What's causing this?
Leaf problems
and this
and
Is it a seedling, Linda? I had two out of the 300+ started this year that looked similar. I think Monika thought it was a defiency of some kind. The deer ate the leaves off one and the other still looks like yours...
I have several that are doing that, and yes -- they are all seedlings. (different crosses I think, I'll have to check. )
I'm in SC too and some of mine are doing it and they are not all seedlings ! I didnt see any bugs but if I saw this on some of my other stuff I would suspect aphids !
Linda what are you using for fertilizer and how often are you using it?
Your 1st picture looks much like mine did when they had calcium deficiency.
Here's an earlier thread on leaf problems.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/496484/
Linda, might they have been sprayed with something that caused that? I have some plants, forgotten the name, perennials, that had leaves that looked just like that. I removed the leaves, and they are fine. I told my nursery guy about it and he said that he had many returned because of the same damage and he found out that the grower/supplier sprayed something that caused the damage. What kind of fertilizer are you using?? Maybe it is a deficiency. I surely hope you find the answer and that it's something simple and easy to clear up!
Thanks Terry, I'll check the pH and try adding some calcium. I've been mixing 10-10-10 in the potting mix. I did add borax to the MG I watered in yesterday.
Mine look the same...no strange spray.. dont know about ph.
Just found these on Butterfly, and with my hand lense I can see tiny bugs.
I have seen that happen on occasion to mine - but not as drastically. I wondered the same thing, but since not all leaves were like that, I never posted the question. Hope we find out for sure. If it's a calcium deficiency I'll try to take care of it with maybe some crushed egg shells.
Linda, what kind of bugs do you think they are? Mites?? If they are mites, what will you use?? I used Bayer 3-in-1, for disease, insects and fertilizer and it is supposed to take care of everything but mites. I have a Garden Safe product that is a fungicide, insecticide, mitecide, but I'd like to use something just for mites. Is there such a product??? If your bugs aren't mites, do you know what they might be??? Shoot, if it's not one thing, it's another...
Sherry, I'm not sure. I found spider mites on one nearby and sprayed it with Malathyon(?) which says it controls whiteflies and mites. Since I already had that in the sprayer, I hit Butterfly with that. I couldn't see anything, but the new leaf growth looked suspicious and fell right off when I touched them. I had problems last year with the cyclamen or broad mites that you can only see with a magnifying glass. I have a really strong lense and was able to see something move on the backside of the leaf which was severely curled.
If you remember from last year I HATE MITES!! Butterfly has about a dozen buds almost ready to open. Hope this doesn't harm them.
I was talking to a guy at a local nursery who knows a lot about plants and said "kelthane" is the only miticide he's found effect against spider mites.
Boy, me too, I just hate mites - I never know what to do, but I'm thinking that Avid might be the answer. I've had Avid for quite some time, used it once, on the few plants I had at the time, but I never had a clue if it worked or not, since I never could see the mites, assuming that's what it was. I have a very good magnifying glass, but never saw a single bug. I'm tempted to go ahead and spray for mites and wonder what would be best, Avid or some other miticide??? I really hate to sit on my fan tanny and let mites eat up my brugs, whewQQQ
I wonder? Since they have webs and are soft bodied ... wouldn't oil soap smother them to death. You would have to reapply it within the gestation of the mite...because the oil soap wouldn't affect the eggs. Anybody try oilsoap?
I had some mites and used Avid...and was told to reapply it in 7 days when the eggs would hate...and I continued it another round. They be gone...!
Kell, did you say you use Neem oil?
Carol
I've used Safer Insect Soap and Seaweed Extract and it appears to work, but I used it last year and I'm thinking that maybe I should use something different this year. I love the Seaweed Extract, the brugs stand up, way high, on their tippy toes when I use it...
Kelthane? Is that an ingredient in an insecticide we can purchase without a license?
When I had spider mites last year, the leaves didn't look like this. One edge of one of the leaves has a slight lighter discolor in just one spot. I am thinking it has more to do with nutrition than pests.
Those leaves look like cyclamen mite damage to me. They go for the new growth first I notice. Neem oil works great against them. I take off all the leaves except the very top little ones. And I spray those top ones well. It seems to really take care of it. Put your picked leaves in a plastic bag and tightly close it and dispose of it fast.
I always spray any brugs that I get with Neem whether they look like they need it or not. . The trouble is that people may have cyclamen mites and not have a clue for you can't see them. And by the time you figure out you have a problem, they have spread all over. So best to spray any brugs coming into your house right away!! And mites do not get immune to Neem for it smothers them. Also it is not a chemical insecticide.
Where do you get this Neem and how much does it cost?
HD does not seem to carry it Karrie. But Lowes does. It is about $11 for a pint. That lasts a while.
I've got Neem from last year. Is it still good? It got so solid in the winter, I could not pour it out of the bottle. I'll dig that out, thanks.
I used Neem this am and every bug that came in contact with it died. I found an occasional small white worm and a couple of small green worms. The Neem killed them, but I don't know what they were, I should have taken my digital...
I am so glad I don't have to order it online & $11 doesn't seem like too much (better than $200). I don't like to have to order online if I don't have to. I'll have to get to Lowes and look for it.
Gee, I do not know Linda. It seems to be a solution for it does separate out in the bottle. I f you can, shake it up well before you use it. Try it and see if it works. I doubt it will hurt anything.
Spray again in I think a week to get any babies.
My GH and grooming area (dogs), is on the same deck and, on really cold days, some of my grooming products got 'stiff' too, my Neem did that too - I thought it was just the cold because they are all fine now. OTOH, Murphy Oil cleaner has never gotten sluggish in the house, so I dunno...
A word of caution, I have heard that you should not spray Neem on your leaves if in direct ,hot sun. So beware of burning. I do it here but we do not have a really hot sun most days.
I was antsy about spraying the Neem, but it's been really cool the last few days and I sprayed early in the am, and thanks Kell, sometimes I forget stuff like that and it only takes one bad error - last year I defoliated my fav plant and it took it all summer to recover...
Thanks for that word of caution Kell. I will neem mine on the east side of the house after it shades. Too cold and windy to do anything today. Thursday looks better.
When I looked up Kelthane online, I, too, thought it was really expensive, but I found an 8oz bottle down at the local nursery for only $16. One teaspoon makes 1 gallon of spray. Here's the active ingredient:
Dicofol 1, 1-Bis(chlorophenyl) 2,2,2-trichlorethanol 42.0%
Thanks - I'll do some research on what it's made of and see what is available around here.
BTW - if you have nursery friends, you might try buying "just enough" for one application from them. Nurseries usually have the expensive stuff (most effective)...and it is easy (I am told, don't look at ME) to figure out how much a teasp. costs!!!
Carol
I don't really have nursery friends. When I walk into NW Seed & Pet, one of the managers smiles and then looks at the floor. Not sure why - maybe because of the kittens and the story. Don't care.
I have a landscaper friend down the street - his family owns Staneks (nursery) here in town. Perhaps I should talk to him about it. He brings me big pots when I need them. I'm not sure how much he is involved in the family business. He seems to keep to himself. We inhereited our cat Max from his kids 8 years ago. Alex traded one of her dad's prized baseball gloves for a kitten. Dad couldn't say no. LOL - these were feral kittens.
Guess frank owes me a favor, huh? (or the neighborhood).
sorry, giggilin'