Fall Garden Problems

UT Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture Natalie Bumgarner talks about common lesser known problems in the fall garden. Basil Downy Mildew is a relatively new disease that can devastate herbs in the home garden. Basil downy mildew can be easily mistaken for a nutritional issue in the early stages of infection. Flip over a sick looking leaf and look for the fungus.  Unfortunately basil downy mildew spreads easily and is hard to treat. Remove infected leaves as soon as you see the problem. Keeping the plants harvested and not letting the plant get dense foliage will help air circulation and reduce the chance of infection. Sweet basil cultivars are more susceptible to infection than red basil cultivars. Armyworms can feed on the fruit of tomatoes. They burrow or eat their way into the fruit and can actually complete their lifecycle within the tomato. BT products can control armyworms. Squash bugs are difficult to control when they are adults. They can be controlled when they are eggs or juveniles. Eggs look like bronze footballs and can be picked off or squished on the plant. As the plants die back in the fall, the squash bugs will start to feed on the fruit which damages it and shortens its storage life.

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Related Resources:
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