Re: CULT: smelly rot, ?cucumber beetles

That does sound like soft rot, Mike.  We are both in a climate that soft
rot <loves> - warm, lots of rain, high humidity.  It is always worse
here after it's been dry for awhile, then rains a lot.  I see it a lot
more often in the foliage, rather than in the rhizomes these days.  Some
cultivars are better adapted to our climate and will resist rot better
than others.

Some folks have suggested adding lime (crushed dolomitic limestone) to
raise the pH (sweeten the soil) and add calcium and magnesium will help
in prevention.

Anybody know if manual harvest of cucumber beetles will cut the
population enough to spare pollen?  I squished several hundred late
yesterday afternoon, then went beetle hunting again this morning and
only found about a dozen.

Manual removal of potato beetles works really well as a control on a
small potato patch, but I haven't ever tried to control cucumber beetles
before.

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
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online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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