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Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 6:55 pm
by GideonNav
Hi there,

I have some cherry tomato seedlings that are looking a little funny, and I was hoping to get some insight into whether it's a watering/nutrient issue, or a pest/virus. I did read through the links on the pinned post about this topic and I have some ideas, but I'm a beginner and am not sure if I've got it right. Would anyone be able to take a look and give me a hand? Any help would be appreciated!

Basically, a few days ago I suddenly saw weird bumps, translucency, and in one case a hole on the lower leaves on my seedlings.

Bumps:
IMG_20200415_180145398~2.jpg
Extreme case, hole:
IMG_20200415_182606949~2.jpg
I had admittedly overwatered a little in the 2 days prior to this, plus the seedlings were getting a little big for their starter cells, so I did some research and thought maybe the bumps were edema. I toned down the watering and then yesterday I transplanted to 3" cups. I haven't seen any more holes, and I've checked for mites on the undersides of leaves and such, but the bottom leaves are still bumpy and a little purple on the bottom, and now are showing other stress. They're going thin around the edges, getting yellow in spots, and curling up slightly, along with the bumps.
IMG_20200415_180111614~2.jpg
In one extreme case a (non-transplant) leaf looks like this now, and I worry that's where they're all headed:
IMG_20200415_180008636~2.jpg
Do you think this is only transplant stress/recovering edema? Or maybe a nutrient deficiency? They're currently in a 50/50 mix of fertilized potting soil and seed starter mix, so I don't want to over fertilize.

Or do you think it might still be mites/a virus? Obviously I hope not, but I don't want to ignore the possibility either.

Thank you so much!

Re: Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:07 am
by SQWIB
First pic looks like edema, I am having the same issue on an Early Jalapeno Pepper plant and some of my wintered over sweet potato slips. It doesn't seem to be affecting the plant but I was worried it may infect other plants until I read that it is a physiological disorder.

Re: Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:47 am
by GideonNav
Thanks so much SQWIB! Good to have it confirmed, and nice to know that it doesn't seem to hurt the plants otherwise. Hope the peppers and sweet potatoes grow well :)

Re: Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:48 pm
by SQWIB
GideonNav wrote:
Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:47 am
Thanks so much SQWIB! Good to have it confirmed, and nice to know that it doesn't seem to hurt the plants otherwise. Hope the peppers and sweet potatoes grow well :)
No problem. it's my first time with edema on the leaves, so I can't really confirm that it is indeed edema , I'll try to snap a couple pics tonight and post tomorrow.

Re: Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 7:07 am
by SQWIB
What I believe to be Edema.

Image

Image

Re: Seedling issues, edema or mites?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:33 am
by GideonNav
Thank you for sharing the photo! It's not exactly what I've got (different plants I guess?) but definitely similar. In any case my leaf bumps haven't got any worse and my seedlings are perking up again, so crossing my fingers.