Spinach and chard problems - Ask Extension
Hello - I have attached photos of my spinach and chard. I pulled the chard, which I planted from starters, because it didn't look salvageable. Both pl...
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Spinach and chard problems #408179
Asked June 19, 2017, 11:32 AM EDT
Hello - I have attached photos of my spinach and chard. I pulled the chard, which I planted from starters, because it didn't look salvageable. Both plants have what either looks like an under/over-watering problem or leafminers. But the Red Russian kale, the chives, and the Italian parsley, which are all in the same raised bed as the other plants, are doing fine. Do you think the spinach, which I planted from seeds, can be saved? Can you recommend other veggies that are good to plant here this time of year?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
A
spinach leafminer, Pegomya hyoscyami,
adults are small (5-7mm) grayish hairy flies. A spinach leafminer larva hatches into a
carrot-shaped, whitish maggot that lacks legs or an obvious head. The larvae attack the
leaves of spinach, beets, chard, lambsquarter, and other plants. There are
multiple generations per year. This fly overwinters as pupae in garden soil and
the adults emerge the following April and May. Remove and destroy infested
leafs. Control with repeated applications of an insecticide like permethrin
that is labeled for vegetable gardens. Look for 0.9 mm long, white and
elongate white
eggs on the underside of leaves. The
following site have more information on spinachleaf miner.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/spinach-leafminer/
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/spinach-leafminer
New spinach, beets, or chard plants grown from seed or transplant like will also be attacked. The following site has recommended planting dates for a variety of vegetables. http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/planting-the-vegetable-garden/