Need help with leaves

Hello,

These are leaves of Ipomoea nil "Sayaka". They are not suppose to be curled up like this and all the leaves seem to grow like this from the start.

I did fertilize them about a couple weeks ago with bloom booster. it's been quite a long time now since then and I haven't fertilized them now. But they still keep growing like this and they seem to grow okay. All new growths are like this.

It is beside other Ipomoea nils and the other nils look okay, so if it's something contagious like spider mites, i thought it would have gotten to the other mgs.

I also don't think it's some kind of mutation because the leaves feel softer than your usual dragon claw leaves.

What could this be?

Eliz

overall view of 8 something plants

all of them have this curling of the leaves

Eliz

spider mites. one one of the leaves i can see the yellowing and spots little black stuff left. spider mites can attack one or all plants. i have 9 containers outside and only three are being attacked same plant in all three but they seem to only want that one.

spray for spider mites .


8 plants in one container is just too many. learned from lots of people over the years one morning glory to gallon. Reason for this is they are fighting for the nutrients and then they are weakened and more susceptible to stuff. i wanted to point out as this could be a cause too. lack of vitamins makes us weak same for plants.

but spray for mites because thats what it looks like too me.

Hi Eliz,

I think the curled leaf is normal for Sayaka. It will make a youjiro type flower I think, yes?

Joseph

I was able to get back to Fukuoka City Botanical Garden today, and this one was flowering that has a similar leaf form you are showing in your photograph, Eliz.

splcv or sweet potato leaf curl virus can infect any morning glory. it causes the symptoms above. also carried by spider mites and white flies.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=231039 at the bottom of this page it does say all other morning glories are able to get this.

http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/abs/10.1094/PDIS-93-7-0764B

these places in japan are studying it Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station, Kumamoto 861-1192, Japan, JP
(2) National Agriculture Research Center, Tsukuba 305-8666, Japan, JP

here in charlston they say spray the causes and take dead stuff off or curle leaves and treat it with a systemic. but it is a disease of a lot of plants.

just not one talked to much about

Eliz - Hmmm ... It does look like it could be something attacking your leaves. I know that some cultivars do have the curled leaves, but it looks like you have that happening on several of your vines. I would look a little closer at them and try a treatment to see if it helps the leaves.

The same process that causes the sweet potatato leaf curl has been thought to be at least one process that has caused Mutant Asagaos.

It might not be the same virus or the same location on the chromosome or the same physical characteristic, but the strange physical aspects that characterize Mutant Asagaos have been thought to - sometimes - have been caused by corresponding changes in DNA by a virus.

Since only one cultivar of Ipomoea nil out of all of those being grown by Eliz is thus affected, and since Gerris saw the same leaf effect on the same nil - I. nil 'Sayaka' - elsewhere, I think it's a fascinating possibility that perhaps this particular strain of Sayaka might have mutated into a new leaf characteristic that might come true from generation to generation.

This is what we love about the nils - ya never know what's lurking in them thar genes :)

Karen

ps - However, I think it's possible that any or all of the above explanations might be involved.

Eliz, did you try that diagnostic test for spider mites where ya hold a piece of paper underneath the leaves and shake the leaves over it to see if any tell-tale tiny specks appear on the paper? There are so many different kinds - wonder if a hand magnifier or microscope would help. Evidently, those mites suck on the bottom side of leaves.


This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 1:19 PM

Looks a bit like some of the leaves have been scalded by the sun; was this one kept somewhere where heat could have reflected off? This looks like what happened to one of mine when I kept it in the porch, maybe there is a bit of water logging going on, see if the soil is soggy ..

Hello everybody,

Thank you so much for your responses and help.

as advised, I sprayed with an insecticide for spider mites. I have not checked or rather tested yet, with Karen's recommended method, but I will today. I will also check the root system under the pot.

The trouble with taking out all the curled leaves would mean that this plant would be bald and only have 1 or 2 leaves :).

For the past few weeks, it has been storming and rainy up here in Canada, so the soil did stay soggy for quite a while.

Joseph's picture intrigued me because my plants seem to be growing fine; there are new growths and they are now climbing. Joseph's picture http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6884369, does not have much curling though.

I will keep spraying with the insecticide and perhaps place this guy in part shade and we'll see what'll happen. I will keep this updated.

Thanks so much

Eliz

Eliz - I hope you get this dilemma resolved. Do keep us posted! This thread may be helpful to others in the future! :-) Good luck for a healthy and happy vine!