Grow Your Own Magazine

I am a total armature when it comes to gardening and this is the first year that I decide to start so many plants in doors. I have in the past but this year I decide to grow a lot more.

Months ago I noticed small red bugs on the Thunbergia Vines I started. Now more and more of the different variety of plants I have started seem to be having other different problems like white, black spots on the leaves, curling, parts of the leaves drying up, bumps and some of the other plants also have these red bugs. I think I have a few separate issues going on with my plants. Bugs, mould, fungus?

I have uploaded a bunch of photos and divided them into 3 pages with a few notes. Sorry if I took too many photos. I tried to be thorough.

http://www.inspiredvisuals.com/Cgtal...ts/plants.html
http://www.inspiredvisuals.com/Cgtal...s/plants2.html
http://www.inspiredvisuals.com/Cgtal...s/plants3.html

I think there are a few reasons for my problems. Overcrowded plants, too humid in the room, over watering, fertilizer burns but I have no idea if any of those are the cause. I only fertilized the plants twice (once with general purpose fertilizer and once with rooting fertilizer) and tried to be really careful with watering them making sure they weren't too wet. The weather is crappy and I cannot put the overcrowded plants outside. I think I started them too early. Some plants are even blocking the lights with their leaves… On the bright side I haven’t had a plant death yet.

Got any ideas on the cause of my problems? I have a bad feeling that everything is just getting worse and worse and I will end up with no plants.

Thank You
Have a good day.

Hello Cyclone, Superb photos - what camera are you using?

What do you mean your weather is crappy - we're having a heatwave! Where are you? Please put your location in your profile so more tailored advice can be given.

In a nutshell, yes you probably started too early, it's too dark for your plants indoors, and you may be over-watering too. Get them outside ASAP after a hardening off period of 7-10 days.

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Hi, I'm from canada. If this is a UK only forum I apologize.

Do you guys know what my plants have?

Thanks

Hi Cyclone.
Could your plants have red spider mite ?
Have a look on google as some of the symptoms are similar.
hope its nothing too damaging
good luck
Debbie

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www.johndebs.piczo.com

Hi Cyclone this is a UK based site but all are welcome. You certainly have the Canadian version of red spider mite and they usually lead to other problems. Try to make sure that when you apply fertilizers you don't get any on the leaves as that can lead to burning. You also need to give your plants more air and light as you have some grey mold on some of your plants. May be a spray with a copper based fungiside would deal with the mould. Red spider are difficult to eradicate without resorting to pesticides, although Im fairly certain that a biological cure is possible.
Hope you save your plants and good luck.

Ian

thanks i'm giving all bug infested plants a soapy bath today to try to get rid of the mites. Without using fungiside could I just cut off the mouldy leaves?

I'm really concerned about the pepper plants though. Do they have the moasic virus or am I over reacting? They have yellow splotches,curled leaves etc and I don't see bugs.

Images are on this link
http://www.inspiredvisuals.com/Cgtal...s/Peppers.html

Thanks. So far nothing has died but they look pretty sick.

[quote=Cyclone]...I'm really concerned about the pepper plants though. Do they have the moasic virus or am I over reacting? They have yellow splotches,curled leaves etc and I don't see bugs.../quote]

Sounds like spider mite.

I think I had a similar problem with one pepper plant - Help! Chilli crisis!

They're fine now, maybe it was bugs, maybe environmental, maybe....Just try and grow strong healthy plants, that way they survive the bad stuff..good luck.

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I'd opt for a pesticide. The first two are insect diseases with the bugs getting inside the leaf. If you have red spider mite, you'll find that soapy water is ineffective. Best wishes anyway.

Thanks for the replies. I don't think its spider might on the peppers but it does look similer to your photos.

All my plants in general seem to be doing better (except for the peppers) or at least not getting worse. I think at least the bug issue is somewhat under control. I noticed within a day or 2 of removing the insolating plastic from the shelves that was keeping the plants warm that the plants seemed to stop getting worse to such a huge degree. I think that the environmental conditions were just right for the bugs to flourish. The plants had red spider mites, thrips, white flies, and other bugs, maybe aphids and white spider mites? Most of the watermelon has died though. The leaves were so dried up from bug damage and some stems broke when separating the plants and spraying and rubbing the leaves to squish the bugs.

Here is an update on the peppers. :’(

I fertilized the peppers last night. I was very careful to not get any on the plants. Today when I checked the peppers they looked a lot worse. The leaves looked even more bumpy, curly, and sick looking. Even the ones that I thought were the healthiest. They also have a lot of buds on them but they aren't opening up and are drooping. Either the fertilizer is poisoning the plants or they have a virus and I accidentally spread it to the other plants with physical contact from the watering can spout? It was practically impossible to not have it touch the plants when I was watering. I have fertilized 3 times I don’t see a single bug on the plants unless they are microscopic so I don’t think its bug damage. I think either a virus (Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV)?) or nutrient problems?

Any ideas. I would at least like to figure out what is wrong with them, even if they die so I know for next time.

Thanks for the advice.

Hello there!
You sound like you're having problems

I've found this ...

Diseases of Crops

any use???

Here's another one...

Ikisan - Frog eye leaf spot in Chilli

Sorry not to be able to suggest anything, but I'm not too hot with chillies

Cyclone WOW, sorry but what fantastic photos!!!!!! what camera please?
WOW....

sorry about the bugs, My thyme looks just the same, I have no idea can only think 'red spider mites'

Brilliant pics!

How ever were you able to post them that size? all I ever get is ...." to large" so I end up with postage stamp sized photos!

Welcome to the vine..... Canada...thats great, all are welcome here!

Think you need a photo of the month award, hey that would make you a POM
We have something called a MOM, it stands for ' member of the month' a lot of really nice and very clever people have been MOM's so maybe they could make you photographer of the month.... POM tee hee hee

Well I decide to trash all 110 pepper plants. Some plants were starting to shed their leaves and the leaves on all the plants were starting to droop :'(

Thanks for the link Nicos. I think I narrowed it down to one of these diseases(if it was a disease). I think the plants had the first two. What makes it even harder to diagnose is the fact that each pepper variety can show different symptoms and each plant can have one or more virus diseases at the same time. grrrr.

- chino del tomate virus(CdTV)
- Pepper mild tigre virus(PMTV)
- Pepper Mild Mottle Virus
- tomato mosaic virus (ToMV)
- Tomato Leaf Curl Virus

I think the most likely cause other then the seed suplier were the white flies. I had quite a few of them on the zuccini plants.

Headfry --> thanks for the welcome and, glad you like my photos. I am using a Canon XTI 10mp with a 100mm macro lens. the macro is a very good lens. I was able to post larger images here by uploading them to my website instead of 'attaching' images to my post.

110 plants

Such a pity......gutted comes to mind.

Hey welcome to the forum!!

Great place where you live and great camera you have!
It's a bit too late for advice as you just throw all your plants: sorry to hear that. But I spotted that its your first year growing and I just wanted to add something as I am as well on my first steps with gardening : did you really have 110 chilly plants ??

I don't know but it seems that with that many plants it's easy to spread diseases and concentrating pests, maybe it all start with one and they found a heaven to thrive! Most of the time, we (I mean "I") don't really know what's going on...a lot of instinct and guessing, but that's the way to gain experience heum?
good luck for the next batch, try and try again!

thanks. Hopefully next year will be better. I was new to growing peppers and wanted to test a bunch of varieties to see which grow the best here and which I liked the taste of. I already knew I was planting a lot and was going to only plant a few varieties the following year. Should have followed my instincts lol.

Yea 110 about. I planted 20x6 varieties but not all germinated.