Improving the quality of life through horticulture education.
- Ask a Master Gardener your garden related questions.
- Request a speaker from our Speaker’s Bureau for your meeting or event. (Adult events)
- Request a talk or demo through our Youth Activities Committee. (Youth/School events)
- Request an “Ask a Master Gardener” booth for your fair or event.
- Attend fun and educational gardening events.
- Find online garden information specifically for Fort Bend County.
- Become a Master Gardener!
Grow Your Own Classes Are Happening!
Want to develop your gardening skills? Fort Bend Master Gardeners are hosting a series of classes that might be just want you want. The class list is shown below.
| Date | Class Topic |
|---|---|
| Saturday, June 15, 2019 | Fruit Trees, including Semi-Tropicals |
| Saturday, September 21, 2019 | Fall Vegetables |
| Saturday, October 19, 2019 | Fall & Winter Garden Color |
To learn more, visit our Grow Your Own page.
Tomato Hornworm
by Deborah Birge, Fort Bend County Master Gardener
This beautiful creature can be observed at dusk this time of year. It hovers much like a hummingbird, from flower to flower taking nectar from flowers. In fact, you may mistake it for a hummingbird since the wingspan is 4-5 inches and it moves quickly.
But, once you see the moth, keep an eye on your vegetable garden. All tomato growers know the larval stage of this lovely moth … it’s the tomato hornworm. Hornworms can quickly strip tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers of every leaf leaving damaged vegetables and weakened plants.
Life cycle
- Moths live through the winter and emerge in spring. After mating, females deposit light green eggs on lower and upper leaf surfaces.
- Caterpillars hatch, begin to feed and are full grown in three to four weeks.
- The tomato hornworm blends in with green leaves.
- The mature caterpillars drop off plants and burrow into soil to transform into pupae.
- Moths emerge in two weeks to begin the second generation.
- Second generation moths deposit eggs.
- Caterpillars feed until late summer or early fall and then pupate.
- Pupae remain in the soil through winter.
For more information on the tomato hornworm and how to control it, visit this link: http://counties.agrilife.org/galveston/files/2012/03/06-15-2011-Tomato-growers-battle-tobacco-hornworms-in-June-by-Dr.-William-M.-Johnson.pdf