Fruit trees and watermelon dying
We planted fruit trees this spring. We have had a very dry summer, nevertheless we have watered the trees three times a week. Now the leaves of all the fruit trees are curling up, turning brown and falling off. I am not so sure that some are not already dead. The trunks of the trees look different. Some spots are green and look healthy, while other spots are a very dark brown. Do you have any idea what this could be? I realize it is difficult to say exactly without seeing, thought you might have some idea.
This is the first year after five tries that I was able to grow watermelon. Now the vine is wilted and the stem is brown. Could this be a fungus? There are two small fruits set and lots of bloom, still open. Can I save this? Thanks for all your time and information that you provide to all of us.
Mary Ann Nelson
Franklin, West Virginia
Newly-planted fruit trees should receive at least a five-gallon bucket of water at a watering twice a week, provided that they are mulched. Often folks don’t realize this and use sprinklers in the orchard which don’t wet the soil deep enough to keep the baby tree roots from drying out and dying. I’d keep watering them and severely prune the trees, removing most of the branches and cutting the ones you leave off at half-length. Maybe they’ll either start leafing out again or send new shoots from lower down and above the grafts.
While it could be a fungus on your watermelon, it is also possible that it just didn’t get enough water. Your garden should receive at least 1 inch of water every week, more during very hot weather. You can make sure they are getting this by sitting a few cups out in the garden while you water. After you finish, measure the amount of water in the cups. There should be at least 1 inch in each one. Sometimes our sprinklers just don’t reach certain spots very well, leaving them pretty dry. Mulch is also very important in the garden to keep the plants’ roots evenly moist. — Jackie
Red cabbage for Amish coleslaw
I’m really sorry you had to postpone the surgery; what a letdown. Your garden looks great — too bad you can’t send some of that rain our way. We are dry. The Provider beans are just getting into full swing and the single Hopi plant I grew has at least 17 squash on it! Wow, those are powerful seeds you grew! Would it help the plant if I took some of them off? Also, I grew red cabbage and green, this year, and the red are heading way before the others. Have you found that the red cabbages work as well for Amish Slaw and other cabbage recipes? I hope you’ll have good hay making season. I’ll bet the animals are counting every bale.
Carol Bandy
Hightown, Virginia
I think I’m finally getting over that darned cold. I think… Wow, 17 squash on one plant! If you want really big squash, you can pick off some of the littlest ones and use as you would summer squash. Otherwise, Hopi Pale Grey is a very strong-growing squash and can handle that big a load as long as it gets plenty of water.
Yes, you can sure use your red cabbages in Amish coleslaw. The color would really pop.
The haying is going well so far and we pray it continues the same. We stock up the haymow with the same feelings we do our pantry. What a great feeling when it’s full to bulging! — Jackie
Mary Ann, the treatment Jackie described for your trees (remove the leaves and most branches) may save them if you do the heavy watering she suggested and your growing season is long enough. You are removing the stress of keeping all that branch and leaf tissue alive with roots that may be compromised. You are turning the tree back into an unbranched whip. If you want more information about why it works, that procedure is described in Sepp Holzer’s book called Permaculture. You might also try watering with Lilly Miller root stimulator. My concern from what you wrote is your description of brown patches on the trunk. Those brown patches could be bacterial canker. Really look closely at them, and if possible scrape a tiny bit of that dark brown bark off and look at the underlying trunk tissue. If it looks or smells odd, is discolored, your trees may have canker. Your county Extension sevice should be able to help you identify canker. Perhaps you can send them some photos? Bacterial canker is incurable and highly contagious. It can be spread by birds or bees, but especially by humans. If you suspect that’s what it is you must remove the trees and roots and discard them in sealed plastic bags. Also disinfect your tools wash your hands if you touch the trunks.
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