Nebraska Extension in Dodge County

Garden Update
Week of August 1, 2022
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County

 Blossom End Rot of Tomatoes

 A dark leathery lesion on the underside of tomatoes indicates blossom end rot. It’s not a fungal condition alone but a location of calcium deficiency that allows rot to develop. Typically, BER occurs on the first tomatoes of the season, often with the onset of high temperatures. A recurrence of BER can happen when conditions are extremely dry.  Peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and other summer squash can also develop BER.

Garden Update
Week of July 18, 2022
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator

Japanese Beetles

If it were a simple matter of having plants Japanese beetles (JB) do not like to eat, we’d have less feeding damage to our favorite plants.  At 300 plus plant species they feed on, however, that quickly becomes a tall order. Typically, in the first year JB are found in an area, the amount of feeding damage is relatively low.  In the second and third years of infestation, however, their numbers are so high that it feels like an invasion!