What's happening to everything in my garden?!?
I've worked so hard this year on my garden and it seems like nothing is going right. I water everyday unless it rains, I've been applying seven dust/spray as directed, and even fertilizer every other week. Everything was going really well for the first 6 weeks or so, just perfect. Then all of a sudden, at different times, things have been happening all over my garden. This has been the second time I've tried for corn this year. They are getting eaten up again by something. An earlier post said slugs but I just don't see how that's possible unless its an army. My cucumbers were growing like weeds and now they are dying. Then in the last couple days, the watermelon starting dying back from the bases. Nothing is fruiting. I'm in florida very close to the beach. Can someone give any explanations?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
To start with, summer in Florida is a tough time to grow a lot of things, including tomatoes. You have heat, humidity and tons of pests. Tomatoes will grow better for you in fall and winter, when my garden is s distant memory. The two tomato plants have different things going on
The one in foreground is chlorotic, which is a nutrient deficiency, could be iron or other minerals. The one in the background might have a virus, like curly top or it might have been damaged by herbicide or even the Sevin, which can burn plants ( read the warnings on the label about phytotoxicity).
The one in foreground is chlorotic, which is a nutrient deficiency, could be iron or other minerals. The one in the background might have a virus, like curly top or it might have been damaged by herbicide or even the Sevin, which can burn plants ( read the warnings on the label about phytotoxicity).
Actually the tomato with the upward curling leaves and marginal chlorosis looks a lot like tomato yellow leaf curl virus. It was found in Florida gardens in 2009.
There is a lot of mildew on a lot of the plants. The weather has been strange this year with torrents of rain followed by heatwaves and steamy days, which is perfect for fungal growth. the plants look like they are closely spaced. Maybe they could have been spaced for better air circulation. When conditions are ripe for fungal growth it is better to spray proactively. I prefer sulfur based sprays, but if the days are really hot, then I at least will use a baking soda or milk spray along with alcohol.
The corn looks like the leaves are being eaten by beetles. Japanese beetles would be my guess.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/NF/NFREC100.pdf
There is a lot of mildew on a lot of the plants. The weather has been strange this year with torrents of rain followed by heatwaves and steamy days, which is perfect for fungal growth. the plants look like they are closely spaced. Maybe they could have been spaced for better air circulation. When conditions are ripe for fungal growth it is better to spray proactively. I prefer sulfur based sprays, but if the days are really hot, then I at least will use a baking soda or milk spray along with alcohol.
The corn looks like the leaves are being eaten by beetles. Japanese beetles would be my guess.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/NF/NFREC100.pdf