’s about the same size as most people’s cell phones and can easily fit in a pocket for those on the go. Of course, despite it’s size there is a lot to be impressed with by the Flip MiniHDs. It can record and store 2 hours of video, hooks up directly to any computer with a USB port, and shoots at a 1,280 x 720 resolution (720p). Now don’t expect Blue-Ray quality video, this thing is still a home video recorder, but the quality is still great while watching off the television. The only problem I have with it is the battery life, it will only last for about two hours, although it does charge up through a USB port so this isn’t an issue for those with laptops. Those are my impressions for now, I’ll update this post later with future impressions of the Flip Video camera.
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Moving Away and Why U-Haul Truck Rates Can Be a Tad Too Much
Posted on July 2, 2010
Awhile ago I received a new job and have to move away to a new town to make it happen. Since then I’ve been looking at various moving truck options and have, of course, taken a look at the ever present U-Haul. In short, it’s little costly to rent a U-Haul truck for any sort of long distance move. Nearly 80 cents a mile is what it would cost me to move 500 miles from Boise, Idaho to San Francisco, California. That was the local quote by a nearby U-Haul owner.
My Problems with U-Haul in the Past
I’ve rented U-haul trucks in the past (hasn’t everybody?) with few varying issues. Of course, these were in town moves rather than long distance but problems were still present. The first time I tried to use a U-Haul they didn’t have a truck for me ready to go. My reservation apparently didn’t make a difference to them, but I was in a pinch at the time so I had to suck it up and wait for a moving truck to come back to the pick up area. The second time I rented a U-Haul they placed some blankets and equipment in the back, none of which I ordered (or at least never intended to order them). Didn’t use them and got charged for blankets and a dolly.
What to Do?
I do have a few options. A local outfit that works along the west coast offers about 60 cents per mile, but after looking at their equipment it seems a little risky. Haven’t heard much locally about U-Pack or Budget and not even sure if they’re an option in my area, although, online reviews seem to have them both rated well. So I guess I’m a little lost as to what moving company to choose. So far my options are renting a U-Haul truck or getting a local cheap mover to do everything. I guess this is where having this blog comes in handy. Does anyone have any suggestions for a quality moving company? Any first hand impressions would be appreciated.
Other Popular Topics on the Blog
- Having some health problems and have been looking at beds. Craftmatic prices make it unlikely that I’ll be buying into that
- Lost data on your computer? I’d suggest getting an inexpensive data recovery company to get it back for you.
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