Archives

Symphylans

Symphylans are very small, white, many segmented organisms that you may see in your soil when you pull up a struggling plant. You will notice them darting and scurrying quickly about the root ball or seedling plug. They are also known as symphlans, or “symphys”, pseudocentipedes, or garden centipedes, even though they are not centipedes. They are […]

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus

Insect-vectored disease spread by thrips. Most common in the southeast Physical Description   Species & Taxonomy Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus Species: Lifecycle   Plants Affected Tomatoes Peppers Plants Unaffected   Geographical Range Most common in the southeast Signs & Symptoms Whole Plant black streaks on petioles or stems growing tips are usually severely […]

Curly Top Virus

Curly Top is an insect-vectored viral disease spread by beet leafhoppers, which affects many plants. The beet leafhopper loves warm and dry weather, so that’s when infections are most severe. Species & Taxonomy Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus Species: Plants Affected beet family crops: beets, spinach, swiss chard tomato family crops: tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillos, […]

Flea Beetles

Flea beetle

Flea beetles, part of the Chrysomelidae family,are tiny black or brown-bronze beetles that jump like a flea, and leave tiny holes or divots in the leaves. They seem to especially love eggplant leaves. Fruits, like eggplant, also get damaged with scarring from the flea beetles feeding. Productivity is also reduced because they love the new leaves, growing tips […]