Small brown spots on Buttercrunch Lettuce Seedlings - Ask Extension
We are currently growing Buttercrunch Lettuce hydroponically. The lettuce seedlings are about 3 weeks old, and there are a lot of small brown spots on...
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Small brown spots on Buttercrunch Lettuce Seedlings #747828
Asked May 03, 2021, 8:38 PM EDT
We are currently growing Buttercrunch Lettuce hydroponically. The lettuce seedlings are about 3 weeks old, and there are a lot of small brown spots on the leaves and stems. Is this a bacterial or fungal infection? If so, is there any treatment you can recommend? Three pictures are attached. Thank you.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi- this does not appear to be a plant pathogen infection. It is more likely the result of a nutrient imbalance or too much or too little of one nutrient. Although the symptoms do not appear on the leaf edges, this may be the beginning of tipburn, a common disorder in hydroponic lettuce caused by a calcium deficiency:
http://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2015_431.pdf
Jon
