Hey fellow Floridians...

[Fiishergurl]

It has been raining here for 44 hours. My plants look sooooooo water logged. Boo hoo.

It started at 5pm on Saturday and it was supposed to be gone by noon on Sunday, but now it is 120pm on Monday and it is still parked over us.

Barb and Marsha, it looks like it might be finished where you both are. And it's not just a mist.... it has been a steady hard rain.



Ginny

[Barb_FL]

It's been sunny here since 11 - we didn't have any blasting rain through any of it.
I think it is suppose to rain again around 5-6.

If I look up my zipcode on weather.com , it gives Melbourne's weather; Satellite Beach's zipcode is more accurate for temperature so that is what I use.

Anything I left in the rain looks fine; I pulled my cucumber plant up. The last cuke was fine yesterday and had a bunch of holes this AM. I put it in water and 6 crawled out to drown. EWWWW - Worm food.

Thanks for the Fungicide info; I will do it tonight using Marsha's recipe.

[ginger2778]

Yes, Southern Ag concentrate, 1/2 Tablespoon per gallon. More than enough.

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

I agree with Ginny - NOT TMI - the more the better for this novice (even though at this point I shouldn't be a novice).

OK - here is what I observed: When I rolled the EB in/out all summer (they were under the porch at night so didn't get wet / damp , I didn't have any leaf mold, leaf virus or other problems. When the weather became cooler, they were left out all the time (except when 24 hour rain is forecast like this weekend). There were lots more leaf problems.

BUT - the plants that stay outside all the time, had much less aphids;

SO - under the porch - leaves are good; but more aphids.

---
What liquid copper fungicide do you all use? I found Southern AG Liquid Copper fungicide in the garage (must be my DH), and I have Daconil.

[ginger2778]

Ginny, spray as soon as you can, OK?

[Fiishergurl]

Ok... I will spray as soon as it stops which as of now is supposed to be around 1 am. That orange stuff in the picture is swirling right at us and has been. So crazy because it wasnt even supposed to rain here today.

I will get up in the middle if the night to spray if the rain does stop.

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Ok... I will spray as soon as it stops which as of now is supposed to be around 1 am. That orange stuff in the picture is swirling right at us and has been. So crazy because it wasnt even supposed to rain here today.

I will get up in the middle if the night to spray if the rain does stop.

Ginny

Ginny, it can wait until morning.

[Fiishergurl]

It stopped raining around 11pm... well at least the deluge stopped but it was still sprinkling so I waited until morning. Just finished spraying. Going to start some new seedlings this weekend. Kelloggs Breakfast has been the only disappointment so far. It has 4 tomatoes on it, new blooms all drop even though its tub mate sets tomatoes just fine and it has had leaf diseases almost from the beginning even when the other plants didnt. I provably should have pulled it a long time ago. The rest are all doing really well.

[Fiishergurl]

Picture update..

Will this one ever ripen?



Indian Stripe


Black and brown boar


Jaunne Flamme


Stupice- look close and you will see a bunch....


Ginny

[Barb_FL]

Wow - Ginny - they look good; and that was taken after all the rain?

I sprayed last night using Marsha's recipe but used Montery Liqui Cop Copper Fungicide Spray; but on review of most of my plants in the EB, I think I have more aphid damage than leaf disease.

I forgot to mention, but I went to see my friend's garden over the weekend; she lives in Melbourne, and my tomato plants are way ahead of hers. But fruit-wise, I'm so far behind Ginny.

[ginger2778]

Barb, the soap in the spray formula should kill the aphids if thoroughly wetted. I have noticed in past years that fungus after rain events takes ~4 days to show up, and by that time it has spread a lot, so I have learned to just spray after a heavy rain.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Barb, the soap in the spray formula should kill the aphids if thoroughly wetted. I have noticed in past years that fungus after rain events takes ~4 days to show up, and by that time it has spread a lot, so I have learned to just spray after a heavy rain.

Yes I totally agree. They will seem fine and then before you know it they are half dead from so much fungus spreading. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think it is worse here because I'm right on the water and the heavy dew makes the plants stay wet most nights.

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Yes I totally agree. They will seem fine and then before you know it they are half dead from so much fungus spreading. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think it is worse here because I'm right on the water and the heavy dew makes the plants stay wet most nights.

Ginny

Yes, I agree, I cringe on the mornings I see the leaves wet with dew. I am resolved to spray fungicide every 7 days regardless of rainfall. I am actively pruning to keep better airflow, sometimes not such an easy thing to do on the dwarfs.
On the bright side, we had low 60sF this am going to about 82F today, with no rain as the forecast. DH and I went for a 5 mile walk today, too pretty out not to take advantage.

[Fiishergurl]

These are my neighbors tomatoes in pots we gave them.

This first one is Sungold in a big self watering pot from Walmart. She does not prune for airflow but her plants are super healthy so far. I spray hers and supplement them with TTF when I do my own but she waters them and stakes them and buzzes them with an electric toothbrush.




The two plants below are in an 18 gallon SWC that we made for her last spring. They go home to Kentucky in April every year and come back in October. When we made the SWC for her last spring she was skeptical about it and thought it was overkill but they took it home with them in April and she said one of the plants had over 700 tomatoes (small red but not cherry sized, a little larger) over the summer in Kentucky. So guess what? They brought the SWC back with them and when they got here in October we planted an Indian Stripe and a red grocery store tomato for her and look at them now.... :-) You can't see it in the picture but both plants are loaded with tomatoes.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Yes, I agree, I cringe on the mornings I see the leaves wet with dew. I am resolved to spray fungicide every 7 days regardless of rainfall. I am actively pruning to keep better airflow, sometimes not such an easy thing to do on the dwarfs.
On the bright side, we had low 60sF this am going to about 82F today, with no rain as the forecast. DH and I went for a 5 mile walk today, too pretty out not to take advantage.

Oh what a beautiful day for a walk. Just starts your day out right... :-)

[Fiishergurl]

Indian Stripe is starting to blush! Cant wait to try this one.



Girl Girls Weird Thing is blushing finally also. Yay!!




Jaune Flamme is delicious!! And productive. Love this one and will definitely repeat.



Ginny