Ask the Experts MY TOMATOES ARE CRACKING Question: Many of my tomato fruits developed cracks as they ripened. Is there anything I can do to help prevent this? Answer: Cracking of tomato fruit is a common problem and mainly occurs with uneven moisture patterns. When plants receive soaking moisture either from rain or irrigation, they rapidly uptake water. The result is an overabundance of water in the fruit, causing it to expand faster than the skin. Since the skin can’t grow as quickly as the fruit, the skin breaks, causing the cracking. Cracking of the fruit can be around the stem end or up and down the fruit. Preventing these cracks in tomato fruit involves several strategies. Most importantly is an even supply of moisture. But when it rains and the temperatures cool, cracking can be a problem. Select varieties that have crack resistance as one of its traits. Heirloom tomatoes that are prized for their rich flavor tend to be susceptible to cracking. Modern or hybrid varieties are often selected because crack resistance is one of their traits. BUMBLEBEE BONUS Question: I found a bumblebee nest in my backyard. Should I kill it or leave it alone? Answer: Bumblebees are one of our best native pollinators. Bumblebees tend to not be aggressive and sting unless provoked. Ideally, you would leave the nest alone and let the bumblebees go about pollinating flowers in our backyards and gardens. Unlike honeybees, a bumblebee nest only lasts one season. All the workers die off in late fall. The fertilized queen overwinters in the ground, waiting to start a new colony next year. This is more than likely to occur in a new cavity in the soil. I would say having a nest in your yard is a bonus. If you are concerned about the safety of children or pets, consider temporarily
ally found in foliage, stems and roots. Under hot, dry summer conditions, these compounds move into the fruit. The high concentration of cucurbitacins causes an odd flavor. The highest concentrations tend to be in the stem end and peel. You might try removing more of the stem end and peeling deeper to remove the compound. To reduce stress on the vine, apply even amounts of water to help keep the problem in check. The high temperatures may still cause the issue even with the best of care. An overabundance of water causes tomatoes to crack.
Bumblebees usually are nonaggressive, unless provoked.
No need to remove sun damaged hosta leaves.
fencing off that section of the yard to keep everyone safe and happy.
planting. Control is achieved with an application of a broad-spectrum insecticide as soon as feeding is noticed. The good news is given a little time and proper care, the plant should make a full recovery, so controls may not be necessary. Will it happen next year? Who knows?
GROUNDCOVER DESTROYED Question: Creeping Jenny is one of my favorite ground covers as I enjoy digging up clumps and adding to my containers. My patch was devoured this summer by a small worm. Can you tell me what attacked my Creeping Jenny and what should I do to prevent this from happening next year? Answer: Creeping Jenny, a species of Lysimachia, is fed upon from time to time by a sawfly larvae. The larvae of the grass sawfly are about an inch long and has light and dark green stripes. Feeding happens typically in May and June and lasts for about a month. The feeding can quickly defoliate a
DENNIS PATTON Horticulture Agent 4
September 2020 | kcgmag.com
CUCUMBER BITTER TASTE Question: My cucumbers were producing nicely, and I enjoyed having fresh cukes for eating and canning. I noticed in July that the cucumbers tasted bitter. What caused this to happened and how can I prevent it from happening next year? Answer: Bitterness in cucumbers is caused by an increase in the plant’s production of the compound cucurbitacins, which is usu-
KEEP OR REMOVE SUN SCORCHED HOSTA LEAVES Question: I am debating with a gardening friend and need your help. A couple of my hostas are in a location that gets too much sun. The hot summer sun fried many of the leaves. Here is the debate. I want to remove the sunburned foliage, yet my friend says not to cut them off. So who is right? Answer: I dislike picking a side among friends, but if I have to choose, I agree with your friend. Although brown leaves look bad, there is an advantage to not removing them. Even a small amount of green will carry on photosynthesis and is better than no ability to make food. If there is some healthy foliage, I would leave them on. This question is frequent after a hailstorm. Some people remove the tattered leaves, while others leave them on the plant. Fast forward a year. Plants with tattered leaves remaining grow back bigger and more vigorous than those having their ability to make energy removed. My take is to leave them on as long as possible. Once they are completely yellow, then remove them. Let me also settle the debate about whether to remove hosta foliage in the spring or fall, just in case you disagree on this as well. Both of you are correct. Once the foliage is frost killed, it can be cut off in the fall or left for spring clean up.
Dennis Patton is the horticulture agent for Johnson County K-State Research and Extension. For free information fact sheets, visit www.johnson.ksu.edu, or call the Extension office at 913-715-7000.
