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And it was all Yellow
Jul. 31st, 2020 07:28 pmAccording to the internet, this is what might be causing my pumpkin plants to turn yellow:
Basically, if they are stressed in any way, they throw a canary fit, and leave you to guess which of the mutually contradictory problems it is.
I can't do anything about the cold, or the rain. We haven't been getting excessive amounts of either. I had stopped watering them entirely, but the yellow still advanced. I tried sticking iron tablets in the soil. I have, now, today, fertilised them, but that required watering them. (It's been hot; I hope they needed it.) I have checked for symptoms of various diseases and they don't have any of them beyond the yellow leaves. The most vexing thing is that, aside from the colour, and the yellowest parts eventually dying and crinkling up, they are behaving perfectly fine – blooming up a storm, not wilting, continuing to grow nice and green from the growth ends. In greyscale they would be perfectly happy pumpkin plants. It is a mystery.
I could happily blame the exhausted soil in the pots. I did try to boost it with some potting soil when I planted them, but my supply was limited and I may have stretched it too thin. However, I grew perfectly healthy pumpkin plants in a former sandbox in extremely alkaline Utah, so ... ??
The baked potato squashes are doing OK, though – greener, for some reason, and as of today I have at least three embryonic squashes on the go. They also grow upright, to my surprise, which is something to remember for next year. I have never had a baked potato squash before so this is all an experiment. I hope they make it to adulthood and I get to find out what they're like. Supposedly they taste like potatoes, which is all right by me.
- too wet
- not enough nitrogen (often caused by above)
- not enough iron (ditto)
- too dry
- too cold
- beetles
- mildew
- infection
Basically, if they are stressed in any way, they throw a canary fit, and leave you to guess which of the mutually contradictory problems it is.
I can't do anything about the cold, or the rain. We haven't been getting excessive amounts of either. I had stopped watering them entirely, but the yellow still advanced. I tried sticking iron tablets in the soil. I have, now, today, fertilised them, but that required watering them. (It's been hot; I hope they needed it.) I have checked for symptoms of various diseases and they don't have any of them beyond the yellow leaves. The most vexing thing is that, aside from the colour, and the yellowest parts eventually dying and crinkling up, they are behaving perfectly fine – blooming up a storm, not wilting, continuing to grow nice and green from the growth ends. In greyscale they would be perfectly happy pumpkin plants. It is a mystery.
I could happily blame the exhausted soil in the pots. I did try to boost it with some potting soil when I planted them, but my supply was limited and I may have stretched it too thin. However, I grew perfectly healthy pumpkin plants in a former sandbox in extremely alkaline Utah, so ... ??
The baked potato squashes are doing OK, though – greener, for some reason, and as of today I have at least three embryonic squashes on the go. They also grow upright, to my surprise, which is something to remember for next year. I have never had a baked potato squash before so this is all an experiment. I hope they make it to adulthood and I get to find out what they're like. Supposedly they taste like potatoes, which is all right by me.
