The SpokeSman • TueSday, auguST 23, 2022 A11
RECORDS / COMMUNITY
August can be a confusing time for tomato growers
BY LIZ DOUVILLE
For The Spokesman
Readers who have followed
the gardening column over the
years know it must be mid-Au-
gust. Mid to late August has
turned into the traditional time
to talk about tomato problems.
For many readers it is a re-
view. For new tomato growers,
it might be an awareness to a
problem you may be having.
Tomatoes got off to a slow
start this year. The temperature
range was inconsistent when
we were thinking of putting out
starts. We had normal tempera-
tures for a short period, then
almost two weeks of 100-degree
weather which confused the
plants, as well as the gardener.
Tomato plants grow best
when the temperatures are
under 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the temperature reaches
temperatures above that range,
blossom set slows down. Wa-
tering may also be a reason the
blossom set is minimal. Toma-
toes have a deep root system
and need deep watering. Shal-
low watering can weaken the
root system and the ability to
produce blossoms. Avoid water-
ing daily. Best practice is to wa-
ter deeply several times a week
to allow root systems to grow
strong.
WHAT CAN GO WRONG AND
RIGHT
This year I experienced blos-
som-end rot at the beginning
of the season. Blossom-end rot
shows itself as a gray to black
Central Oregon gardeners may complain about having to be more selective of tomato varieties to grow, lim-
iting the maturity time to approximately 90 does, but the weather here does keeps fungi down.
File photo
Douville
spot on the blossom end (op-
posite the stem) of the tomato.
It can develop on the green
fruit as well as the ripe. The
condition is caused due to de-
ficiency in the uptake of cal-
cium, which is in the soil.
Moisture stress either from
very wet or very dry conditions
contribute to how the calcium
is delivered to the plant. More
fertilizer would not be the an-
swer. Tomatoes are not heavy
feeders. Low nitrogen (the first
number of a fertilizer formula)
is applied at planting and again
when tomatoes need the extra
energy to set fruit.
Fruit cracks or tomato split-
ting is also a problem caused
by our generosity with water.
Sometimes I think we are our
own worst garden enemy. I
know that on those days when
temperatures reached 100, I
was sure the tomatoes in the
greenhouse needed more water
when what they really needed
was an improved cooling sys-
tem. The sudden uptake of wa-
ter causes internal fruit tissues
to grow faster than the skin,
causing the skin to crack or
split. The fruit is still edible.
Catfacing is a term used to
describe misshapen fruit with
irregular bulges at the blos-
som end and bands of leath-
ery scar tissue. Cold weather
at the time of blossom set dis-
torts and kills certain cells that
should develop into fruit, re-
sulting in the deformities. It
is most common in the large-
fruited “beefsteak” tomatoes.
Zippering is a thin, dark line
connecting the stem and blos-
som ends that develops on the
fruit. It is caused by poor polli-
nation due to cold temperatures.
Physiological leafroll sounds
and looks alarming. Leafroll
occurs when the edges of the
leaves roll upward and inward.
Sometimes it may curl to the
opposite side. It is a self de-
fense method to prevent fur-
ther water loss.
Leafroll does not reduce
plant growth, yield, or fruit
quality. It is believed to result
from irregular water supply
and may be intensified follow-
ing pruning. The symptoms
may be temporary, but can
persist throughout the growing
season.
The underlying fear of all to-
mato growers is that we wake
up to discover we have had
a visit from a tomato horn-
worm, the caterpillar of the
five-spotted hawkmoth (Man-
duca quinquenmaculata), also
known as the hummingbird or
sphinx moth.
Hornworms looks like a
mini prehistoric monster, are
up to 5 inches long bright
green with a black horn on its
posterior. They feed on the
leaves and can defoliate an en-
tire plant. I have also found
them on the fruit. They are
masters of camouflage, blend-
ing extremely well with the
plant. Be sure and look under
the leaves. The telltale sign, in
addition to the damage, is the
black frass (droppings) on the
leaves. The control measure is
to handpick and destroy.
LOCAL CLIMATE A BENEFIT, TOO
We complain about our short
and sometimes difficult grow-
ing season, but we need to keep
in mind our positive points. We
have a minimum amount of
slugs and snails, which usually
arrive in a plant we purchased.
Our humidity is so low that we
aren’t plagued with the variety
of plant viruses and fungal dis-
eases that other areas have to
manage. That in itself is a big
plus.
A big myth that still circu-
lates is that to ripen a tomato
you place it on the windowsill in
the sunshine. The best method
is to leave it on the countertop,
but out of the sun. And please
don’t refrigerate them. They will
do much better in an attractive
bowl or a basket lined with a pa-
per towel.
█
Email Liz Douville at douville@
bendbroadband.com
Obituaries
Mona (Claussen) Key
MAY 25, 1931 — AUG. 9, 2022
Mona Key, of Bend, died Tuesday,
August 9, 2022, of natural causes. She
was 91 years old. A
memorial service
will be held on Sun-
day, August 21 at
3:00 p.m. at Trinity
Episcopal Church in
Bend. Reception to
follow at 4:30 p.m.
Key
at The Loft of Bend,
919 Bond St.
Mona Key was born May 25, 1931,
in Oslo, Norway. Her parents were
Kristian and Clara Claussen and she
had one sister, Wenche Haug. She mar-
ried Edward Key on Aug. 9, 1952, in
Oslo, Norway. Mona received a B.A.
in English from the College of Notre
Dame in Belmont and spent 20 years as
Director of Early Childhood Education
for the Jewish Community Center in
Palo Alto, California. After retirement,
Mona and Ed moved to Bend in 1991
where Mona volunteered as a SMART
coordinator, a non-profit which pro-
vides early childhood reading support.
In addition to teaching and volun-
teer work, Mona had many interests
including cross-country skiing, hiking,
reading, gardening, knitting and Tai
Chi. She was a member of the Bend
Sons of Norway and American Associ-
ation of University Women.
Survivors include a son, Christoper
Key and wife Kendra, of Portland; two
daughters, Cyndi Kautz and husband,
Brady of Bend, and Kari Rocca and
husband, Tom of San Francisco, six
grandchildren: Megan Ramstedt, Max
Key, Sean Bissell, Ava Decker,
Willem Decker, Mariel Rocca, and
one greatgrandchild, Juni Rose Ram-
stedt.
She was preceded in death by hus-
band, Ed and sister, Wenche. Memorial
contributions may be made to:
Bend-Redmond
Habitat for Humanity
224 NE Thurston Avenue,
Bend, OR 97701
https://bendredmondhabitat.org
Ryan George O’Connell
OCT. 10, 2004 — AUG. 9, 2022
Ryan George O’Connell was born
into a big Catholic family, the second
of six children and also the largest. He
weighed 9 lbs., 6 oz. when he was born
in Redmond in 2004. Ryan was born
10 days late; tardiness is a trend that
would continue throughout his life. We
remember him with
a constant smile on
his face almost from
the day he was born.
He immediately be-
came the sidekick to
his older brother by
2 years, Jack. Ryan’s
O’Connell
four younger siblings
followed and he be-
came their beloved big brother. Ryan
had a penchant for making messes,
breaking things and making holes in
walls. Ryan made messes and broke
things on his own; his brother Jack may
have been involved in putting Ryan
through a wall or two. Ryan was a bull
in a china shop around the house. Ryan
could make a massive mess with amaz-
ing efficiency--it took little to no effort.
Ryan lived for the water. He enjoyed
and excelled at swimming, diving, boo-
gie boarding, body surfing, river surf-
ing, wake surfing and fishing. While
the cruel irony of Ryan’s passing in a
shallow swimming pool is haunting, he
exited this world in the place he loved
to be: water.
Ryan’s early years were spent in Red-
mond where he attended St. Thomas
Academy. Later, his family moved to
Tumalo and Ryan attended Tumalo
Community School. In 2015 his family
moved to NE Bend and Ryan trans-
ferred to Sky View Middle School be-
fore attending and graduating from
Mountain View High School in 2022.
Ryan was looking forward to attend-
ing Montana State University in Boz-
eman this Fall. His boxes were packed
in advance and he had already formed
a friendship with his soon to be room-
mate from Alaska. A lasting character-
istic of Ryan is that if you met him, you
would remember him and, if you met
him, he was your friend.
Ryan’s family is eternally grateful for
the outpouring of support during this
difficult time. Ryan loved others and
was dearly loved as a son, sibling, and
a friend. Despite the tragedy, it is un-
derstood how blessed and fortunate
the O’Connell family is to be a part of
this compassionate, giving community.
Ryan left this life far too early, but his
family is proud that his gifts and inspi-
ration he provided in life now continue
after his passing in another form: Ry-
an’s choice to donate his organs to oth-
ers in need at Legacy Good Samaritan
Hospital in Portland.
Ryan is survived by his parents Gary
and Laura O’Connell, his siblings Jack,
Claire, Charlie, Clyde and Gus O’Con-
nell, his grandparents Ryan and Cindy
Sale and his grandfather Gary O’Con-
nell, Sr.
A funeral will be held for Ryan
George O’Connell at St. Francis of As-
sisi Church in Bend on Friday, August
19 at 10:00AM. In lieu of flowers, con-
tributions can be made to the follow-
ing:
1) Mountain View High School La-
crosse http://www.cougslacrosse.com/
2) Young Life Bend, Mountain View
High School chapter https://giving.
younglife.org/ryanoconnell
If someone would prefer a check by
mail here is our P.O. Box
Young Life Bend
PO BOX 6051
Bend, OR 97708
with “in memory of Ryan O’Con-
nell” on memo line
Death notices
Lavon Carol Elliott
of Redmond, OR
FEB. 28, 1945 — MAY 8, 2022
Services will be arranged by her fam-
ily.
Noon, September 13, 2022, South
Fork Grange on Rosewell St., Lostine,
Oregon
Robbin Leah Murray
of Redmond, OR
MARCH 4, 1942 — AUG. 6, 2022
Arrangements: Autumn
Funerals, Redmond
Full obituary available at
autumnfunerals.net
Services: Robbin’s celebration of life
will be held in June 2023
Contributions: St. Charles Hospice
or The Alzheimer’s Association.
OBITUARY POLICY
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contact number.
• For deadlines or other information,
call 541-385-5809.
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redmondspokesman.com
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