FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF APRIL 30, 2000:
I have very little luck with peppers. The plants never get very big and neither does the fruit. What are the keys to growing peppers successfully in Idaho?
The keys are proper seedbed preparation, fertilization and irrigation and avoiding of deep cultivation, says Rochelle McCurdy, University of Idaho Master Gardener.
Peppers grow best in a sandy loam soil with plenty of organic matter and crop residue mixed into the top seven or eight inches. The ideal soil pH is 5.5 to 7, but peppers do well even when pH reaches 8. Be sure the soil is crumbly and warm at planting, and space your peppers far enough apart to ensure adequate sunlight.
Apply two-tenths of a pound of pre-plant nitrogen for each 100 square feet of peppers. If your soil pH is above 7, it’s best to also sidedress with one-and-a-half ounces of ammonium sulfate as soon as the first fruit sets. Be careful not to over- or underfertilize peppers.
Cultivate only very shallowly and only if absolutely necessary, McCurdy says. "Deep cultivation close to the plants will destroy much of the root system and reduce yield and quality," she cautions.
You’ll also want to be especially careful to keep peppers from drying out. When the percent of water in soils drops below 60, peppers will start to dehydrate and their growth will slow or even stop. If you squeeze a handful of soil from the six-inch depth and the ball does not leave a film of moisture on your skin, it’s time to water again. But don’t overwater, either: roots need oxygen, too.
The leaves of my honeysuckle are grotesquely distorted and folded together and their tips are purplish. What kind of disease is this and what can I do about it?
If you peel those leaves apart and encounter small, lime-green aphids covered with fuzzy gray wax, you’ll see that what’s plaguing your honeysuckle isn’t a disease but an insect.
According to Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist, that insect is none other than the aptly named honeysuckle witches’ broom aphid. Interestingly, it was first confirmed in Idaho just 14 years ago, and since then has spread statewide.
It’s too late in the year to apply a dormant oil, but you can still use a good systemic insecticide, Stoltz says. Commercial foliar sprays or insecticidal soaps won’t work, because the aphids are tucked safely inside those folded leaves.
If you prefer not to use pesticides, cut off all the witches’ brooms and either burn them or seal them inside bags and discard them. "Get them as far away from your honeysuckle as possible," Stoltz says.
Uncontrolled, honeysuckle witches’ broom aphids can stunt and even kill most varieties of honeysuckles grown in Idaho today.
Why is there such a range in the price of silk blouses? If the fabric is all the same, can there really be that much difference in manufacturing costs?
The fabric is not all the same, says David Trayte, University of Idaho assistant professor of clothing and textiles. Yes, much of the price difference can be attributed to the quality of construction—stitches per inch, rolled hems and other details—but the quality of the fabric itself is pivotal.
The very best silks are made by silkworms fed on mulberry leaves and reared under just the right conditions. To construct their cocoons, silkworms extrude twin silk threads through two glands in their heads. By moving their heads side-to-side in a figure-eight pattern, they form cocoons that can later be reeled into 1,600 yards of silk fiber. Unlike cotton and wool fibers, which never surpass 18 inches, silk fibers are continuous in length—and the longest silk fibers actually have a greater range of strength than cotton.
Silk fabrics made from the shorter lengths of waste silk left over from spinning are nubbier—and weaker—than those made from continuous, filament-length fibers, Trayte says. Those made from the cocoons of wild tussah silkworms, which eat oak and other leaves, are yellow or brown—affecting their ultimate color. Even silks made by mulberry-fed silkworms—but under less-than-perfect conditions—produce less-than-perfect fabrics.
Beyond fabric quality, price is also influenced by printing and weaving. Some silks are dyed one color while others are dyed as many as 21.
"The cost is coming from the very beginning," says Trayte. "If all of the steps are done with utmost care and quality control, you can end up with a very expensive piece of silk fabric."
I am 67 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. I have changed my diet, lost weight and kept my blood sugar under control. I read food labels very carefully and noticed that one of my favorite sugar-free hot chocolate mixes has a sweetener called Splenda. Is this the same as Equal?
Splenda is not the same as Equal, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. Instead, Splenda is the commercial name for sucralose. Sucralose is made from real sugar, but its somewhat different molecular structure makes it taste much sweeter than sugar and prevents it from being absorbed by the body. The Food and Drug Administration approved Splenda in 1998 after 20 years of testing. "A hundred studies have shown that it is safe," says Raidl.
According to Raidl, you can buy Splenda either in single-serving packets or in granular form on the Internet at website www. splenda.com. The website also has recipes for main and side dishes, sauces, dressings and desserts.