Vegetable Plants

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Insect Damage On Tomato Leaf

This looks like insect damage from a bug with a piercing mouthpart although without seeing the entire plant in person it's impossible to be sure from a photo alone. The most common on indoor grown veggies are whitefly and aphids - look for tiny white insects flying, or white/gray insect "litter" on foliage (very small and dirty looking) or green, white or tan tiny insects on the new growth. The reason we suspect this is because when such insects suck the plant juices they pierce the cell with their mouthpart and this causes the cells to then grow in a bumpy or distorted manner. You can use insecticidal soap on this problem - not dish detergent! ask for insecticidal soap at your garden center and use it according to directions, spraying under the leaves. Insects like new growth because it's tender, so watch there. Additionally, putting a fan on the plants periodically during the day will stimulate them to grow stronger and be less attractive to insects.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:24-07:00 February 13th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

Yes, this could be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. Here is a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer to be watered (at soil level not overhead). Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root system, do not over-water by watering too frequently as this makes for unhealthy roots that can't take up the nutrients from the soil. When your plant is well on it way with flowering and fruit you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:25-07:00 January 26th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

Yes, this could be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water. Keep the soil evenly moist - if you can squeeze water out of a handful of soil - its too wet. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. I've included a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer to be watered (at soil level not overhead). Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root systemm, do not over-water by watering too frequently as this makes for unhealthy roots that can't take up the nutrients from the soil. When your plant is well on it way with flowering and fruit you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 24th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Insect Or Leaf Spot

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between leaf-spot fungus damage, or damage caused by the splashing of something (hot water from hose, sprays used in the area etc) on the leaves and insect damage. In the case of fungus or splash-damage, the tissue dies and drops out, causing what looks like insect chewing. The insects that cause similar damage are earwigs and this is kind of typical of earwig damage in that it occurs on the lower (older) growth and not on the top leaves. Earwigs prefer eating decaying plant matter but early in the season there isn't enough of that so they go after other things like our veggies, dahlias and butterfly bush. Then as the season goes along and there is more for them to eat, they stop feeding on our plants. In this case I'd recommend that you remove the damaged foliage just so you can more easily monitor if the problem is continuing. If the undamaged leaves remain relatively intact, the problem is solved no matter what the cause. Watch the undamaged leaves to see if they first have brown spots that later drop out - if so, this is leaf spot which is most frequently caused by splashing of water too frequently or in the late evening. Water deeply less often and try to water in the morning when possible.

By | 2016-01-24T04:47:33-08:00 January 24th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Pestsdisease Of Tomato

Its hard to say from the photo what the issues are, but the plant appears to have have more than one issue. We can see what looks like insect damage from Leaf Miner, but they don't cause any damage other than the "mining trails" you see on the leaves, and they wouldn't account for the white dots you mention. The plant appears to be "stretched out" with weak stems and few leaves. This is typically caused by a lack of sunlight. Is it in full sun? In the picture it appears to be right next to a hedge row or tall plant, which would indicate they may be shaded some part of the day. Tomatoes need at 6-8 hrs of direct sun every day. Is the plant getting fertilized? Its important to fertilize tomato plants as they begin to flower and set fruit. If the plant is growing in a pot, is it getting enough water? Tomatoes can grow very extensive root systems and fill out pots very quickly, so they require more frequent water under those circumstances. All of these things, taken together, could be causing abnormal growth and development. As for the white dots, its impossible to say without seeing them. We've included a link all about tomatoes that may be helpful (its from the University of California, but tomatoes are tomatoes so it should be useful to you.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2016-01-24T03:35:18-08:00 January 24th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Curling Leaves On Artichoke

Curling leaves could be several things, and we'll go from the most common to the least. First check carefully under the leaves for signs of insects. Look especially for very fine webs and a "dirty and dusty" look. These are both signs of spider mites or other mites. (Be sure to look in good lighting and don't expect to see the mites themselves - they are very small.) Other insects to look for are aphids, scale or white fly. All of these are sucking-insects in that they suck plant juices out of the leaves, causing the cells to be deformed and the leaves to curl. If you find the webs/dirty undersides, get a product that's labeled for mites at your garden center. If you find green or black juicy bugs (aphids), tan bumps (scale) or tiny white flying insects (white fly) ask for a product that threats those insects.

2. For a plant such as an artichoke that grows large, having its roots confined in a small pot can cause the plant to be equally constrained or stunted on top. If you find no sign of insects, (or even if you do) transplant this into a larger pot. Remember with plants that what goes on below the surface is reflected up above...if a plant has room to stretch its roots it will be able to stretch the top growth as well.

3. After transplanting water the plant throughly when you water, saturating the soil well, but then let the plant dry out a bit before watering again.

By | 2016-01-23T16:09:25-08:00 January 23rd, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Nutrient Deficiency

From the photo it appears there's a nutrient deficiency. Often nutrient deficiency is caused by over or under-watering for the plants needs. Over-watering can cause the plant to produce vegetative growth rather than flowers, and underwatering is stressful for the plant and it may respond by not producing flowers. In water stressed situations, plant roots either begin to rot or dry out and therefore can't function sufficiently to absorb nutrients along with water and we often see yellow leaves. We recommend watering more deeply and less frequently rather than providing smaller amounts more frequently. If the water does not soak into the soil quickly and begins to runoff before you can provide a sufficient amount, you can apply water until it just begins to runoff, let that water soak in, apply more again until just before runoff, let that soak in, and repeat this several times during one irrigation (in the same day). We recommend keeping the soil evenly moist, and avoiding fluctuations between dry and flooded soils to keep the salts diluted in the moist soil.

By | 2016-01-22T20:50:58-08:00 January 22nd, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Water Issues

The plant(s) looks fairly healthy, and since there are flowers, you should expect to see tomato fruits beginning to develop soon. We do have some recommendations: You may be watering too often, which can increase vegetative growth (especially in combination with increased fertilizers, particularly those high in Nitrogen), and reduce or delay flowering and fruit set. Conversely, tomatoes do need more nutrition during certain stages of growth, like at flower & fruit-set. So if you haven't fertilized, you should consider doing that. Your local garden center will have the appropriate fertilizers. We've included a link about growing Tomatoes with info about their common issues/challenges, but we can recommend watering more deeply less often, rather than applying smaller amounts every day. Tomatoes are deep rooted plants, and if water is available will be healthier. Do not allow extreme fluctuations in soil moisture, but try to water according to the plants needs (temp and humidity affect those needs). You can water when the upper 2inches of soil is dry and apply an adequate amount. Use "water cycling" if water does not enter the soil quickly.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2016-01-22T06:36:14-08:00 January 22nd, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Lettuce Yellowing And Leaf Spot

The spots are a leaf-spot fungus. This usually isn't fatal to plants and most often happens when foliage is damp for a long time or overnight. If the spots you see are mostly on the plants next to the soil, as in this photo, that's what's going on. Clip them off and only water the plants in the AM, not in the evening. Additionally, all plants grown under lights indoors benefit from a fan placed nearby and set on a timer to go off for a few hours a day. This helps strengthen the plants as well as keep the leaves from staying damp for too long and encouraging leaf spot.

The pale color could be several things. 1. If you're using common gro-lights or fluorescent bulbs they should be only 3 or 4 inches above the plants. If you're using high-intensity bulbs they can be higher. 2. Have you fertilized recently? If not, it could be time to do so as your plants are large enough to need more nutrients. Use fertilizer according to directions on label. 3. Be sure you're not keeping the soil too moist - this will lead to root rot which produces yellow plants. Water deeply less often - let the surface of the soil go dry before watering again...a fan will also help with this.

By | 2016-01-21T04:10:14-08:00 January 21st, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

This appears to be a symptom of nutrient deficiency. These deficiencies could also be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water, but only water when the upper 2" (or a bit more depending on plant size and root ball size) have dried out. Soil that are too wet cause roots to drown and not function. Sometimes not enough water can also cause root damage that results in insufficient uptake of water and nutrients. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. Here is a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer not to be watered "overhead". Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root system, but don't "over-water". If your plant is well on its way with flowering and fruit set/development you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer or something formulated for tomatoes - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 21st, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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