High Tunnel Crop Talk Notes April 2, 2012

High Tunnel Crop Talk Notes April 2, 2012

We had a High Tunnel Crop Talk this week since it had been advertised, but normally plan to talk every other week.  Join us again on April 9, 2012, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30-12:30 Central. Point your web browser to https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/htct/ and click on the phone icon to be dialed in to the call, or dial 1-866-492-6283. Tony Bailey from NRCS will join us to talk about the EQIP program for high tunnel grants in Indiana.

Reports: In southern Indiana tomatoes transplanted into tunnels around the first of March were about a foot high last week. If weather turns wet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some Sclerotinia (also known as white mold or timber rot) turn up. (Scott Monroe) (see issues 435 http://www.btny.purdue.edu/Pubs/vegcrop/VCH2004/VCH435.pdf and 463 http://www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/vegcrop/VCH2006/VCH463.pdf of the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH) for an image and description)

Another problem often seen on tomatoes around this time of year is curling leaves. Sometimes this is observed when there is too much moisture. In other cases a heater that is improperly vented or exhausted releases enough ethylene into the air to cause tomato leaves to bend down or curl. Other pollutants from heaters can cause speckling of leaves and/or scorching of leaf margins. (See VCH issues 487 http://www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/vegcrop/VCH2007/VCH487.pdf and 474 http://www.btny.purdue.edu/Pubs/vegcrop/VCH2007/VCH474.pdf for image of epinasty on fall-grown greenhouse tomatoes and information on heaters in greenhouses.)

In Wanatah, rails for the first movable tunnel at Pinney-Purdue have been installed https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/p85997770. They are on packed gravel that was placed in a trench approximately 7 in. deep x 8 in. wide. Each 3-ft. ground post at the end of the rail has a short piece of horizontal rebar through holes drilled about 10 in. from the bottom end of the post https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/p79877158. The rebar will help to anchor the post into the concrete poured in the hole around the post. (Liz Maynard)

Suggestions for future topics: General information about high tunnels and their uses, supplying plant nutrients during the growing season.