The odor of marigolds is said to repel pests. That does not make them bullet proof.
Q. I have had terrible luck with my marigolds this summer and need your help. Some of them started dying from the base up in late May shortly after planting. I used diatomaceous earth on them thinking cut worms or other pests were the culprits. My daughter also reworked the soil in both flower beds. At the time, she mentioned there were zero earth worms or other “good bugs” in the soil. Things seemed to get better for a couple weeks and now I am dealing with the same issue affecting nearly half the plants. I put out another round of diatomaceous earth as you can see in the attached photos. Can you please advise me on what is happening and the remedy? I have never had this happen in all my years of planting marigolds. And I would like to continue planting them along our front walk since the deer do not eat them. — J.A., Amherst
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A. Your pictures suggest a case of fusarium stem and root rot. This disease, caused by a soil borne fungus, makes marigolds turn brown and die just when they should be flourishing in the summer heat. It builds up over time if you keep growing marigolds in the same place year after year. The only solution is to plant marigolds in a different part of your yard and beautify your front walk with another kind of bedding plant. You have a wide choice since most of them are never bothered by fusarium. Vinca comes to mind because deer do not eat it and fusarium is never an issue.
Q. I am really concerned about my zucchini squashes. I have four plants and three of them have fruits rotting on the blossom end. The information I found is there could be a calcium deficiency but my soil tests show very high levels of calcium and magnesium. Should I nevertheless try putting calcium carbonate tablets in the soil or using crushed eggshells? Because the soil has so much calcium and magnesium, could it be harmful to try Epsom salts? — K.T., Lynchburg
A. Calcium helps prevent blossom end rot of tomatoes but it has no connection to the rot on squash fruits. Your zucchinis have choanephora wet rot caused by a fungus that affects wilted squash blossoms and spreads to attached fruit. As the moldy looking fungus creeps across the fruit, you can see what appear to be small black headed pins stuck into it. Choanaphora spreads on insects, wind and in splashing water. It can be a serious problem under wet, humid and crowded conditions.
Q. Can you tell me what this is? It looks like space-age candy corn. It’s really creepy. — C.H., Lynchburg
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