it all started with the leaves turning light green, now they are yellow with brown spots. They are in a seafood compost /loam /peat moss /perlite mix base. For amendments, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, espoma plant tone, granite dust, lime, and a little neem /karanja cake. I then have added an ewc top dressing with fresh comfrey. I've tried giving them Neptune's harvest at the early stages thinking it was a nitrogen problem. They get a weekly neem /aloe /silica spray as well, along with lactobacillus one time. I've grown organic for a few years and never had a problem that didn't sort itself out in the end, this is killing my plants. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thank you!
i see holes in many leaves that look like caterpillar damage. no idea if that is whats causing the yellowing but did you check for pests?
That's actually a combination between slugs and grasshoppers.. The slugs, I'm doing ok with now, the grasshoppers, well let's just say I've got a few grays coming in from them. I should also mention... I've got some in a greenhouse, same strains, soil, ect. That are in perfect condition. This started with the leaves going lime green (like nitrogen deficiency) so I put some fresh comfrey in with a recent ewc top dress. Then the brown spots and purple streaked stems (only at the top) started. Now in the past few days almost all my outdoor plants have it and it's only getting worse. This is happening to even my plants that have no sign of holes from pests as well, although I'm open to any suggestion, willing to try anything organic.
What kind of water are you using? I've been having an issue for the last month that is likely caused by my use of LA tap water, which has a high pH and very high levels of sodium. My problematic leaves look a bit different from yours, but still worth considering I think. You can see the discussion here: What is wrong with these plants?
I haven't watered them (except to put the Neptune's in) we've had quite a bit of rain here. I do spray them weekly with a neem /aloe /silica spray with well water though.
Haven't seen it in over 10 years since leaving SoFl, but that looks just like a Iron/Zinc deficiency. Very common in the ground, not so much in containers. Looks similar to a Mg deficiency, but starts at the top new leaves and works its way down, while Mg starts lower and works up. Very common in SoFl, practically unheard of in red clay country from all the iron oxide (red clay). Just spitballing and it has been years since I last saw it, but those pics and descriptions sure do check a lot of boxes. A few handfuls of Ironite, top dressed, might be just what's needed and if not, should not cause any harm. Available at HD or Lowes or similar.
We use something here called "Seven Dust" on our plants we flower outside. With the heat and humidity of the southeast combined with living in the middle of nowhere, rest assured there is an eternal bevy of bugs and critters to deal with. This stuff is just your general basic garden dust and we rinse it off at harvest. But it will stop the caterpillars and slugs. I know you're doing organic, but the stuff works so something you might consider. We've used it in our veggie garden for decades with no ill effect. Best of luck to you. TWW
Love Sevendust... Toxic, right? Carbaryl is a cholinesterase inhibitor and is toxic to humans. It is classified as a likely human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.)[7] Carbaryl - Wikipedia Please stop posting here. You're a fucking nuisance...
DIATOMACEOUS Earth food grade. Op I think you have a lockout my plants were coin the same thing, I flushed, and started back with feeding. Seemed to fix it, but these problems are always difficult to pinpoint.
Wak Yep, just a bit toxic, no news to you. For everyone else, it's Sevin dust, not seven, but both pronounced the same.
Wetdog, one of the things I was thinking was zinc... They are on a hill side that was really rocky digging. I'll have to go get a bag and try it out, thank you. Someone else mentioned pH when I asked them and it made me wonder if I under did it on the lime. I put a little lime on top the soil and worked it in a little, then mixed a tablespoon into a gallon of warm water and watered it in. I also have a batch of lactobacillus about to be ready tomorrow probably. Should I just litfa, hold off? Or would that actually help things?
*I* think for the moment at least, a LITFA is called for. Just one thing at the time instead of a shotgun approach. I would give the Ironite by itself and observe. I have no clue how the lacto would react or, if it would help or hinder at this point. Do get the standard Ironite, 1 - 0 -1, not any of the new variations. I have zero experience with them. The original is a mineral suppliment and nothing more. Right now, that's all you want and need. IIRC, it does come in small bags, like 3 or 5lb besides the big 50lb bags. A small bag will be enough to see if it is a iron/zinc def. Get that answered first, then procede from there. Like I mentioned, HD, Lowes and WalMart carry it, so wherever is easiest to get to the soonest. It doesn't completely dissolve, but you can make sort of a slurry with it to get it going a bit faster. Not quite a tea, but close. Good luck!
Awesome, thank you. I'm heading to get ironite today. It seems they use it for grass which makes sense, it would make it more green and lush... Hopefully it works on my ladies as well. The slurry, should I do it like I do my ewc? Equal parts water to castings. Also, should I measure exactly what goes into each plant or is it pretty forgiving in over doing it a little?
IDK, it is pretty forgiving being mostly a mineral mix, but it has also been over 10 years since I've used it. What I would usually do was sprinkle a handful or 2 ~8" from the plant trunk and water it in. I'd do the slurry for hard to get at places. My handfuls are ~1/4cup, so, 1/2cup or so, close to the drip line.
Thank you for the help wet, I went out and put a handful in the soil and another around them. Here's pictures of the latest two plants that seem to be following trend.
Keep us informed of the results, good or ill. After responding and re-reading the ingredients list on my bag of Ironite and thinking of similar problems I've run into, I started wondering if perhaps I've been remiss in ignoring that bag for the last 8 years or so.
Seems to me like something in the root zone is going funky. You mentioned seafood compost - how was that made and how long was it composted for? What I'm wondering is if the stuff is still decomposing in the soil causing some rot. Just a though.
It was a mixture of seafood compost ( I live on the maine coast) so I'm guessing lobster /crab /mussel/seaweed/ and whatever fish we have local. loam/gravel from a local landscaping company... I was wondering if it was something like that but then I got thinking, why wouldn't it effect any of my other house plants, veggies, ect. I was also wondering if it was the horse manure, I only put a shovel full every 15 gallons or so and the lady insisted it was aged. With that again though, why wouldn't it affect the ones in my greenhouse?