The exceptionally wet growing season has provided us with both good and bad news.

The good news - we haven't had to water plants or grass.

The bad news is that excessive moisture is affecting trees and vegetables. It is also causing excessive growth of moss in lawns and other areas.

Anthracnose is a fungus disease, which can infest ash, dogwood, maple, sycamore and walnut trees. Many of the local Norway maple trees are experiencing this disease this summer. The symptoms appear following infection during cool, wet weather in the spring and summer. Red, brown, tan, or black spots develop on mature leaves. These spots are often associated with leaf veins.

Anthracnose usually does not seriously affect the maple trees. A severe attack can cause defoliation, but the tree usually recovers. However, severe defoliation year after year may weaken the tree and increase its susceptibility to insects and other diseases. Defoliation is occurring on some Norway maples in our area.

The anthracnose fungi will spend winters in twigs and small branches on the tree and leaves on the ground. Splashing rain and the wind disperse the microscopic spores. Spores need extended periods of moisture and relatively cool weather to germinate and infect plant tissue. The initial infection period is in the spring and may occur throughout the summer when weather conditions are favorable. The progress of the disease slows during hot, dry weather.

In most cases, control of anthracnose is unnecessary because the disease is usually not damaging to the tree. Raking and destroying fallen leaves and twigs and pruning out dead branches on the tree will help reduce the over winter population of the fungi.

Phyllosticta leaf spot is another disease that is affecting maple trees. The leaves may have yellow, red, gray, brown, or black spots. Many leaves may drop. Leaf spot organisms do their greatest damage in humid weather between 50 and 85 degrees. . Fungal leaf spots are unsightly but not harmful and do not require control measures.

This year, tomato plants are being attacked by the early blight. The plants develop irregular brown spots up to ½-inch in diameter on the lower leaves. When many spots appear, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. Dark, leathery sunken spots with concentric rings mar the fruit where it joins the stem. The discoloration extends into the fruit.

A fungus that attacks tomatoes at any stage of growth causes plant disease. Most leaf spotting occurs as the fruit matures. Plants heavily loaded with fruit and those that are poorly fertilized are the most vulnerable to attack. A severe attack causes partial to complete defoliation that weakens the plant and reduces the size and quality of fruit. Infected fruit should not be canned, but can be eaten fresh if the diseased portion is removed.

For control of early blight, treat infected plants with either Daconil 2787 or Captan. Repeat at intervals of 7 to 10 days. Clean up and destroy plant debris after harvest to reduce the number of over-wintering spores.

Moss appears to be growing everywhere this summer. It is unusually heavy in shaded bare soil, but is also growing on wooden patios. Heavy accumulations of moss on lawns and bare soil can be removed by hand racking.

Patches not easily removed by racking can be burned with ammonium sulfate or ferrous sulfate. The U. S. Department of Agriculture recommends a solution containing 4 tablespoons of copper sulfate in a gallon of water.

Pete Hale of Sarver is a Master Gardener with the Penn State Master Gardener program.