Help-plant disease or damage

I lost some of my MGs to a late frost and now these are looking bad. These are some "rare blue mix" Japanese MGs I bought on EBay. The leaves look variegated but they aren't --its is the tan/brown damaged area along the leaf rib. These had not sprouted at the time of the frost and it seems that the edges of the leaves would be damaged, not the centers. The picture seems to be focused on the dirt rather than the leaf; still learning how to use this camera.

What is wrong here?

I'm looking to participating in this group; I recognize several names from EBay.

Also--is there a way to change your zone? My zone says 7a but it really should be 6a (7a with a mild winter).

Thanks,
Phyllis

Hi Phyllis and welcome to this forum.

From looking at your picture I see a fungus or mold absorbing the leave but it`s doesn`t look bad. I`m not at all an expert but this could be cause by a number of things... for example too much watering or moisture, and it could be something in the soil. Also dryness could be the cause. Also look closely under the leaves for web like material. That could be a sign of spider mites and that`s not good. This is a good place to start to seek information about that problem and I`m sure some of the more knowledgeable members will be able to point you in the right direction.

To change your zone, go to your (My Info). Select (Manage your preference). look for (what timezone are you in.)

good luck

Dee

Try putting some Hydrogen Peroxide/20/40water in your spray bottle, it also kills fungus on contact..

Phyllis, how are your plants doing? Am wondering, because some of mine have developed spots that look just like yours.

Of three 11" x 21" flats in a row that went outside as soon as the seeds sprouted but before their first cotyledon leaves appeared, the flat that was closest to an overhead sprinkler developed those spots. The seedlings farthest away from that sprinkler look very healthy, without any spotting.

The worst ones were closest to the sprinkler, and although one leaf of each cotyledon pair is now mostly brown and shriveled, the first true leaf is forming, so that makes me optimistic for now.

Thanks, Dee, for your information.

So, in spite of the spotting on your leaves, did new leaves develop on yours all right?

Well, perhaps the overhead watering nurtured conditions that may have caused a possible fungus as cause of these spots. However, the spotting is moving to adjacent cotyledons, and I've only watered from above once this year. So, I would still like to hear from the experts, too.

The plants dropped most of the bad leaves, you can still see a few in this picture. I didn't treat them, I just watched them to see if the problem was spreading. It didn't spread so I left them alone.

I may try Hydrogen Peroxide when I get a little braver. Hope yours turn around as well.

These are "rare blue" that I bought from Morning Glory Japan on Ebay. I've had good luck with seeds from this seller. The expensive ones in the original foil type packs almost explode when you soak them and put the out.

I guess I really don't know what the problem was but it seems to have gone away.

I am thinking that some of these plants are getting too much sun. The ones with really light colered leaves (not in this picture) look like they are suffering.


Phyllis

Well, that's encouraging. We had those leaf issues last summer when our plants were farther along like yours, but not this soon - on the cotyledons before true leaves appeared. But, the first true leaves forming now look very healthy, so am feeling much more optimistic now.

Like yours, the palest cotyledons with the least green in them seem to be the worst affected here (although the spotting is spreading further away from where it began onto plain green leaves now, too, in the rain). There's another place where I have younger flats of MGs coming along, and so far the spotting hasn't occurred there - it's not surrounded by as much stone and gets more shade. So maybe there's something to this idea that the whitest leaves need more shade than the greener ones.


This message was edited Jun 8, 2007 12:17 PM

Ditto to Phyllis - new healthy leaves are emerging from the damaged cotyledon leaves and look fine, so far.

Regarding how much sun or shade JMGs need, my guess is that that probably varies with respect to how south or north you are. I have noticed some differences with respect to sun/shade tolerances among different JMGs in my garden, so will post them here, in hopes others will share their experiences on this topic, too -

I think it is probably true that the nils, farther south, need some shade; however, I noticed last summer that the closer to an overhanging mullberry tree, the less flowers there were - hard to find the balance.

I have also observed that the purpureas can take a surprising amount of shade. I. pur. 'Kniola's Black' bloomed prolifically in the shadiest part of my garden last summer in a spot I'm sure would have been impossible for the nils, which were suffering in even less shade. Just be sure to let the purpurea vines grow high - they traveled 20' over a hedge last summer, while the nils never got much above 6 or 7' in their sunnier spot.

And then, I. youjiro - that interspecific cross between I. nil and I. purpurea - everything I said about the foregoing applies to their offspring, except that I. youjiro is inbetween - taller than nils, shorter than purpureas; more disease resistant and less sun-dependent than nils - possibly thanks to its purpurea genes.

And then, among the I. nils, there are dwarfs that stay 18" - 24" (ex. 'Sun Smiles). So, even within species, there's huge variation among the cultivars.

Since I don't have full sun anywhere, has anyone noticed whether I. purpurea does as well in full sun as in shade? Better? Worse?