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Vegetable Gardening

Big problems with my veg. plants

12 years ago

People forgive me for posting in this forum but I'm desperate couple days ago I found mostly my cold weather crops cover in some brigth orange powder like the stuff you get on you finger after eating cheetos(I've heard I never eat that stuff)(ha,ha)I did some search but nothing close I don't think is pollen 'cause the pollen covered plants are more like school bus color,the hot weather plants have a dust on them now all my tomatoes have aphids in all colors,brown,white,green,purple any ideas what this may be?

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Comments (7)

Donna
12 years ago
This, of course, will all be guessing.

The orange powder sounds like some kind of fungus or mold. (just guessing)

What condition is your soil in? Loose? well-drained? (poor drainage would definitely contribute to fungus, molds, mildew, etc.) When was it last tested? Does your soil have proper fertility? Is your Ph near neutral?

As a rule, if plants are growing in good soil, with adequate nourishment and water, they will be healthy enough to fight off onslaughts of aphids, molds, etc.

Second, are your plants spaced adequately? Over crowded conditions can definitely contribute to fungal problems.

My first response to aphids is to spray them off the plants with a strong jet of water. If your plants are healthy, this should suffice. If they are not healthy, you need to see to that.

I am sure others will have more ideas.
Belgianpup
12 years ago
Could be the rust fungus. It's appearance usually coincides with high humidity.

There are organic preventatives, but it's very difficult to treat.

The best thing is usually to remove and bag all the affected parts, and dispose of them. Don't compost or just leave them on the ground, as that will help to spread the spores and the disease.

Sue
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jean001a
12 years ago
cold weather veggies aren't troubled by rust.

Any chance of posting images? Pretty please?
itzybitzy_gw
Original Author
12 years ago
soil good,plants look very healthy,my peas did great even with a ton of green aphids(I enjoy squashing them),I think the only problem is over crowded,something in my brain did not let me throw away extra seedlings so I planted most of my heirloom tomatoes 18" apart,ouch,so Im' thinking is a fungus...last night rain helped a lot with the aphids population so I need to take care of the rest some how.
Belgianpup
12 years ago
"cold weather veggies aren't troubled by rust."

That is not true. Peas and lettuce get rust, and I've always thought of them as cool-weather crops.

Here in the PNW, our springs are cool enough that it may not be a problem, but the original poster lives in NC. I just peeked, and the temp in Charlotte, NC is just a hair below 90F. Heat and humidity: rust heaven.

Sue
itzybitzy_gw
Original Author
12 years ago
True; we are 15 degree above average temp we had a very wet week follow by high temps and humidity,so I guess I'm gonna look into rust I got rid of the cauliflower,broccoli,peas,and lettuce(except for the iceberg),hope this help.
Donna
12 years ago
I know it would hurt, but if you can remove every other tomato plant (cut, don't pull), and maybe prune off the worst looking leaves (dispose in trash), you just might solve your problem.

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