In the garden this week, sometimes insecticides and fungicides do not work well this time of year. The use of a surfactant helps the pesticides cling to the plant. The same with herbicide use in the fall.
A few pictures of the tips dying on branches of Ponderosa and Austrian pines. This is a tip blight fungus. This time of the year, just prune off the tips and discard them. Also, clean up the needles and pinecones on the ground. Spraying with a systemic fungicide early in the spring helps reduce the browning.
If your tomatoes are setting on, wait. When the temperatures get above 90 degrees the pollen becomes sterile. They will set on when the temperature cools down.
There are several insects that burrow holes into the ground. One is the ant lion, also called the doodlebug. This insect digs a hole with the dirt sloping down into the hole. An insect not watching what it is doing falls down into the hole to be grabbed by the ant lion for its dinner. These are good holes to have around your garden. Their favorite food is ants.
The “weed” of the week is the wild licorice. We have all seen this growing on roadsides and ditches with the cocklebur type of seed pods. Roots were used as a fever remedy for children. Powdered roots were used to make root beer.