Yellow Leaves? Wilting When Wet?
Identifying Plant Nutrient Deficiencies
Friday June 10, 2005
Not all plant problems are caused by insects or diseases. Sometimes an unhealthy plant is suffering from a nutrient deficiency. Plant nutrient deficiencies often manifest as discoloration or distortion of the leaves. Unfortunately many problems have similar symptoms and sometimes it is a combination of problems. Be sure you eliminate the obvious, like poor drainage or compacted soil, before you kill your plants with kindness. But if you think your garden plants are under nourished, here's a chart of some common nutrients and their deficiency symptoms to guide you.
Comments
So where’s the chart?
Good catch. It started out as a table, but there were so many words I just made it a bulleted list. I’ve changed the heading. Thanks for letting me know.
I have several yews whose needles are slightly yellow. What would you suggest I do? Is there even a problem, please?
Thank you.
MG
If it’s the inside needles that are yellowing, it’s probably just normal aging. If the outside needles and/or all the needles are yellowing, I’d take a closer look.
First rule out insects, like spider mites or scale. (Look for webbing or discolored bumps.)
If there was a lot of snow or ice piled on the shrubs this winter, it could just be die back. Or if it’s been an especially wet winter, it could be soggy roots.
Finally if the needles seem to be turning pale gradually, it’s probably a nitrogen deficiency and they need feeding. But the only way to know for sure is to take a sample to a local nursery or Cooperative Extension office and have them look at it.
My ice plants are wilting,. We have received a tremendous amount of rain lately. I check to see if the soil was too wet adn I repoted the plants and still wilting. HELP
I think you’re going to have to give them some time to readjust.
The bottom half of my tomatoe plant is yellowing….too much water? or not enough nutrients?
Tomato plants often yellow on the bottom. Sometimes it’s just the natural progression as the leaves age. Usually it’s some fungus that splashed up from the soil. You’ll often see spots developing or leaves curling.
I’d remove the yellowing leaves. Actually, I remove the bottom foot of leaves on all my tomato plants, once they get a couple of feet high. This limits the splashing.
I have a hibiscus plant that I bought this year and planted outside. It gets sun 7 am-5-pm. Some of the leaves are yellowing and falling off. I see some buds, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. I see no insects but it looks as though some leaves have been eaten. Is this (yellowing) a over watering problem. I do water every night before bed. Right beside the hibiscus, I planted a peony. It has some browning at the tip of it’s leaves. In the same bed, a little further down a peony has no signs of this. Both have not bloomed yet. Could this be a drainage problem at one end of the bed?
It’s hard to say without seeing your plants. If you just planted the hibiscus, it’s not uncommon for a few leaves to yellow and fall. They don’t like to sit in water or even soil that is never allowed to dry out. If that’s the case in the spot you’ve planted them, you’ll continue to have problems.
Brown tips on the peony could be either dry conditions or the beginning of gray mold. If it’s very humid and the plants aren’t getting good air circulation, you’ll get this fugus disease on the leaves. It won’t kill the plant, but the leaves will get ugly. Make sure the plants aren’t crowded and dispose of all the affected leaves. You can also use a fugicide, if you wish.
If you just planted the peonies, you won’t get any flowers this year and maybe not for a few years. Peonies don’t like being disturbed and they need a period of freezing in order to set buds. Who knows what they got in the nursery.
If they’ve been in that spot for awhile and haven’t bloomed, it could be that you planted them too deeply. The crown should be only an inch or two below the soil line and that includes mulch.
And a few holes in the leaves is to be expected in a garden. You don’t want to get rid of all the insects.
If you still have questions, either post a photo on the forum or take a sample leaf to a good nursery or your local Extension office.
I just planted a rose bush in the east sun. It gets sun from 8-1. I just planted it along with some other hostas that are turning white at the edges. Could it be an overwatering problem? I followed the directions for the rosebush which suggest continuous watering for the first week. Have I overdone it on both plants? I was told I couldn’t kill the hostas, but they’re displaying signs of distress too…
The sun exposure sounds fine for both plants. The bluish hostas are the only ones that can’t take that much sun. It’s odd, because white edges usually mean sun scortch, but with only morning sun and plenty of water, that shouldn’t be the case.
Is the soil continually wet? That’s not good for plant roots, even for newly planted plants. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Otherwise, I’d suggest checking the fertility of the soil. If it’s low in organic matter, add some compost and give the plants a shot of fertlizer, like a fish and seaweed emulsion.
I have a “Lucky Bamboo” plant. It has tripled in size yet the leaves are yellow-green rather than green. What am I doing wrong? I am only using bottled water.
Have you given it any food? You could try a couple of drops of water soluble fertilizer or a hydroponic food in the water. It’s hard to know how much to add, since the plant is sitting in water. It also depends on the size of the pot, plant and roots. But start with a very little and see if the leaves don’t start to green up a bit.
I have a lovely little plant that sits on my desk. It almost dies once when i was away and didn’t get watered by my coleagues…but then came back in full bloom (i say that, it doesn’t have flowers!). But now the leaves are getting so big they’re drooping and almost sticking together. the leaves look wet and slightly stick together and feel rubbery. Its not scale and i have no idea whats happening. Can you shed some on whats going on?
Thanks
Alex
Alex, it’s very difficult to help without knowing what type of plant it is and seeing a photo of the problem. If the leaves are drooping, it could be that the roots have out grown the pot and aren’t able to hold on to enough water.
To really be able to help, I’d need to see a photo. If you can, post a photo of the plant over on the Forum. That way several of us can take a look and hopefully give you an answer.
my kumquqt plant is 5 years old and it has produced plenty of fruits. This year there are fruits on the tree butnthe leaves are yellow. what is the reason?
Yellow leaves can be a sign of many things. Sometimes it’s just environmental stress caused by too much water, dying out or just a change in weather. If that’s the case, the leaves should show some signs of recovering when the stress factor is gone.
Often it’s a nutrient deficiency. The most common culprit is a lack of nitrogen, especially with potted plants. A regular dose of fish emulsion should fix that. Spray it on the foliage, for a quick fix. If the older leaves are still green and just the new growth is yellowing, it could be a lack of iron. An all purpose fertilizer with trace minerals should correct the imbalance. But since you’re tree has fruit, it probably isn’t too serious, so don’t overdo the fertilizing or you’ll stress it that way too and it could drop its fruit. A single feeding with the fertilizer and a spray of fish emulsion should perk it back up. If not, start looking for other symptoms, like scale on the stems or spots on the leaves.
I am growing vegetable plants: squash,tomato,bell pepper, and eggplant in containers. I have them in direct sunlight for 4-6 hours and water every other day. I live in deep south louisiana, my problem is that my plants are wilting and leaves are yellow, I do give them miracle grow as needed. Why are they doing this and what can I do to fix it????? HELP Most plants are producing, they just dont look pretty and vibrant.
Make sure you’re watering deeply, when you do. Dig down at least 6 inches and see if the ground is wet down there. If not, the soil is drying out almost as soon as you finish watering.
It also sounds like maybe your soil is too lean. Rich, well-draining soil is better at keeping plants hydrated and giving them the nutrients they need. Since your plants are already in the ground, you could try top dressing or mulching with a good compost or composted manure.
I have patio tomato plants and on the top, in the center of stem there are quite a number of blossoms but the leaves around the entire mid section and also the buds are extremely wilted. They were fine no common problems are evident and the rest of the plant is fine. I have two of the same plants and they are both doing the same thing, HELP
If you don’t see sign of injury or perhaps something that may have burrowed into the stem, then I would suspect Fusarium wilt. This disease can cause wilting on just a section of the plant. However it will spread and I don’t know of anything to cure it. You should remove the plant so it doesn’t spread.
I’m having a terrible time with yellow leaves, dropping leaves, and wilting on my Hibiscus that I have planted in big pots. I have never raised Hibiscus before, and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I have 2 braided hibiscus trees and 2 bushy plants, they came in 3 gallon pots and they were beautiful when I got them. It has rained quiet a bit lately, and they wilt if they aren’t watered daily. I’m at a loss on this. Any ideas?
Two thoughts: Hibiscus don’t like change, especially temperature change. Since you just potted them up, it’s probably just a normal adjustment period. Try not to over pamper them and you should see new leaves coming in within a couple of weeks.
Also make sure the pots are large enough for the amount of roots the plants have. If more than 2/3s of the pot is filled with roots, the plants are going to keep drying out and wilting and they may never settle in and be happy.
Why are leaves on my Phaleonopsis orchid yellowing and falling off? I don’t think i overwater and i don’t let it get too dry.
This is growing inside with a south light in zone 9, So. California. Light is very filtered. Thanks!
Pat, unless you never feed your orchid, I doubt it’s a nutrient deficiency. The usual cause is too much light, but you say your light is filtered.
So I’d check that the crown and root are healthy looking and not buried too deeply. The roots need to get some air between waterings.
Another thing to watch out for is salt build up in the soil. Make sure that when you water, you do so until the water runs out the bottom of the pot. Don’t let the orchid sit in the excess water, but definetely flush the pot out.
I’ve transplanted 2 of my grandmother’s peony bushes. Since she is no longer with us the bushes are very special to me. This is the 3rd year and still no blooms. When they come up they doesn’t spread, multiply or bloom. Only a few thin stalks. Can anyone give me a suggestion of what I should do?
Peonies don’t like being transplanted, so there’s usually a period of adjustment. Three suggestions though:
1) They need to be planted near the surface of the soil, no more than 2-3 inches deep. They need to get a good winter chill in order to set flower buds.
2) Make sure they’re in a spot with at least 6 hours of sun.
3) Give them some balanced flower fertilizer to get more foliage this season. The foliage will help feed the root system and hopefully give you a stronger plant next season.
I’ve planted pumpkins this year and there are two healthy ones growing at the end of the vine, but the plant looks really poor where its main roots are. The vine is dark green and dry and the leaves are yellow or wilted. There are also lots of yellow stalks coming up from the vine, like they would be leaves, but they don’t have heads. I think I might have a vine grub, but can I save the pumpkins at the end of the vine? Are yellow leaves a sign of too much water?
It’s not uncommon for the older leaves near the base to yellow and wither as the season goes on. If the rest of the vine looks healthy, that’s probably the case.
If the whole plant looks in decline, you’ll need to look further. The most common causes of yellowing are lack of water and nutrients and a mildew disease that depletes the plant of nutrients. Since you asked about too much water, I’ll assume they’re getting enough. Have you fed the vines? Do you see any mottling or spotting on the yellowing leaves or any signs of white powder or fuzz?
O.K. I like to think that I have somewhat of a green thumb. I have (3) bell pepper plants and (2) hot pepper plant (hal’o'peano) (I’m a bad speller when it come to that) But on my green bell peppers I have (3) nice peppers on (1) plant and (5) on another that’s just getting to go. But I notice that on the (1) with (3) my leaves are / have white spots on it. With the scare of E coili, I want to make sure I’m not growing any diseae plants before I feed anyone. Can you tell me what’s happening??
Steve, most contamination of vegetables, like the e coli scare, occurs in processing. Unless you are using some very fresh manure, you’re plants probably just have some kind of fungus disease that isn’t too good for them, but won’t effect you. Many times they just effect the leaves and completely leave the peppers alone.
I’m not certain what the white spots are. Peppers do get mildew, but it’s not that common. Still, it’s probably a fungus and the best thing to do at this point is spray with some type of fungicide that’s labeled for use on edible plants. There are several organic fungicides out there now, like neem, Greencure and Serenade, or you can try whipping up your own baking soda recipe to use. Since it’s getting to be late in the season, you should be harvesting before the problem gets too bad.
am I watering too much, need more ferilizer?
Yvonne, did part of your message get cut off?
I have a bunch of outdoor potted plants on the east side of my home. The hydrangea, peony, daisies and petunias all have yellowing leaves and the petunias are yellow and shriveling, however they are still blooming. They get watered eveymorning at about 6 am. The are on an automatic watering system and have been doing exceptionally well until about three weeks ago. Nothing has changed. I tried fertilizing a week ago to no avail. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Do you check the soil before you water? It could very likely be that the soil isn’t getting a chance to dry out between waterings, especially if it’s also been raining. That can be worse than forgetting to water.
I planted a Bottlebrush Tree in my yard 10 months ago. It is a young tree (about 8-10 ft high) it has not really flowered yet much at all. What could be the problem?
I would guess the tree is just too young to bloom profusely. Depending on where you are, they usually bloom sometime between late winter to late spring, so it’s not surprising it’s not blooming now. Bottlebrush trees tend to grow quickly, but they don’t really start blooming big time until about their 3rd year. So be patient.
I have started growing some Indigo plants from seeds in peat, and they germinated fine, popped up out the surface and their first set of leaves were fine and green. Now on their second set, they’ve developed a yellow kind of colour (to the second set) and the leaves are curling downwards and inwards, but it isn’t flopping over at all. What could be causing this? They are constantly moist which I think might be the problem.
I recently started growing a large vegetable garden on my outdoor porch (it’s large and in full sun in southern California). So far things are going great – I have about 20 different vegetables and the tomatoes have started fruiting. I have 2 questions please –
1) the tomatoes have thick curled leaves and the cucumbers/gourds have leaves that wilt and get very thin .. am I over-watering?
2)(most important) question – I’ve never found an answer for this. Okay – So I started all of the plants from seeds in peat pots and transplanted them into bigger containers or self-watering ones that I made. As much as I’d like to thin them, I only brought myself to thin the first few batches down to 2 – so every plant that grows in a large container is really two plants that sprout up so close to eachother that it looks like 1. I have this with cucumbers/melons/pumpkins etc… q: Is that okay – will I get the same fruit yield – or do I really really need to thin all the way to one stalk out of the dirt? And if I do need to thin to one – what do I do with the plants that are already 1-2 ft tall? Do I just kill one of them even if its started producing fruit? I cant pull it out – they are like a little family and you would think they are all one plant unless you looked up close. And finally – the one cucumber plant that is solely on its own -just one seedling- flowered a week before the rest. Is this because it had no competition? Do you think I should murder half of my plants? Help!
Josh, peat doesn’t have any nutrients. It’s fine as a sterile potting mix, but you’ll need to start feeding your seedlings as soon as they have a couple of true leaves. That should green them up.
Dan, I suspect you are watering too much. Curled leathery tomato leaves are usually the result of wet soil and cool temperatures.
The cucs could also be wilting because the roots are too wet; it’s called water wilt. Once the plants are up, you don’t have to keep the soil consistently damp. Allow the soil to dry a little between waterings, so the roots get some air.
The doubled-up plants would be fine if you plan on putting them in the ground, where they can spread out. But if you are leaving them in containers, the root competition is going to prevent the plants from getting as large as they would alone and you will probably have less fruits per plant. However, since you have more plants, you may not notice.
I know it’s hard to sacrifice plants, but sometimes it’s tough love. I’d suggest leaving them for the short term, in case something happens to some of the plants. But in the long run, you’d be better off giving them the space they need to grow. Maybe you could lift the plants and shake the roots apart, then replant separately?
I have a potted ficus tree -and all the leaves are starting to turn somewhat yellow and are just falling off. I haven’t changed the watering schedule and it does get filtered light. Help!
Erin, I would suspect too little sunlight. If it’s not getting any supplemental light, the shorter days could be signaling it to go dormant. You could give it some food, to spur new growth, and try to provide it with brighter or longer light.
Planted 2 Buttefly weed plants: 3″ tall in early September, in Morrisville, North Carolina area.
By end of october, all the leaves of 1 of those plants are gone. The other plant is doing fine. Although no height change / signs of growth as such in it, compared with the other plants put in at the same time..
Why leaves of 1 might have fallen?
Observation: the plant that lost it’s leaves probably receives sun from East and West directions. While the other just from East (the afternoon sun is sufficiently blocked out by the wall behind them.
My first guess would be that something is attacking and weakening the plant. Mealy bugs and aphids love butterfly weed. Once they start feeding, the leaves yellow and fall. Have you looked closely at the leaves of the remaining plant?
My tomatoes are in pots, should I let them grow tall or train them to be bushie? Is it possible to train them to do that? How often should you fertilize them?
Nikki, you can trim your tomatoes if you don’t want them to get too tall, but they tend to bush out on their own. You’ll still need some type of staking, even in a pot, unless you want them to trail.
You need to fertilize plants in pots more often than those in the ground, because potting soil usually doesn’t have any nutrients and all that watering tends to leech away whatever nutrients are there. Using a water soluble fertilizer every couple of weeks should be fine. I like to spray the leaves with a mix of fish emulsion and kelp or some compost tea. Just avoid giving them a fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen (the first number on the package) or you’ll get a lot of leaves and few tomatoes.
i covered my outdoor hibiscus late in the evening w/ a plastic bag that i usually use to protect it from freezing. the bag was damp/wet inside. removed the bag the next day in early afternoon and all the leaves at the top portion and outer portion are wilted and black. did the damp plastic bag cause this to happen and/or did i cover it too late in the day? what should i do?
The water in the bag exacerbated the effect of cold. It’s probably just superficial damage. Remove the black leaves and any damaged stem and the plant should be fine.
Hello I have newly planted vegtable garden (1 month old). Our radishes have yellow, wilted leaves and when we pulled one out, the roots looked like they were rotting. ANy suggestions?
Thank You
Barry
Barry, I don’t know of too many problems that affect radishes other than insects burrowing into them. The yellow leaves are often a sign of a deficiency, like maybe nitrogen. But if they are wilting and the radishes are rotting, it sounds more like the ground is staying wet too long. Is the ground draining and allowed to remain dry periodically?
I have a miniature rose bush and I bought it 10 days ago. It is flowering and budding and seems to be doing good, BUT I noticed that some of the leaves are yellowing. Why? What should I do? I have them in flower pots.
I have a mini rose bush that I transplanted to a pot in my house. Before I filled the pot with dirt I put about 2″ of rocks at the bottom.The rose has bloomed and continues to grow but it keeps getting yellow leaves and they fall off easily–do you know why?
If there are no drainage holes, it’s possible that either there’s too much water puddling down there or the roses roots have grown down into the rocks and are getting too much water. Does the soil dry out between waterings?
Another problem with growing them indoors is the lower humidity. If you think that’s the problem, the old reliable tray of pebbles with water under the pot will usually fix it.
And finally, if you’re using a synthetic fertilizer, it could be a build up of salts, especially if the water isn’t draining out of the pot.
I recently potted several plants in pots around my apartment and most are doing well, yeah (!)…my narcissus is hetting yellow leaves. I have mixed in a slow released food 5-3-3, and put a water-mixed in fish food to help the roots take. Now the leaves are turning yellow. It’s a house plant…could it need a window or to sit outside for a day or two?
Erin, I’m not aware of a narcissus that doesn’t go dormant for the summer. What type is it?
I don’t know. I has yellow flowers with points on the saucers of the cups. There is a very faint scent and they are beautiful…
Erin, I still can’t think of a year long narcissus. Why don’t you post your question on the Forum. Someone there may have grown it before.
I just planted radishes last saturday and have already sprouted. I am going them in doors first. When i took the lid off to water them the leaves are completely laying down, but still green. I left the lid off thinking that would help, but still no change.
Lindsey, I’ve never seen that happen, but I would guess it is probably because of either the heat or the humidity. Radishes like cool air. They may bolt if grown indoors. They also need good air circulation. The leaves could be flopping down because they’re too wet, from being in a closed container. I’d suggest moving it outdoors as soon as possible.
I have a bell pepper plant that started to wilt 4 days ago. It was raining a lot for several days. I moved the plant to my porch for a day and the leaves perked up. However the next day, it started to wilt and remained so. The soil is wet, I have tried to drain the pot as much as I can. Plant is green. Any recommendation please?
I have a raised bed garden but the soil that was added this year it is kind of sandy and dries hard. We have also had a lot of rain lately. The problem: my bell peppers leaves are turning yellow and dropping off and my tomatoes leaves don’t seem to be as green as they should be but they look healthy otherwise. I treat the garden for bugs with soapy water and periodically with Miracle Grow. The cucumbers, pole beans (producing), & egg plant look healthy right now and the squash is producing too. Too much water? Not enough nutrients? Pull up the peppers and works some nutrients in and start over? I’m stuck…
Vu, it could just be water logged. But if the leaves start curling upward and yellowing, it could also be a wilt disease. Fungal disease, Verticilium and Fusarium wilt are present in the soil and can affect plants in wet soils, especially in hot climates. Unfortunately there is no cure. The only thing you can do is replace the plants and look for resistant varieties.
Ann, peppers can be very temperamental when they’re getting established. I wouldn’t suggest lifting them. Too much water will yellow leaves as quickly as too little. Any sort of stress will bother them when they’re young.
If you haven’t giving your plants some fertilizer yet, try giving the tomatoes and peppers a dose of something high in nitrogen, like fish emulsion, to green them up. It could just be that the new soil is either nitrogen deficient or the pH is off.
And try and keep the water regular. Since the soil gets compacted, it would be worth it to try and work in some compost, to lighten it up.
I planted tomotoes in a 5 gallon bucket. I made my own composts and used ashes, top soil and humas. I put holes in the bottom and side of the bucket for drainage and to let the heat out of the bucket. Some of the leaves are turning yellow while others have black spots on them. Any suggestions
I don’t think that’s a nutrient problem. Older tomato leaves always turn yellow. If the whole plant is leaning toward yellow, then it needs a dose of nitrogen. Fish emulsion is great for this.
The black spots indicate some type of fugal disease, which are very common with tomatoes. Remove the affected leaves. You can spray with a copper and/or sulfur based fungicide. Most all of them are considered low toxic, but make sure you get one labeled for use on edible plants.
Hi I have some veggies growing in buckets on my patio. They get plenty of sun since I live in FLA. My issue is yellowing leaves. I bought tomato food today an plant food which is 10-10-10. Now I am nnew to all this so I am lost.I have been told I need fertilizer but I was so confused I got the plant food to start with. Most of the fertilizer said it was for grass so I didn’t want to ge tthe wrong kind an I was dying out in the heat looking for it at lowes. Any thoughts idea wuld rock.
Kim. the plant food you bought sounds fine. Just make sure the label says it’s OK to use on vegetables. That’s usually more of any issue with pesticides than food, but check just in case.
Since your veggies are getting lots of sun and heat, they’re probably growing very fast and using up their nutrients quickly. I think feeding them regularly, every 2-4 weeks, should put the green back in their leaves and perk them up.
I just planted a 7 foot butterfly bush tree that was purchased from a local nursery. Now the leaves look wilted and some are turning yellow. Could it be stress from the transplant? I planted it on 6/15/09 and i have since watered it twice for about 30 minutes each time. It looked fine when we bought it. Please help
error in my last post. I planted it on 6/14/09 not 6/15/09. it got watered on the 14th and 15th. i chose not to water today because of how it was looking. please advise
Debi, if you’re talking about a Buddleia, 7′ tall is a large plant to transplant. It could easily be transplant shock, especially if it’s been hot and sunny. Keep it watered and you should see improvement in about a week.
we planted some green beans and they are very tall, almost over the wall. but… they have not gotten any fowers on them yet and the stems of a lot of them have like a cluster of black stuff. there are ants running all over the place but this looks like i guess very small particles of black dots but not dots cuz you can see it’s like a growth,help
Karen, it sounds like you have black aphids on your bean plants and the ants are there to eat the aphids’ honeydew. You can sometimes get rid of aphids with several strong blasts of water from the hose. I’ve had better luck spraying with insecticidal soap. But get rid of them before they do damage to your plants.
As far as not having flowers yet, tall vining beans, or pole beans, set flowers much later than bush beans. They shoot all the way up before they start blooming. Be patient. Once they start, they keep going.
I have some pepper plants (banana pepper, cayenne, habañero, etc.) that are yellowing and many that are really short. I suspect overwatering. I buried a soaker hose this year and have two or three times now left it on for 8-9 hours overnight in addition to watering several times a week and an excess of rain. I will cut back on the water now but need to rescue these plants. I added Miracle Grow 15-30-15 this evening. Did I help or harm with that fertilizer? Is there anything else I can do to fix the problem? Thanks.
Paul, it could be over watering. Peppers only need about an inch of water a week, unless it’s excessively hot. The fertilizer won’t hurt, but don’t over do it.
It could also be the weather. If it’s been wet and cooler than normal, peppers plants will grow slowly and the leaves may yellow. In that case, the only thing to do is be patient and wait for warmer weather.
We have a south facing balcony with flower pots and vegetables. They were all doing really well with lots of produce. Suddenly, they all stopped growing with the leaves of the runner beans turning a lighter green. Then the leaves started to turn yellow from bottom upward. Tomatoes are yellow at the bottom and the tops are spindly now. Have I over fed these plants or overwatered them? I did put on a lot of plant nutrients (miracle grow etc). They were doing so well but are now dying even those in the hanging baskets.
Sam, it’s hard to say without seeing the plants. It does sound like you might have overfed them. Don’t exceed the package recommendations or you can burn the roots. Too much fertilizer could also explain the spindly growth.
Make sure you don’t see any other symptoms of pests or disease on the plants. If all else looks fine, cut back on the food for awhile. Only water when the plants get dry.
Remember, vegetable plants don’t grow and produce for ever. Since you say these have been producing for awhile, it could just be that they are winding down.
I have four large Hibiscus planted in a row in good soil- sandy bottom land near the coast in So. Calif. with sufficient drainage and regular watering (sprinklers twice weekly). Some interior branches have died off to their ends and develope a peeling of the bark noticeable when examined, at the begining point of the damage and at many points where pruning occured. No insects or obvious fungus. Has anybody seen this thing? Please advise.
There is no chart.
Justme, the formatting has changed, but the “chart” is the listing by nutrients, at the bottom of the article.
Something is eating the flowers on my pumpkin vines. The vines are a nice size and each vine has many blooms, but we find the blooms lying on the ground close to the bare stems. A neighbor thinks it could be a groundhog. What do you think? If you agree is there a home remedy repellent to keep them away?
Steve, I think if something were eating the flowers, you wouldn’t see the flowers lying there.
Squash blossoms only last 1 day. The male flowers tend to drop off, leaving just the tip of the stem. Hopefully there were some female flowers around and they got pollinated. The female flowers dry out on the ends of the fruits and then fall off.
Why are there white spots on the top side of my pumpkin plant’s leaves? Does this mean the plant is diseased?
Michele, some squash plants have naturally mottled leaves. If it looks like it’s getting worse and it rubs off, it could be powdery mildew. Powdery mildew doesn’t kill the plant, but you could spray it with this baking soda mixture to keep it from spreading, if it worries you.
Hello, I live in central indiana. I lost two viburnums in a cluster of 3. The leaves gradually turned yellow and the plants died with leaves turning brown. Leaves never dropped. The 3rd one is actually doing great however not sure if it will do the same some time later. It took several months for the plants to die. Now I have a witch hazel ~30ft away with yellowing leaves. veins are still green but it is yellow in between veins. All of these plans are under mature trees (part shade) as I live in a wooded area. Any ideas?
Regards,
Imran
I have 3 potted pepper plants that I planted about 8 weeks ago. In the beginning I had did a bit of a problem with something eating tiny pin holes in the fruit but I seem to have controlled that with a mixture of dish detergent and water. One of the plants has never produced many blooms and leans. I noticed several days ago that the plant was wilted very bad and a few of the leaves had fallen off, today I checked the plant and many of the leaves have now fallen off and it looks as if something has been biting them off rather than them falling off. Could it be some kind of bug or would the leaves just break and fall off by themselves. I look forward to any advice you may offer. Thanks!
Debbie, I doubt something is biting the leaves and leaving them there. They’d probably eat at least part of the leaves.
Peppers tend to drop their leaves when they feel stressed. That could be drought or too much water. Since they’re in pots, it could be that the roots have gotten so large that the plants dry out more quickly. Or if it’s been very rainy by you, it could be that the roots aren’t getting enough air and the soil needs a chance to dry out.
Stressed peppers are also slow to set flowers. I think once you figure out if there’s too much or too little water, the plants will rebound.
Imran, there are quick a few thing that will cause leaves to yellow and die. It’s almost impossible to diagnose without seeing the plants.
Some of the most common causes are lack of nitrogen, too much water or wet soil and damaged roots. Since these plants are under mature trees, I’m wondering if they are losing the competition for water and nutrients. I would try fertilizing the witch hazel and see if it improves. If not, take a sample down to your Cooperative Extension office or a good nursery. They would have a better chance of diagnosing after seeing it.
I have several bell pepper plants that are dropping leaves due to overwatering. We have been getting a lot of rain in my area and it has been raining nearly all day today. I decided to move my plants under the patio, in doing so a coupld of the smaller peppers fell off. Are they okay to eat and will they turn red on a window seal? Many thanks
Debbie, that’s a good idea, getting your pepper plants out of the rain. The ones that fell are fine to eat. They probably won’t turn red, once they’ve fallen. You’d be better off eating them green and fresh.
I have seen yellow butterflies hovering over my broccoli plants. I noticed today that they have laid eggs. How can I safely remove or kill the butterfly eggs before they hatch. There are many of them so smashing each one is not an option. Also, is there a way to deter the butterflies from laying the eggs. Thank you
Therese, it sounds like cabbage worm butterflies have found your borccoli. I don’t know of any method to kill the eggs, other than removal or squishing, but Bt will work on the green larvae. It’s especially effective when they’re first hatched. Spray it on the leaves and let them munch for awhile. You’ll lose some leaves, but they’ll be gone before they get to the buds.
The best way to keep cabbage butterflies off broccoli is to cover them with row cover, so they can’t land and lay their eggs
I am growing brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and a few different lettuces in container planters. I noticed a infestation of aphids and used a mixture of dish soap and water to try to kill the bugs. Over a few days period the leaves of my once very healthy plants have started to turn a bit brown. Could I have suffocated the leaves by using to much soap? Does this effect the growth of the vegetables or the overall health of the plant. Many thanks!!!
Hi Newbie. It’s possible you used a bit too much soap and it burned the leaves. That’s a risk when we mix up our own concoctions, especially if the soap has other ingredients, like fragrance. The browning could also be from the aphid damage.
It shouldn’t do any permanent damage, although the plants will need some time to recover. It would be wise to spray the plants well with straight water, just to remove any remaining soap residue. This will also zap the aphids again.