Got a few problems this year

[billnorfolk]

Firstly Corgetts although they seem ok in the middle and still trying to make some growth,the outside leaves are all but dead ,i know they will disapear but some of the smaller leaves also have brown edges,i have sown some more so hopeing for the best.


Next Tomatoes ,i think this one is sun scorch although the leaves have only turned last couple of days,and to be honest bin more rain than sun so isit.


Lastly sweetcorn never a p[roblem but noticed a few of the plants realy looking sick,baffled with this one.


The 2 things i have done different this year is seed D T Brown instead of Unwins,B&Q compost Verve instead of my local garden centre.
Any help or advice would be much apreciated.

[lancashire lass]

Hi Bill - I suspect all 3 problems are weather related rather than seed or compost quality. Both squash (+ courgettes and cucumber) and sweetcorn are temperature sensitive - for them to do well, they need warmth of 20oC plus (25oC even better) for germination and avoid being checked by drops in temperature so they grow with gusto in the coming weeks. The moment they start sulking, they don't do well after that. I have my seeds chitting to time with the warming trend by the end of this week - perfect condition if all goes well. Sweetcorn also does not like cold, and often they just don't seem to recover and stubbornly won't grow even when conditions improve.

The tomatoes - could be sun scorch (a particularly hot day in a closed greenhouse can raise temperatures high very quickly) Often plants cannot draw up enough water from the soil to meet the demand, so there is wilt - and some of that may be so drastic, cells have died (hence the patchy look) Another could be wind - tender plants subjected to windy conditions before properly hardening them off. I would say also that some of the other foliage does not look particularly clever either - pale, smaller leaves that look a bit leggy may be a sign they are not getting enough light (especially after all the rain we've had)

Hopefully they'll improve in the coming days - you could give all of the plants a light foliar feed to encourage things along, but a second sowing would make a lot of sense and hedge your bets.

[billnorfolk]

Thanks LL,i do agree toms do not look as good as they usually are ,just given them a foliar feed see if they pick up ,as for the corn going to get 2 packets of my usuall Unwins tomorrow and start again hopefully will be more stable weather ,it has been 18 today forcast to drop to 4 tonight so chance of a frost just lit stove ) ,Gorgetts got some more coming through so will compost these if dont improve .Thanks for the advice allways apreciated.

[Richard]

It's still quite cold at night and hardening off is a problem.

For leaf going off colour, both Tomatoes and Courgettes may pick up a bit with some Nettle Feed.

I'm doing a video on it tomorrow, will give you the link when done (it takes two weeks though - so LL's advice, as always, excellent).

Richard

[billnorfolk]

It's still quite cold at night and hardening off is a problem.

For leaf going off colour, both Tomatoes and Courgettes may pick up a bit with some Nettle Feed.

I'm doing a video on it tomorrow, will give you the link when done (it takes two weeks though - so LL's advice, as always, excellent).

Richard

Thanks Richard i cleared my garden of nettles a few years ago ,but i know where i can get some so will give it a try

[Richard]

Hi

Use very sparingly on young plants, just a smidge


Richard

[Richard]

I'm no great expert, but do you think it could be an infection in the Greenhouse.

Lassie? Just a thought.

Richard

[HensAloud]

Oh noooooo Bill, these things don't happen to you

[lancashire lass]

I'm no great expert, but do you think it could be an infection in the Greenhouse.

Lassie? Just a thought.

Richard

I'm still inclined to think it was a lack of sunshine and warmth/maybe even a big drop in temperature - any disease that affects all the plant species are likely to be fungal but there's no evidence of damping off (and the compost is nice and clean) If there were total plant collapse and serious yellowing of leaves, perhaps something in the compost munching on the roots but I don't think so

[Richard]

Thank you Lassie.

Richard

[billnorfolk]

I'm no great expert, but do you think it could be an infection in the Greenhouse.

Lassie? Just a thought.

Richard

It could well be Richard but things looking a little better since warmer days and nights ,think some was very cold nights even with heat things got caught ,but hopefully apart from 2 or 3 tomatoe plants still looking a little ick ,things have improved

[billnorfolk]

I'm no great expert, but do you think it could be an infection in the Greenhouse.

Lassie? Just a thought.

Richard

I'm still inclined to think it was a lack of sunshine and warmth/maybe even a big drop in temperature - any disease that affects all the plant species are likely to be fungal but there's no evidence of damping off (and the compost is nice and clean) If there were total plant collapse and serious yellowing of leaves, perhaps something in the compost munching on the roots but I don't think so

Things are getting better LL moved sweetcorn into cold frame and new leaves looking ok ,where more than one leaf was affected have replaced with new chits that are through and a few back ups.I have toped up the tubs toms are in and mixed a little fish blood and bone with the compost ,also one or two still have pale leaves so shook a little epsom salts onto the compost as possible magnesium deficient ,funny but its the replacements i bought in that are looking the worst .

[billnorfolk]

Oh noooooo Bill, these things don't happen to you

Its one of those years i think Angela ,you tend to get a bit complacent and it jumps out and bites you .It is so sickening when your hard work goes wrong and can well understand people new to veg gardening who call it a day after a few didasters, i try to think it will make me more vigilant next year and hopefully can learn where my errors were this year ,one is i was 2 weeks to early for my tender things ,sweetcorn,runnerbeans,corgetts etc and going to make May 1st a good date to start these as the ones sown in last 2 weeks to replace the sick ones are now growing great guns and catching up,leason learned

[Richard]

Hope it sorts itself Bill.

The positive is that it happened early enough to do something about it.

Good luck.

Richard

[Freeranger]

Bill, I know you won't feel any better for this, but I do. Don't mean to glory in anyone's bad luck, but I'm one of those people who's still learning and whose best efforts have been depressing. It's reassuring to know it's not just a case of sowing the seeds and standing back! Thanks for sharing your 'issues' with us - hope they sort themselves out soon.