Why are my plants' leaves turning yellow and falling off? - Ask Extension
For the past two years, everything I've grown (including tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and raspberries) has had the bottom leaves turn yellow/whit...
Knowledgebase
Why are my plants' leaves turning yellow and falling off? #822525
Asked March 15, 2023, 3:37 PM EDT
For the past two years, everything I've grown (including tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and raspberries) has had the bottom leaves turn yellow/white and fall off. The area gets full to partial sun. I tried using new soil in case it was a pest that could overwinter. I also hardened them off to avoid transplant shock and sunscald. It doesn't seem to be powdery mildew because the spots/discoloration are a part of the leaves, not on top of them. Yield has been almost nothing.
Any ideas what is happening and how to prevent it?
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
We think that most of the issues that you having are related to cultural/environmental conditions. Those would be things not related to diseases or pests but due to individual plant needs for sunlight, water, fertilizer, adequate pot size,soil, drainage, etc.
Gardening in containers can be fun and rewarding but there are
some issues that need to be overcome.
This page should help you to do that:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-containers
Some things to consider:
https://extension.umd.edu/resources#!/category/3/subcategory/828
If you don't have enough sun, consider growing leafy greens or lettuces. See lettuces in the above link and a 'salad box' here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/building-salad-boxtm
We are here to help when/if you need us.
You might like this recent blog post on growing in the city:
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2022/03/14/helping-pollinators-in-small-green-spaces/
Christine
Gardening in containers can be fun and rewarding but there are
some issues that need to be overcome.
This page should help you to do that:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-containers
Some things to consider:
- All of the vegetable crops you mention need full, direct sun 6-8+ hours each day to do well. With inadequate light you'll get elongated, off-color growth reaching for the light.
https://extension.umd.edu/resources#!/category/3/subcategory/828
If you don't have enough sun, consider growing leafy greens or lettuces. See lettuces in the above link and a 'salad box' here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/building-salad-boxtm
- Container size
- We can't tell from your photo how large your pots are, but some vegetables need plenty of room (and soil and water-holding capacity) to grow and produce well for you. For veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers, you'd need a large pot and just one plant per container. The pot would need to be hold at least 8-10 gallons of growing media (soil), with a depth of 12-16 inches.
Look for tomato varieties that have been specially bred for doing well in containers- they are dwarf, compact plants that may have 'midget', or 'patio' in the name, and are often cherry-tomato types.
We are here to help when/if you need us.
You might like this recent blog post on growing in the city:
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2022/03/14/helping-pollinators-in-small-green-spaces/
Christine
