Not sure if this is disease, pest or nutrients related. Fairly young volunteer plants in Central Florida (so still hot here) and they are all looking this way. Older leaves eventually go brown and dry up. They're fruiting but not much, most flowers don't set.
by ipovogel
7 Comments
Typically the pale green with dark green veins is a sign of nutrient deficiencies (chlorosis). I’d get the soil tested to know exactly whats up. Sometimes the deficiency is from soil chemistry making uptake hard, like a wrong pH balance, so the nutrients are there but the plant can’t get to it. Sometimes it’s straight up missing trace elements.
If you don’t wanna do a soil test I’d add a ton of well rounded compost and mulch to try and get the soil happy again for the next round of crops.
Make some compost tea. Liquids are more readily available for uptake than regular compost.
Mosaic
Do look at tobacco mosaic virus. My understanding is it is typically spread by not washing hands after smoking. I don’t think there is a cure, and I believe it can be passed on in soil, tools, etc. it is very stable and not easily broken down. You might want to check with your local extension office.
Could you post more pictures, preferably of the whole plant and any weird looking fruits?
Iron Deficiency
From *Pests & Diseases* (Greenwood & Halstead). This book is awesome.
Yellowing between the veins on leaves is seen. The youngest leaves are affect most. Overall growth may be reduced. Affects many acid-loving plants.
Usually seen in combination with manganese deficiency. Immature growth is usually affected earlier and more severely than older growth. Cause: acid-loving plants and lime-hating plants have roots that are poorly adapted for the absorption of necessary trace elements from an alkaline soil. Control: Treat affected shrubs with a chelated compound containing iron, manganese, and other trace elements that are available to the plant because they are in a form that does not become “locked up” in the alkaline soil. Use acidic mulches such as chopped, composted oak leaves or conifer bark. Incorporate acidic organics materials into the planting hole at planting. Feed plants with a fertilizer formulated for use on acid-loving plants. Before planting, consider acidifying soil using sulfur, aluminum sulfate, or ferrous sulfate. Sulfur treatments can also be used around existing plants.
Could be magnesium deficiency.