Fall is creeping up, but there is even now a good deal to do in the garden. You lots of have some thoughts. For solutions, transform to Inquire an Pro, an on-line dilemma-and-remedy device from Oregon State University’s Extension Assistance. OSU Extension school and Master Gardeners reply to queries in two small business days, generally fewer. To talk to a problem, only go to the OSU Extension web-site style it in and incorporate the county in which you are living. Listed here are some questions asked by other gardeners. What is yours?
Q: In excess of the earlier two weeks my tomatoes have made this unconventional spotting, I’m hoping you can give me some tips as to the result in and attainable solution? – Benton County
A: It could be a mosaic virus. I am linking some web pages for you to see if they seem like yours: listed here, right here and below.
This virus can assault quite much at any time. The leaves may present a mottled color visual appearance and stunted expansion as nicely as weak fruit set. The fruit has a mottled look as your photograph and usually turns brown in the dead spots with rotting brown colored inside. Cut some open and see if there is any discoloration.
If you believe this might be right you ought to take out and trash the plant, clean up all your instruments, buckets, cages or whichever you have made use of in the soil with a 10% bleach remedy.
Plant subsequent year’s tomatoes in clear soil. Plant this year’s tomato bed with a inexperienced manure or address crop. This condition has a range of variants causing troubles in a quantity of crops.
This website link will give far more details on this disorder. There is no remedy.
Your tomato appears to be like like the common “marbling” for the tomato virus of which there are many (viruses). Your leaves could be sunlight burned, or could have tomato blight or tomato wilt.
The only way to know what is going on is with a lab analysis. I am sending a hyperlink from Oregon Condition on labs that you may want to make contact with. This was previous edited in 2017, however, I do know that the OSU plant ID/pathogen lab is nevertheless jogging.
You can send samples to a lab, you can depart the plant and tomatoes in the ground and see if the other tomatoes create the exact same way as the a person in your photo (that would tell me the plant has the virus) or you can pull the full issue and put it in the trash. If you do that do not use the soil all over again for nightshade plants (tomatoes, potatoes). Given that it is in a pot, isolate it from other crops if you come to a decision to get a hold out and see approach.
Here’s yet another website link for you – look at the major photo and then scroll down and appear at the leaf picture with the browning on it On the other hand, your tomato does not seem like the diseased ones. – Sheryl Casteen, OSU Extension Grasp Gardener
Q: I applied baking soda as deodorizer in an region that has a thriving bee inhabitants and am now concerned that it may have an undesirable and probably poisonous outcome on the bees. Upon looking for an solution to this query online, I was unable to discover a apparent response. Is baking soda destructive to bees? – Benton County
A: Centered on your description of use of baking soda, I do not consider it will affect bees in your space. – Ramesh Sagili, OSU Extension bee expert
Can wood chips be tilled under in planning for planting? Relies upon on the depth and dimension. File photo.
Q: We are arranging to plant grass/ clover in the compacted lawn (from development do the job) soon after it has been tilled and amended. It now has wooden chips on it. The landscaper mentioned the wooden chips have to have to be eradicated right before tilling and planting because the wooden chips will stop the seeds from increasing. I know that when the wooden chips are blended with the soil they will access the nitrogen, but my thought was that just including extra nitrogen would acquire care of that challenge. Am I completely wrong? I did have a soil examination done. It states that prior to planting unfold 3.4% nitrogen, 3% potash and , .6% sulfur for every 1,000 sq. toes.
My concern is: how ideal to progress to assist the garden develop? – Washington County
A: It depends on how thick the layer of wood chips is and how big the chips are. If it is a slender layer (much less than 1-2 inches) and the chips are more like saw dust, then tilling them into the soil is good as long as you do not produce a layer and you till the wooden chips in at least 6 inches deep so you are diluting it effectively. You are appropriate, the microbes will use up nitrogen breaking down the carbon from the wooden chips. But there can be other challenges as properly (see beneath). As a guideline, if you till in the wood chips and they largely disappear in the soil, then I consider you will be Alright.
What you are trying to stay clear of is obtaining as well a lot organic make a difference. If the organic matter will get way too superior, you can have difficulties irrigating it in which the soil either holds too significantly h2o, which makes ailment problems, or has hydrophobic spots (truly dry). Just one popular disorder with far too considerably organic matter is fairy ring. This fungal condition can make mushrooms, and both equally inexperienced and hydrophobic (incredibly dry) rings.
If the layer of wood chips is significant or the size of the wooden chips is huge, I would in all probability get rid of them and either use them for a landscape bed or give them to your neighbor.
I feel you require to request yourself what the worst end result could be? If you until the wooden chips in and you have difficulties, what are you heading to do then? The alternative is actually tough. Weigh that likely outcome against only raking them up into a pile now and eliminating them. – Brian McDonald

Locust saplingsOSU Extension Support
Q: How do you destroy a black locust tree? We had two trees cut down. We left the stumps and now we have dozens of saplings invading our garden and driveway. – Clackamas County
A: Below is an Extension short article on regulate of this invasive species. Observe that all of the chemical compounds may perhaps not be readily available to property owners, and, assuming all other mechanisms are not successful, ought to be utilized only in accordance with label instructions. – Kris LaMar, OSU Extension Master Gardener

Gardener’s ferns need to have dappled shade. What can they check out? Oregonian file photo. LC- The Oregonian
Q: The earlier entrepreneurs of our property designed a charming fern yard, but taken off a substantial tree that was delivering shade for them. We’d adore to get them a lot more shade, but maintain the watch we have. Can you advise any trees that would continue to be 15-20 ft tall with a loose canopy for dappled light (partial shade)? A dogwood comes to head, but I’m curious about other possibilities. – Multnomah County
A: Here is an OSU Extension publication (there is also an app model) on tree collection and treatment that need to offer some alternatives. This publication focuses on indigenous plants that might also be valuable. – Kris LaMar, OSU Extension Master Gardener