Opal52, I have seen a very similar problem with my broccoli! I had wondered if it was heat-related, as my porch is west-facing and very hot in the afternoon, and I had even thought the leaves look "burnt" (turning yellow, then an orangey-red) but I hadn't thought about it being from contact with the container. Mine are in very small containers right now but I'm looking for bigger ones to move them up. I'm also going to hang shade cloth over part of my porch to try to give them a break from the sun. I'm also starting a battle with cabbage loopers, but that's a whole 'nother post, LOL. Here is a link that might be useful: my flickr photos: broccoli (and other veggies)

Hi evaglades:0) It's just me jumping on the pH issue at this time. I am not syaing I am sure, but that it is a most common cause and along with other cultural issues, but not the fertilizers fault which stresses has those nutrients. It rather seems to me that some will blame the actual shortage of a certain element/ nutrient and suggest using it as applications when it is already provided, instead of understanding and or getting to know the actual root of the problem. It is called bandaiding and overloading. To illustrate: My Lilacs were producing no blooms for years. I was told by many, even nusery professionals that all I needed to do was add Super Phosphate and that would solve my problems. I did and that did not work. I then asked a certain friend of mine who is a horticultural expert/teacher and he asked me if I had checked the pH and I never did. Liliacs are known to love high pH soils, above 7.0 and the pH in my soil was only 5.6. I added lime as suggested and the next flowering season my lilacs blloms more than you could know for the first time and ever since. HUGE blossom all over my trees. But also, because of such a boost in the phosphate once it became available, the lilac leaves turned very light green and stunted while focusing on bud formation. Being a landscaper, I should of known this, but needed a reminder. Now all is ok. Same can be had for Fragrans Osmanthis and Hoya: They love sweet soil, and I was feeding them water and vinegar thinking it was good for them too. No blooms for years. I talked to the same friend and he said to add lime to my soil and I stopped the vinegar treatment, and boy did they take off and with blooms. It is true. In order for our plants to perform to their best potential, many keys have to come into play. I am not going to mention a great soilless mix at this time, but I will say that pH plays a major role before your fertilizer does in many instances and we should all know what our plants require in this respect as a very important factor. I got to the root of the problem with my citrus trees, many of which are described here and did not bandaid it with adding more of a certain nutrient that most likey would of been overkill. I first have to know what the pH of the water I am providing them is. I can show you green plants because of this, but I think many have already seen them, and the lack of issues many have by just adding a nutrient here and there. I no longer have to add any one particluar nutrient as long as the fertilizer is well balanced, required pH is met, and watering practices are under control. Yes, pH does play a crucial, important, and vital role to our citrus, and that is something all should check before any type of one particular nutrient is recommended/added, especially when the fertilizers being used by many here already have more than enough of the major and minor nutrients that these beautiful trees require for optimal health that many are saying their trees are deficient in. Checking pH can save a lot of time and possible undue stress on our plants with over loading with certain nutrients already available in the soil if we make teh conditions right for teh roots to have access to them. Did you kow that when our container plants sit in temps of below 50 on a continual basis, NO nutrients are taking up by our trees, especially Nitrogen and Iron/ Is someone going to suggest one spray their leaves with Iron or feed their plants with more when COLD is the limiting factor? It is very beneficial to know this, and since have a good relationship with a grower who specializes in growing Four Winds Growers trees which come to everyone very healthy and deep green, and it took a lot for me to understand this and the importance of using vinegar, lime, gypsum, acidifying products which is something I easily find enjoyable to share with many here and yet can be very detremental to our plants or make all the difference in the world. these products are not ones to be taken lightly along with our fertilizer use. It took years for me to get it right, to keep my trees from having the issues many here describe, and I feel it unfair to not address what has helped mine, or what I have learned from many knowledgable members here who took the time to help me understand this:-) Hope your trees are doing ok too. Please excuse any spelling errors, since I have no time to go back and proof read them. Have a fantastic Friday;-) Thank you Mike

Hi Annie, Don't worry about too much afternoon sun and leaf burn, especially if you're planting in the ground. Sango kaku is fairly sun and heat tolerant. If you keep it watered properly and give it a year or two to adjust to it's new environment it will do well. I live in Los Angeles (Hollywood). I moved from a place that faced north to a place that faces west. My container maples are now getting direct sun from about 12:30p to about 6:00p - 7:00p. They are doing better than I expected. A little leaf burn on the most delicate Shindeshojo, but not as much as I expected. I was going to put up shade cloth, but I'm finding that not necessary. I am finding that this extra light is better for them. Next year they should be acclimated to their new environment and exhibit less leaf burn. It's better to protect from desiccicating winds like you have. Though I've never tried anti-transpirants I would avoid using it on a prized Sango kaku. You have to remember that transpiration is a natural and necessary part of plant biology. Plants need to transpire. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/Transpiration.html Layne

I'd ignore the brown leaf edges for now. I'm laughing with you but if I got concerned about all that I see on my own plants I'd be a nervous wreck. LOL (No BER on any of the fruits (the few that I do have). I did have a couple of spots on two tomatoes from the same plant (same cluster, in fact) that I removed. When I cut them open it showed that the discoloration went through the tomato and there were 1 or 2 blackened seeds in the location of the spot. The only other unusual thing I've noticed is a tan lesion on the stem of one of the plants. It does not have concentric rings and it is not elongated. None of these ) So I'm assuming the spots were not at the blossom end. Black Mold Rot can give the fruits dark colored spots and also stem lesions and this infection is encouraged in high humidity low air movement situations. it isn't a serious situation and usually self corrects/ Carolyn