Stake It Easy™ Plant Staking & Total Insect Control Kit

Stake It Easy™ Plant Staking System

The patent pending design of Stake It Easy™ (STEZ) grows taller (up to 6') as your plant grows supporting each growing branch.  More advanced than traditional tomato cages and garden stakes, this system actually grows with your plants.

To assemble, just snap together. Then adjust the height and expandable support arms as the plant grows. The system comes with six, 3-ft. long Sturdy Stakes and 3 connectors to add height when needed. Also included are nine expandable support arms to add width as the plant grows.

This versatile system can be used with tomatoes or most vine plants that need support. 

Safer® Brand EndALL™ Insect Killer

Our NEW, very effective, ready-to-use spray kills 45 different insect species in any stage of life from egg to adult!

This is a ready-to-use spray kills 45 different insects including aphids, various beetles (including Japanese beetles), caterpillars and larvae (including gypsy moth caterpillars and tent caterpillars), harlequin bugs,  leafhoppers, mealybugs, stink bugs and whiteflies.

Safer® Brand EndALL™ is for use on ornamentals, trees, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, flowers and houseplants.  It contains Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids (1.00%), Clarified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil (0.900%) and Pyrethrins (0.012%) as active ingredients.  Highly effective on both hard bodied and soft bodied insects.

OMRI-listed® and compliant for use in organic gardening, this product dissolves in the soil with no residual! It can be used up to the day of harvest.  Kills bugs in all stages of life cycle, safe for fruit trees and vegetable gardens, extremely effectual on a wide variety of insects -- this has to be one of the most useful, economical and convenient insect pest solutions on the market!

Application Instructions:

Shake well before using. Apply when insects or first signs of their damage appear. Turn sprayer nozzle to one of the open positions. Hold sprayer 12 to 18 inches from the surface to be sprayed. Spray evenly, completely coating plant surfaces where insects are feeding or resting. Do not wet plants to the point of runoff or drip. Apply every 7-10 days when insects are present or as needed to prevent damage. 

For specific uses on vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts, ornamentals, shrubs, flowers and houseplants, see bottle. You will not find a product on the market that is organic and performs like this product!! EndALL is the end of the road for your garden pests!

For more application tips, see the 'Tips' tab located under the Help and Advice section below.

Safer® Brand is the leader in alternative lawn and garden products. Safer® Brand recognizes the growing demand by consumers for these products, offering a wide variety of natural and organic solutions for lawn, garden, landscape, flowers, houseplants, insects and more!

Stake It Easy™ Plant Staking & Total Insect Control Kit - Specifications

Product Features:

• Insect spray kills 45 different insects in any stage, from egg to adult, including aphids, various beetles (including Japanese beetles), caterpillars and larvae (including gypsy moth caterpillars and tent caterpillars), harlequin bugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs, stink bugs and whiteflies
• Use spray on ornamentals, trees, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, flowers and houseplants up to the day of harvest. OMRI Listed® and approved for organic gardening
• With a patent pending design that expands as the plant grows, this easy to assemble staking system has stake anchors that penetrate even hard ground. Great for tomatoes and most vine grown plants.

What's in the Box:

• 1 bottle Safer® Brand EndALL™ Insect Killer, RTU
• 1 Stake It Easy™ Plant Staking System - Includes:

          (3) EZ Step Anchors

          (6) 36" Plant Stakes

          (9) Expandable Connectors

          (3) Stake Extension Links

Specifications:

• 32 fl. oz. RTU spray contains Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids (1.00%), Clarified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil (0.900%) and Pyrethrins (0.012%) as active ingredients
• Staking system reaches a height of 6'

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  Gardening How To Member Test Review: Provides Results February 11, 2011

I feel very strongly that this product will produce the results that every gardener is seeking when it comes to flower planting. I used this for traditional roses.

  Gardening How To Memeber Test Review: Easy Assembly February 11, 2011

To assemble is very easy, nothing to it! To set up is effortless and easy to connect al the parts together. Easy to shape the way you want it and it is big enough in stature to hold a large plant in place. I plan to use it on large tomato plants this summer. I know that this large stake will suit my purpose beautifully...

Tomato Cages for your Vegetable Garden

Tomato cages not only support tomatoes and encourage them to grow but they allow them to develop naturally. Before purchasing tomato cages make sure they are designed so that plants will grow vertically without the fruit and leaves weighing down the stems. If tomato cages aren’t sturdy enough as the plant becomes more mature, the stems will be too heavy for the tomato cages. Also, strong winds can easily blow over flimsy tomato cages.

Most tomato cages you see in the store are made of a light wire - these may not be sturdy enough to provide the required support, and they only last one season. Instead look for tomato cages that are sturdy, made of a heavier metal and flexible enough to adjust to your plants growth.

Tomato cages should also be tall enough for plants to grow to full height – at least five feet or more for most varieties.

Tomato cages come in a variety of guises, not just wire, from homemade support systems using wood and twine to spiral designs. However, one of the best types of tomato cages to look for are the ones that are very sturdy, make of a heavy metal, one that has the ability to grow with the plant, and one that you can use for several seasons.

If you compare the tomatoes produced in tomato cages you will generally find that these are plumper and juicier than those grown on plants that were staked improperly.

When you use tomato cages be careful to tie the plant correctly, otherwise you can damage the stems. Tomato cages allow air to circulate freely through the plants and the foliage naturally shades the fruit. Using soft garden twine or plastic ties with your tomato cages is a good idea.

Whether you are using stakes or tomato cages, hammer these into place when the seedlings are still small to avoid disturbing the roots later.

Pest and Disease Control of Tomatoes

What's Bugging your Tomatoes?

Are there holes in the leaves of your plants or tiny little creatures on the leaves and stem? Maybe you can even see big beetles resting on the leaves and eating them?  For insect troubles, use Safer® Brand Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer. It is the only OMRI listed® pesticide with the dual action of soap and organic pyrethrin.

If you fear your trouble is with leaf feeding worms or caterpillars, try a more targeted approach… Garden Dust and Caterpillar Killer (liquid concentrate) are Safer® Brand’s OMRI listed products with Bt. (Bacillus thuringensis var. Kurstaki) which targets these species and will not harm beneficial insects including earth worms.

Common Tomato Diseases

Blossom End Rot - Irregular watering or not enough calcium or nutrients in the soil can lead to blossom end rot which is the brown spots at the bottom of the tomato plants which leaves them inedible. Also tomatoes that touch or grow in the soil will likely develop this issue.  It is not a disease, rather a physiological disorder. Mulching, regular watering, and fertilization will eliminate or at least reduce this issue. Have your soil tested for calcium deficiency if it continues to be a problem.

Leaf Spot – (Early Blight, Late Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot) Leaf Spot diseases for tomatoes show as dark brown spots with dark concentric rings on the leaves.

Fruit Rot – (Anthracnose, Early Blight and Late Blight) Fruit rot shows on the fruit of the plant and develop as early rotting fruit on the vine.  They typically occur when the fruit touches the soil.

Management of Diseases - Follow the watering practices and select a well location with good air circulation to help prevent these diseases but if they occur, use Safer® Brand Garden Fungicide. It is an OMRI listed® sulfur based fungicide that can be used up to the day of harvest on tomatoes and other vegetables.  (Just wash your veggies as you normally would before eating)  It will kill the disease on contact and prevent additional outbreaks of the disease for about 30 days by changing the pH of the plant so the disease can not thrive.

When leaf spot is present, remove the damaged leaves from the plants but do not remove more than 30% of the plants leaves at a time. If the problem is attacking more than 30% of the leaves, remove only up to 30% of the worst affect leaves, spray garden fungicide and repeat the process in about 10 days.

Important!  When using any pesticide products test the plant for sensitivity in a small area and wait 24 hours to make sure the plant is unharmed before using the product on the full plant.

content courtesy of Penn State College of Agricultural Science & Master Gardener Prgraom.
For a complete list of content sources please visit our site bibliography page

Why Organic?

The benefits of going organic in your lawn and garden are exponential!  In addition to helping improve the environment and decreasing the chances of accelerated disease in your family, going organic can provide mental and physical benefits, long-term money-savings, and increased vitamin and mineral content in your soil, among other things.

Learn more:

Benefits of Going Organic

Organic gardening provides for intense, realistic flavors in your food, and higher vitamin and mineral content than in conventionally produced foods. Organic Gardening: It's good for the environment and healthier for you and your family!

Organic vs. Natural - How to Read Labels

In the world of pesticides and repellents the words "organic" and "natural" are often mistakenly used to replace one another. Understanding product labels and certifications can help clear up the confusion.

Organic Pest Control - Different Ingredients Work for Different Insects

Nature has strategies to deal with insect pests without the use of synthetic chemicals. These strategies include organic pesticides as well as mechanical methods such as using traps, using beneficial bugs, and simply handpicking the pests, etc.

Expert Tips for a Beautiful Garden Full of Tomatoes!

Gardening can be a very rewarding and healthy undertaking. By using organic products and methods, plants grow better, insect pests can be controlled, plant diseases can be eliminated, and lush harvests can be enjoyed!

Learn More:

Tomato Maintenance

Mulch & Weed Control

Add mulch to the area around your planted tomatoes to reduce weeds, and keep moisture and nutrients in the soil. Adding Concern® Weed Prevention Plus® to the soil when planting will further prevent weeds from germinating.

Preventing weeds is important because weeds can rob the tomatoes of moisture, light and nutrients. Weeds can also harbor insect pests and disease.  If weeds are a problem in your garden, try Safer® Brand Fast Acting Weed & Grass Killer. It is an organic herbicidal soap that knocks down weeds within hours and only kills what you spray it on. It won’t move through the soil to the plant and it can be used up to the day of harvest around tomato plants and other vegetables.

Watering

Water tomato plants very regularly and keep the soil moist.  Irregular watering can lead to cat facing which is when a tomato has a crack down the center of it.  A cat-faced tomato can still be eaten but isn’t as attractive.

Water tomato plants in the morning so the moisture can dry during the day. If you must water in the evening, make sure to water at least 2 hours before the sun goes down to prevent very damp conditions during the night hours.  Damp conditions overnight can lead to fungal issues. 

Water tomatoes at the stem and in the surrounding soil. Do not water the full plant and leaves as only the roots need the water to thrive. Watering the leaves may also lead to fungal disease problems.

Harvesting

Harvest Tomatoes when they are fully ripe for best flavor and nutrition. If there is a great concern about critters eating the fruit of your labor before you get a chance to, try our sister product – Havahart® Critter Ridder® to keep the animals away. It is also OMRI Listed® and won’t harm the animals….

Also, harvesting a tomato just before it is fully red can keep critters away too.  Let the tomato ripen fully on your window sill inside before eating.

content courtesy of Penn State College of Agricultural Science & Master Gardener Prgraom.
For a complete list of content sources please visit our site bibliography page

FAQs About Insects in Your Tomato Garden

Q:  My plant leaves look chewed!  Do you know what type of insect might do that?

A:  Insects that have the ability to chew plants must have special cutters in their mouths
     for this purpose.  Such insects may include caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers,
     for example.

Q:  If I use a floating row cover, how will bees and other pollinating insects reach the plants?

A:  They won’t be able to so you will need to pollinate them yourself by hand.  Check with your local
     garden center or farm supply store to find out how to hand pollinate them.  You may want to
     remove the row covers during times of insect pollination.

Q:  How do I know if my plant is being attacked by an insect or a disease?

A:  If it’s an insect, the plant may have holes in its leaves.  Turn the leaves over and you may see the
     insects themselves clustered on the underside of the leaves.  You may also see and feel a sticky
     substance if it’s an insect because the insect will leave a secretion on the plant.

Q:  I have really big larvae in my garden, and my neighbor says they are Tomato
     Hornworms.  They are attacking my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.   How do
     I get rid of them?

A:  B.t. (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is an excellent way to get rid of them without harming
     beneficial bugs.  It actually works on most caterpillars.  When the worm ingests the
     B.t., it works as a gut rot poison that makes the worm stop feeding.  The tomato
     hornworm will stop feeding immediately and die within days. 

Images courtesy of Oklahoma State University and Forestry Images.
For a complete list of content sources please visit our site bibliography page