Helpful tips
for growing vine crops
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Vine crops including
cucumbers, muskmelons,
pumpkins, squashes, and
watermelons, are generally
considered warm-season
crops.
Most of these vine crops
require soil temperatures of
at least 55 degrees.
However, below 60 degrees
growth is slow. All vine
crops are stunted by chilling
temperatures, about 33-45
degrees, and are readily
killed by frost, says Peter A.
Ferretti, Penn State Ex
tension vegetable crops
specialist.
Vine crops can be grown
on most fertile well-drained
soils. Generally, the soil
should be mellow and hold
sufficient water for crop
production and yet able to
drain excessive water
rapidly. Low areas
surrounded by timber or by
higher land on all sides
should be avoided since such
sites usually lack good air
and water drainage and
warm too slowly during
spring.
AH vine crops except
watermelons grow best on
soils with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8.
Watermelons will grow
well on soils with a pH of 5.5
to 6.8. Magnesium to
be especially important for
all vine crops. If a
magnesium problem exists
which has not been corrected
by fall-winter application, a
spring application of either
Aaron Groff
Lancaster County
[7l7] 384-4631
dolomite limestone or a
straight magnesium carrier
such as magnesium sulfate
(Epsom salts) may still be
beneficial for the current
year’s crop, especially on
cucumbers and water
melons.
All vine crops except
watermelons require ap
proximately the amount of
nitrogen supplied by 3%
pounds of 5-10-5 fertilizer
applied per 100 square feet.
Watermelons should
receive no more than the
nitrogen contained in Vk to 2
pounds of 5-10-5 fertilizer per
100 square feet.
All vine crops benefit from
relatively high levels of
organic matter. A cover crop
in the fall-winter before
planting and moderate use of
manures can be very
beneficial, says Ferretti.
Careful variety selection is
Proper pinching can increase plant bloom
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Pinch the terminal tips of
zinnias to grow more
flowers. The plants will put
out branches below the
pruned tip, become bushy,
and start more flower buds.
According to a Penn State
correspondence course on
home floriculture, many
kinds of plants have more
flowers when terminal tips
are removed. Pinching is a
Hoffman
SERVING THE FARM
COMMUNITY SINCE 1884
Floyd Heintzelman
Lehigh Count/
[2l3] 395-3561
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED PROTECTED TERRITORIES AVAILABLE
outlined
often one of fee keys to
successful production in a
home garden. Select disease
tolerant varieties when
practical.
Also, be sure to control
stripped and spotted
cucumber beetles. This is
because they transmit fee
most common disease of
cucurbits, Bacterial Wilt.
Bacterial Wilt causes a
sudden wilting and collapse
of plants. Good control
measures include fee use of
hotcaps to keep beetles from
chewing on the very
susceptible young plants and
using recommended in
secticides starting fee day of
seeding or transplanting and
continuing one week until fee
plants bloom, says Ferretti.
Cntact your county agent
for suggestions on varieties,
general culture and pest
control of vine crops.
method used to change plant
growth.
A soil mulch is important
m summer care of your
annuals. Any loose material,
such as wood shavings or
peanut hulls, spread two
inches deep on the ground
around plants works well.
Weeds Will not come
through; soil dryness is
reduced and the ground
stays cooler.
me Products for Livestock, L
Dairy and Home Use.
Cleaners/Sanitizers Livestock Needs
Mineral Supplements Household Supplies
%
Healthy livestock can mean
OAK BROOK, D. - The
development and main
tenance of high standards
of livestock health have
made it a merchandisable
concept, a marketing leader
said here Friday.
C.T. ‘Tad’ Sanders,
general manager of
Livestock Marketing
Association, Kansas City,
Mo., said that fee marketing
sector has long recognized
fee basic fact that high
standards of livestock health
are essential to a profitable,
healthy livestock economy.
Speaking before fee feeder
cattle health committee at
fee annual meeting of fee
Livestock Conservation
Your garden soil in
midsummer sun may go
over 100 degrees. That is
much too hot for shallow
rooted plants like zinnias,
marigolds, and many other
plants. Growth of flower
buds comes to a halt with
roots in hot, dry soil.
To produce more flowers,
pinch growing tips on your
tall growing annuals. And
keep your plants in better
For details contact
healthy marketing ability
CO., INC.
Allentown, Pa.
(215)432-4466
Fred Gaul Kermit Kessler
Berks Count/ Northampton Count/
[2ls] 678-2210 [2ls] 888-3671
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 31,1989—A13
These principles include
working wife fee livestock
industry and appropriate
livestock health agencies to
“develop, uphold and
maintain high standards of
Institute, Sanders pointed
out that livestock seller and
buyer satisfaction - in
health matters as in all other
aspects of marketing
business’ services - is fee
key to fee business’s con
tinued success.
That is why LMA’s 1500
subscribers in fee U.S. and
Canada subscribe to a Code
of Business Standards and
Practices, which includes
several principles relating to
livestock health, he said.
growth by covering the soil
with mulch.
To learn more about
growing plants around your
home, study the Penn State
correspondence course in
Home Floriculture. Enroll
by sending $5 plus $1 han
dling to Home Floriculture,
Box 5000, University Park,
PA 16802. Make check
payable to Penn State.
livestock health, and the
disclosure of information
concerning the health status
of all livestock” under a
market’s control to its
customers.
The Code also recognizes
the need for humane
treatment of livestock in
marketing, qualified,
competent and readily
available veterinary ser
vices, and clean, tidy, fully
sanitary facilities and
premises, Sanders pointed
out.
Referring to the “current
distorted focus of attention
directed toward livestock
warranties....sought to be
imposed on every livestock
purchase and sale tran
saction”, particularly
concerning livestock health,
Sanders noted that
“livestock of all kinds, and
feeder cattle in particular,
bear a health status
distinguished from
manufactured products.”
This status “imposes high
standards of health
responsibility and risk,” he
pointed out, adding that
there are many factors that
can affect an animal’s
health.
These factors, he said,
make it unreasonable to
judge a living creature’s
performance by the same
warranty standards used for
inanimate objects.