Hi Nina, "I buy packets that show large, full blooms and when they bloom they are about half the suggested size and one layer of petals instead of three or more." Some seed companies buy their seeds from growers who do not spend the extra money to hire people to rogue their fields, and the zinnia varieties "run out" under those conditions. Generally, the seeds in packets on seed racks are not the best. "I have bought several packets that show bluish purple and when they bloom they are always magenta or towards pink. I don't really believe there is a bluish zinnia." The color pictures on seed packets are not reliable and, even if they were pretty good to start with, the ink colors aren't lightfast, and some colors fade with exposure to sunlight. In general, seed racks are not a good place to store seeds. I have even seen seed packets that were water damaged, but still for sale in a home store. The best way to purchase seeds is by mail order or online sale from a reputable seed company. Higher prices do not always ensure higher quality, but lower prices usually mean lower seed quality. You stand a better chance of getting quality seed if you buy from a seed company that also sells to commercial growers. "I don't really believe there is a bluish zinnia." There are bluish zinnias, but they are not for sale commercially. As a person who grows zinnias as a hobby, I can assure you that there are lots of zinnias that you can't get commercially. I don't think there will be a true blue zinnia until blue genes (I always think of blue jeans when I say that) from other flowers that have true blues are added to zinnias by genetic engineering. That has already been done to get blue roses. But in the meantime, there are bluish lavender zinnias that actually look sky blue when they first open in the shade. But on exposure to sun, that color turns to a lavender. They are not available commercially. "Does anyone know if it could be a deficiency?" Zinnia buds and blooms can be seriously harmed by certain nutrient deficiencies. For the best results, use a soluble nutrient formula that contains a complete range of macronutrients and micronutrients. That includes the usual nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium as well as magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. Plants, including zinnias, also need quite a lot of calcium, which unfortunately is almost always absent from soluble nutrient formulas. Hydroponics growers almost always supply calcium as calcium nitrate to their plants. Garden soil usually contains some calcium, but not always enough for zinnias (or tomatoes). If you have previously added lime or gypsum to your garden soil, it should contain enough calcium. If I see calcium deficiency symptoms in my zinnias (and I do from time to time), I include some calcium nitrate in their foliar spray. Foliar feeding is a good way to make sure your zinnias get the nutrients they need. If I see boron deficiency symptoms, I add a little extra boron in the form of boric acid in my foliar spray. You have to be careful with boron, because it doesn't take a lot of it to reach a toxicity level. I also supply a little cobalt and nickel to my indoor zinnias, but there is usually enough of those in garden soil. And it is beneficial to supply soluble silicon to zinnias, to increase the strength of their cell walls, which makes for stronger stems and leaves, which contributes to disease resistance. Rice growers frequently supply soluble silicon in their fertilizer, because it is important for rice stems to be strong to keep the seedheads out of the water. It may seem counter-intuitive, but sand is not a way to supply silicon. I use a solution of potassium silicate to supply soluble silicon to my zinnias. ZM

Thanks, Dave. I attached a link to the other post. I seem to have some replies now. You hit the nail on the head - I'm thinking I've either overfed them, or neglected something. The peppers showed the yellowish rims on the leaves before I ever touched them with a fertilizer, and I've never applied fertilizer during the heat of the day. I'm in North Florida and our tomato planting season was to get them in the ground NLT 9/1. I ended up getting them in the ground about a week before that. The peppers have been in the ground since 8/13 or so, and were planted from seeds saved from a container pepper with no deisease. The rest planted on schedule according to the UF planting guide site. I read that Neem was anti-fungal, and thought the yellow spots could be some infection in the plants, and therefore the spraying would help keep it under control. Could the compost tea have burned them? I don't think I have seen any additional effects after spraying the tea, other than them getting taller. Should I scrap the pepper plants, and plant beets or carrots, and cut off the lower yellowing tomato branches? Thank you SO MUCH Dave! I wish you had a TV show! Could the compost tea Here is a link that might be useful: Other post with Pics

catherinet, I have a small (I mean small) pond with a water lily in it, and all the frogs laid eggs in it, the tadpoles are a pain, I added a goldfish, he eats all the frog eggs, so now I don't have that problem anymore. He is happy too.

Jaqueline, it is interesting his explanation for the fact that only the tips of the leaves are burnt. I would like to look for information on this fact. Is it possible that the rose bush stops sending sap to some parts to preserve others from death? I mean if that botanically is possible? I will imagine the explanation of the process. Maybe it's a crazy idea but I'll expose it: It occurs to me to think now what happens in autumn. As temperatures drop, the rosary is ready for winter. Before dropping the leaves the rose bush "recovers" the nutrients from the leaves and accumulates them in the roots. Then, since it is not going to specify the leaves for photosynthesis, the amount of abscisic acid and ethylene increases, and this increase causes that in the zone of abscission (leaf-to-stem bonding) the leaf detachment finally occurs . In this case it is not a matter of recovering the nutrients from the leaves nor does the rosal need to be detached from them because it will continue to specify them for photosynthesis and transpiration. Ethylene and abscisic acid do not increase and so leaf detachment does not occur (leaf senescence). It only allows the tips of the leaves to die, leaving the part that is possible to them alive. This part of the saved leaf of death will continue to be useful for photosynthesis. Hahahaha Sorry It was just an idea of what could happen. Should be an amateur with botanical knowledge who could tell us if this is really the process or we are in error.