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September Garden Question & Answers

© Keith Muraoka

Q. – Can you tell me about using Epsom salts as a fertilizer? Also, my zucchini plants this year have curly leaves and the fruit is odd shaped and very bumpy. I had the same problem last year, but not as bad. What’s the problem?

A.Common Epsom salt makes a great all-around fertilizer for the garden, and it’s inexpensive, too! Basically, Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate. This ingredient will facilitate the uptake of chlorophyll. This translates to enhancing the colors of flowers and leaves, promoting new flowers and fruit, and improving root systems. You can sprinkle Epsom salt at the base of plants and water it in, or mix a few tablespoons per gallon of water and utilize as a liquid fertilizer.

As for your zucchini, the problem is in the soil. You have a soil-borne fungus that is caused by planting the same crop in the same location too many years in a row. You need to rotate your crops or sterilize your soil. You can sterilize by covering your soil with clear plastic for a month to six weeks, and letting the sun do the work. Or, simply, plant something else in that spot next summer, not zucchini. Q. I was wondering if you can tell me why I didn’t have any tangerines last season. The tree is about 20-years-old and looks really healthy. The orange and lemon trees within 25 feet had great fruit. Also, I have about 36 snapdragons that keep getting rust before the season is over. I sprayed with Bayleton, but is there something to prevent rust?

A. You aren’t doing anything wrong with your tangerine. Citrus can be notoriously fickle, depending on the amount of fertilizer, water and weather. Actually, you’re lucky that your nearby orange and lemon trees have done so well. One thing you can try is to be diligent on the fertilizer. Citrus are heavy feeders and need regular applications of citrus fertilizer. Try to feed them at least three times a year: in January/February, April/May and August/September.

Preventing rust from accruing on snapdragons is something flower breeders have been attempting to accomplish for decades now. Snapdragons are simply susceptible to rust. All you can do is to try to plant them in a warm, dry area of the garden. If rust does occur, you need to spray, which is precisely what you’ve been doing. Some new snapdragon varieties are reportedly more “rust-proof,” but I wouldn’t bet my garden hose on it. Locally, Goldsmith Seeds offers many snapdragon types from dwarf varieties like Bells and Chimes to taller ones like Ribbon and Liberty.

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