If you have vegetables that are blooming but not setting fruit, you may have a problem with flower pollination. There are several possible reasons for this that usually vary by species. One condition that can affect several species at the same time is overfertilization. Too much nitrogen causes the plant to emphasize vegetative growth, often to the detriment of fruit production. Overfertilization can lead to a delay in flower production and a decrease in fruit set among the flowers produced.
Squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and muskmelon can have a couple of other problems. First, the early flowers on these plants are usually all male. The production of both male and female flowers becomes more balanced as time passes. You can easily tell the difference between the two because only the female flower has a tiny fruit behind the blossom. If you have both, have not over-fertilized, and still have a problem, make sure you have pollinators. Look for the presence of bees visiting the plants. If you don’t see any, try hand-pollinating several flowers.
Use a painter’s brush to transfer pollen from the anther of the male flower to the stigma of the female flower. If you get fruit on only those flowers you pollinated, you need more pollinators. Make sure you aren’t killing them with overuse of insecticides.
Tomatoes are wind pollinated and therefore not dependent on pollinators. But they have another possible problem, which is temperature. Tomatoes normally won’t set if the night temperature is below 50 due to sparse pollen production. They also won’t set when nighttime temperatures are above 75 degrees F and daytime temperatures are above 95 degrees F with dry, hot winds.
By: Cassie Homan
Research backs the claims of the physical, emotional, and mental support pets provide for their families. However, along with the many added benefits of having pets there are the financial expenses for caring for your animal. K-State Research and Extension provides the following fact sheet to help you consider and budget for the expenses surrounding pet ownership.
to regional produced food options, economic opportunity, and educational resources. In the effort to conduct a food assessment in North Central Kansas, the Council is seeking your input about local foods in your community and the 12-county region. This 20-question survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Your feedback is valuable and we appreciate you taking the time to help support local foods!
Squash bugs are the grey, shield-shaped bugs that feed on squash and pumpkin plants. If you have had problems with these insects in the past, you know that they are almost impossible to control when mature. This is because the squash bugs have a hard body that an insecticide has difficulty penetrating. Thus, spraying when the insects are small is important. We are now seeing the nymphs of the first generation. These nymphs will eventually become adults, which will lay eggs that will become the second generation. The second generation is often huge and devastating. Therefore, it is important to control as many squash bugs now as possible.
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Young children begin acting out their futures through play with limitless imaginations about their talents and interests. As youth grow, teenagers inherit desires to self-explore while developing a unique definition of individuality. With self-exploration comes an increased expectation of responsibility and a greater understanding of one’s community, culture and society. It is throughout one’s adolescent years when career exploration becomes a decision-making process, which aligns values with talents in order to pursue a career that meets needs while also providing satisfaction.