Sweetcord & Squash Leaves Going Yellow

[DaisyFitz]

Not sure what's going wrong with our Squash and Sweetcorn. Started off in pots and planted out in earlish May - all seemed to be doing okay. But they're not doign well - not really growing and have started goign yellow. Not in patches, but just generally yellow. And just looking sad.

Would this be lack of Nitrogen?

[Nicki85]

In my experience (which is fairly limited :-) ) I would say it's a lack of essential nutrients, probably nitrogen...

Was the soil you planted out in fairly rich? Did you dig any manure or compost into it before planting?

Should be fine with some all purpose plant food though

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Daisy, a common cause of yellowing of the leaves in veggie plants is magnesium deficiency. Although the leaf is yellow the veins remain green. This is easily treated by a foliar spray of epsom salts diluted with water to the ratio of 20 grams of epsom salts to one litre of water. However, there are other reasons why leaves turn yellow so is it possible for you to post a photo please Daisy?? The other thing is have you checked underneath the leaves for aphids?

[DaisyFitz]

Sorry am probably being very thick, and I've tried to find some help on it - but how do I put photos into a message? I've tried the photo icon here, but it asks for an url, I've never added phtoos that way in forums before...

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Daisy, where posting photo's on the forum are concerned, if you have your photo's stored on your PC then it is really simple to post them as clickable thumbnail photo's! To do that, when you click on Post Reply scroll down the page and click on Manage Attachments. Click on 'Browse' which opens the files on your PC. Then click on the file containing your photo's, click on open, then click on your photo file and click on open. Then click on the photo you want and then click on upload. Click on browse again to upload another photo the same way. Then write your post, click on Submit Reply and your thumbnail photo's will appear on your post.

Honestly Daisy, it's straightforward!

[DaisyFitz]

Thank you Lesley - sorry, I didn't look that far down the screen!

Pic 1 - Burgess Buttercup Squash. Was fine but generally going yellow. No aphids. Veins not green. Just generally yellowing.
For comparison, we had a spare seedling that we had no room for in our veg patch, we planted it in a wheelbarrow full of compost. It's doing fabulously - that's in 100% Organic Compost from Homebase, the others in the veg patch are in the soil, plus the same compost, plus organic chicken manure pellets and another organic vegetable pellet.

Pic 2 - Sweetcorn (from Real Seeds, I think the name is Double Something) Not sure if you can see but in background there's a younger corn that's green and healthy. That's what they were all like, but most have started going red/purpley like this one. In some respects they still look healthy - purple/red on the outside with greener leaves inner, but a couple have died off and DH says this is how they went. And if htey are ok, just an odd colour, they just arent' growing.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Daisy, just a really quick reply (visitors just turned up - sorry) lower leaves on squash plants do go yellow and die. The plant looks really healthy! The purple leaves are caused by a phosphorus deficiency.

I'll add more soon!!

[DaisyFitz]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Lesley. After your response I've read into this a bit, and understand the Phosphorous prob. We have acid soil in this area and the wood shavings we use as mulch will be making things more acid - which causes the deficiency! Doh. Any tops tips for recovering the situation? OR is it a trip to the GC to get something?
I do think the squash have a nitrogen defficiency - again prob caused by the wood shavings. Last years mulch has been dug in, so prob robbed the ground of its Nitrogen. I know what you're saying about the middle leaves look green, but they're all gettign yellower and just not growing. They've been the same size since we planted them out ages ago. A nitrgenous feed wouldn't hurt anywauy woudl it?
Thanks again!
Carolinex

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Caroline, with the sweetcorn plants, if you have spare room in the veg beds you could transplant the sweetcorn having first dug in bone meal and sprinkled more into the planting hole. Bone meal is high in phosphorus. You could also top dress the soil around the plants with a good sprinkling of Growmore which although has an equal ratio of NPK it is still 7:7:7. For the nitrogen deficiency Westland's Sulphate Of Ammonia has a ratio of 21:0:0 so it should be good, but take care not to over do it!

Buy Westlands Sulphate of Ammonia - 1.5kg from Webbs Garden Centres

[DaisyFitz]

That's super - thanks so much. Got Bone Meal in there today, and top dressed with Growmore. Fingers crossed I'll post some better photos in a few weeks!

[DaisyFitz]

Hi Lesley - I just wanted to say a massive thanks. We've been away for the last week or so, and when we got back our little veggie patch is all green - not purple! It's an amazing difference. The corn are growing, the squash are green. I'll try and post an "after" picture later today.
Thanks again!
Caroline
x

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by DaisyFitz

Hi Lesley - I just wanted to say a massive thanks. We've been away for the last week or so, and when we got back our little veggie patch is all green - not purple! It's an amazing difference. The corn are growing, the squash are green. I'll try and post an "after" picture later today.
Thanks again!
Caroline
x

That is absolutely great Caroline!! Enjoy your future harvest!!

[DaisyFitz]

Here's the happier looking veg plot. Seriously, this was a sea of purple and yellow on 13th June! Lots of Growmore and Bonemeal and it's all green and growing now.

Happy days!

[Ace]

Ok Daisy I'm curious now! What the hell are those 2 large pieces of decking timber doing and what's stopping them falling over that I can't see at the top of the screen? Is it some kind of home made swing?

[DaisyFitz]

It's exactly that - a homemade swing. DH is a joiner and wanted to make a swing that didn't require lots of faffy mowing around. So it only has the one post in the lawn (set in 4ft of concrete or something).