Does anyone know why several varieties of annuals and perennials that I have planted in my composted clay soil would turn purple? First the veins turn purple and then the remainder of the leaf. At which point, the leaves start to curl and die. I'm thinking it might be a nutriet deficiency but I can't find out what it is. Has anyone encountered this before?
I've seen plants do that as a response to cold, so if you've had some chilly weather that could be it. I think it can also be a symptom of phosphorus deficiency, so if you haven't fertilized recently you might try fertilizing them and see if that helps. I wonder if it could also be related to sun exposure, I see one of the leaves on your plant that looks like it might be sunburned, so I wonder if the purple could be related to that.
Thank you for your response.
I wondered if it could be cold damage too. But its been a few weeks since the last frost date so I was thinking it couldn't be that. But with this weird weather, who knows!
This particular plant is a Rudbeckia "Indian Summer". It is situated mostly in full sun (meaning it gets morning shade and afternoon sun after 11 am) I thought it would be bigger but it seems stunted. I Live in zone 5b. My neighbor grew these last year. They were absolutely beautiful. Her plants were a beautiful bright green with those wonderful yellow flowers. I fertilized all my flowering plants this morning with a fertilizer that has 5-10-10 combo just in case it was a nutrient deficiency. Some of my petunias are doing this as well. And also a couple of my tomato plants. My tomato plants are in a Square Foot Garden soil that is not supposed to need fertilizer so its a mystery to me.
Oops sorry I made a mistake. The first post picture is Rudbeckia "Indian Summer" and the second post picture is Purple Wave petunia. Sorry for the confusion.
I did a little more digging, and a book I have on plant cultural issues suggested that herbicide toxicity can also cause symptoms like yours, and that it's frequently mistaken for phosphorus deficiency (and they mentioned that phosphorus deficiency is uncommon unless your plants are in an area where the topsoil was recently scraped off). Any chance you (or the neighbors) got a little crazy with the Roundup on a windy day?
I was just looking at my annuals today and my white verbena took on a pinkish tone and the Black and Blue Salvia are turning brown on the edges and curling. Since it's been cold here up until today, I'm thinking it is probably just the cold weather. Okay, keeping my fingers crossed that it's just the cold weather. I planted them with a small amount of compost mixed with Miracle Grow potting soil with a tad of Triple Phosphate and small amount of Flower Tone. You don't think I overdid it do you? My perennials have been happy in the cool weather except for the Siberian Iris - they don't know if it's spring or fall.
It's possible that was too much depending on how much of the various fertilizers you added. A lot of people recommend not fertilizing right away when you plant since the roots are easier to burn, it's usually better to wait until the plants get settled in before you give them fertilizer. But a lot really depends on how much you used, anytime you're mixing fertilizers it always increases the chances that you're going to give them too much of something. If you think you might have given them too much, a really thorough watering to try and flush some of the excess out of the soil is the best approach to try (as long as you don't overwater them in the process of course).
I have Indian Summer and it's always a little slow getting started. It pops up and then just sits there until the temps get good and warm. Yours looks like it will do just fine when it gets the warm weather it needs. I agree, they are gorgeous flowers. If it gets cold enough in the winter, my main plants don't always come back so I always leave a few flowers to go to seed late in the season so I will at least have volunteers the next season. If I have more than I need, I never have any trouble giving the extras away.
ecrane3: I do not think that any roundup was used near these plants. I do, however, live in a brand new house. This is the first spring our beds have had plants in them. We built up the beds and composted last fall. I have not used any chemicals on them other than the PHC fertilizer I used this past Saturday. We'll see what happens.
Naturelover1950: Thank you for letting me breath a sigh of relief about my Indian Summers. I can't wait to see what will become of them. They are absolutely gorgeous and since I started from seeds, I am more invested. I'll cross my fingers that they will start taking off now that it has been in the 70s-80s here.
Well if it's a new house then your soil could possibly be phosphorus deficient, the book I have said that the only time it really happens is when you have an area where the topsoil's been stripped off, and new construction would be one of those cases. If that's what was going on then hopefully the fertilizer will help.
I think Ecrane is on the right track with her suggestions, also if you are in a new garden/house built, then you can be sure that the builder has left traces of lord knows what in your soil, also all the heavy machinery and deliveries they get to the site can cause such compaction of the sub soil, it can take a good few seasons for you to get constant digging and fertilising/manure etc for the air and nutrients to start to work again and the plant roots to be able to store this, also if it is just a few weeks since you had your last frost, on new cultivated earth, it can take a bit longer for the soil to warm up, so it could be shock at planting out time, next season or over the winter, try to add as much organic compost etc into your soil as you can as this will help keep the soil warmer and help keep air and nutrients in the soil, I live in much about the same zone as you and I have only just started to place my summer annuals and bedding plants out now, but I have been putting then outdoors in the day time and back inside for nights as we have still had quite a lot of really cool evenings, I know on tomato plants the leaves take on a purple glow when they get too cold, but they usually recover if not left in a really cold temp. Good luck, I hope you start to enjoy your new garden, you will soon get used to watching the temps etc as you get more used to your new area, best wishes, WeeNel,
Thank you all for your excellent recommendations. It sounds to me like my problem is a little bit of nutrient deficiency, a little bit of cold weather, and maybe some kind of heinz 57 soil to which I added compost. I will continue to cultivate the ground with more compost as often as I can, hopefully I will be able to post some good news pictures in the future.
Thanks all!
Hi Bradshaw's, glad everyone was able to help understand all the different problems both with the temp and new gardens, you will soon get to understand your garden soil structure and what is needed as the seasons and years go by and you are able to work the soil into a good fertile substance, so please dont get despondent about it all, even folks like me who have been gardening for years have troubles in their gardens or with some plants we introduce, it will help you out greatly if you get along to your library/book store and find some books on soil fertility and management, also what plants like what as they differ from soil to soil, but do remember all those gardening books are expensive now-a-days, so try borrow them from the library till you find one that suits you and is easy to understand as some go into too much technical stuff for amateurs or beginners to take in, then as you get more knowledge, you can always get some more books as gifts etc, Gardening should be enjoyable and hard work at times, so just work on one area at a time till you get more confident to step up your cultivated area, gardening can also be expensive if you grow things that really are not suitable for your soil or area. Good luck and many years of happy gardening, were all here to help if we can, WeeNel.
WeeNel, You are wonderful!
I look forward to working more on my garden and consulting with you and many other seasoned gardeners in the future. Share as much info as you can. Your knowledge is invaluable to us!
Thank you so much!
Susan
