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Minnesota

Two pictures in my diary here. Two different plants. Quick history, a couple of weeks ago, I stated "I don't understand, I have done everything about the same as the last few years.". The plants pictured both have issues of different sorts, but bottom line is that the garden results so far this year are drastically worse that the last few years. Typically, I would have leaves a couple of feet high, covering the garden by this time. One plant has never gotten leaves much over 8 or 10 inches high, the other plant got taller and bigger leaves, but then just decided to stop growing. The one plant has always been a very slow grower with some side vines not developing.

Bottom line, any guesses as to what might be going on?

After much contemplation, I now have one thought, but don't want to color anyone elses thoughts before I hear them.

Let me know if you have any ideas?

Yep, had soil test last fall also, all was pretty close to the same and good.


http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2012&grower=46930&action=L

7/4/2012 12:34:44 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Something is definitely off with that south plant. Maybe Matt D will know. I'm leaving that one alone.

North plant looks small, but my 1059 leaves started similar to that last year and got taller, but never much wider. How many hours of direct light hits the north plant.

7/4/2012 1:39:38 PM

Long Island,New York

south plant is 2-4-D damage. North plant looks nutritional for whatever reason....ph, nutrients, could be anything including a plant that grows geneticly smaller leaves and slower....but doesnt seem green enough on my monitor. Perhaps Matt.....?

7/4/2012 1:45:55 PM

Connecticut

Hi MichK-

The South Plant: Looks like herbicide damage to me. Not much you can do.

The North Plant: Looks fine to me, I have had plants with short leaves before and all that I can say is that they tend to be problem free and wind damage resistant. To me this is a good trait. If I am missing something like coloration differences or something else let me know or post another picture.

Hope this helps.

7/4/2012 6:27:05 PM

Minnesota

Thank you, I suspected chemical damage. Not sure quite how that happened, I have two ideas. Not sure if one explains both plants or not. I have always done my own compost, it is quite a lot of work. Last year, I decided to quit doing that and ordered 8 yards of compost from a commercial place, got that and spread it over the garden in October. I am suspicious that there could be residual chemicals in that, which I thought might explain both plants. The only other thing I could think of is that there was quite a lot of rain recently and there is a very slight slope to the east side of the garden and possibly some chemical washed into the garden from the lawn from application to the lawn a couple of months previously. The south plant seemed to take the turn for the worse after the rains, not sure what is more likely. The color and all of both plants was good and very close to the same. The plants are only 30 feet apart in the same soil treated the same, so I would not suspect nutritional affecting one and not the other. I didn't know if genetics alone could explain that plant being very short, as that would be my first "short" plant. Course the history there is only 12 plants over six years, but it is very noticably different than any of the other 11. No trees shading either of the plants except for the very early morning, maybe until 7:00 or so. They each get 12 to 14 hours of sun a day. Thanks for the thoughts and help. Is there a chance that the chemicals would be residual from last fall? Or more likely washed from the heavy rains?

7/5/2012 9:57:56 AM

East Jordan, MI

If you used weed and feed or something similar on the lawn, your assessment of the rain washing it into the patch is most likely the correct one. You might take note that you can track it form the yard to your patch on your shoes too.

7/5/2012 10:42:35 AM