Spinach leaf spot disease

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jayne_a Missoula, MT(Zone 4b) Jan 06, 2008

Last year my spinach leaves developed spots that started tiny, expanded, turned a tan color and dried up. Later in the summer a nearby bed of beets was also affected, although the turnips that were right next to the beets were untouched. At the end of the summer it appeared on some swiss chard that was about 20 feet away. A little internet research turned up stemphylium botryosum, which seems to fit the description perfectly, except that it is said to be specific to spinach. Does anyone know what this could be, and how to ensure that I don't have it in the garden again this summer?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jan 06, 2008

I don't grow veggies so I know nothing about specific diseases that affect them, but there are many types of soilborne fungi and related organisms that can cause leaf spots. A lot of times they infect the plant when water hits the soil and then splashes up onto the leaves while you're watering. This problem can be made worse if you're watering in the evenings because then the leaves stay wet for longer and that creates a great breeding ground for these nasties. This type of thing can affect a wide range of plants. Using drip irrigation instead of overhead watering can help prevent future problems. Or if that's not an option, make sure to water in the morning instead of the evening and be as gentle as possible with the hose spray so that you minimize splashing.

That being said, there are probably a million things that affect veggies that I know nothing about, so it could very well be something different.

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