North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["kieran or donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>]

Charlie asked why.  We have had a "virus" in our tomatoes the last 3 years,
it's getting a few more plants each year.  I was afraid of tobacco mosiac,
it doesn't fit the description, and we thought it was from a mite that blows
in in April and spread virus to tobacco plants, but when it appeared in
about 10% of volunteer seedlings last fall, that theory was out.  I was
talking to the co agent about this and said I'd always suspected it was a
boron deficiency, since it looks like it, boron becomes less available as
organic matter goes up, and we can't grow beets no matter how I try.  He
told me that he started seeing a new "virus" in tobacco 3 years ago, which
turned out to be boron deficiency.  I hung up the phone feeling much better,
and then I remembered something that made me feel like an idiot.  There was
a nearly empty box of 20 Mule Borax in the shed for years, and the reason
it was there is because about 6-7 years ago we had the same "virus" and I
came to the same conclusion and spread some borax around.  We didn't see the
"virus" again for a good 5 years.  The human mind doesn't seem to be so good
at dealing with these long term equations, mine doesn't anyway.  So I just
spread about 2 lbs of borax around our garden, and resolved to do it
annually, in hopes of being able to grow beets.  (I never had any trouble in
2 previous locations)  The trouble with boron is that the upper limit is 4
lbs/acre/year actual boron, (that's 11 lbs of borax) assuming you need it at
all, which no one should west of the Mississippi.  If you overdo it and have
dry weather, it will kill your plants.  Another reason for using boron is
that it is needed to transport calcium.  So the deficiency can have symptoms
of Ca deficiency with it.  We seem to run eternally short of Manganese too
in our garden.  Seems like it was short of EVERYTHING, and then we got
enough of most things for the plants to grow, but they show us the limiting
factors.     Donna