Vegetables
Garden Problem Guide
1 min read
*This is an excerpt from The Alabama Vegetable Gardener, ANR-0479.
Garden Problem Guide
| Symptoms | Possible Causes | Possible Cures |
|---|---|---|
| Dying young plants | Fertilizer burn | Mix fertilizer thoroughly with soil. |
| Dying young plants | Soilborne diseases (damping-off) | Use treated seed. |
| Stunted plants (pale to yellow) Herbicide injury | Low soil fertility | Soil test for fertilizer recommendations. |
| Stunted plants (pale to yellow) Herbicide injury | Poor soil drainage | Add organic matter. |
| Stunted plants (pale to yellow) Herbicide injury | Shallow or compacted soil | Work soil deeper. |
| Stunted plants (pale to yellow) Herbicide injury | Insects or diseases | Identify and use control. |
| Stunted plants (pale to yellow) Herbicide injury | Nematods | Use approved chemicals. |
| Stunted plants | Low temperature | Plant at recommended time. |
| Stunted plants | Low pH | Add lime. |
| Purplish color | Lack of phosphorus | Add phosphorus fertilizer. |
| Holes in leaves | Insects | Identify and use control measures. |
| Holes in leaves | Hail | Be thankful it was not worse. |
| Spots, molds | Disease | Identify, spray, or dust; use recommended rate and time. |
| Spots, molds | Chemical burn | Use recommended chemicals at recommended rate and time. |
| Spots, molds | Fertilizer burn | Keep fertilizer off plants. |
| Darkened areas on leaves and stems | Chemical burn | Use recommended chemicals at recommended rate and time. |
| Darkened areas on leaves and stems | Fertilizer burn | Keep fertilizer off plants. |
| Wilting plants | Dry soil | Irrigate, if possible. |
| Wilting plants | Excess soil moisture | Avoid overwatering. |
| Wilting plants | Disease | Use resistant varieties, if possible. |
| Weak, spindly plants | Too much shade | Move garden to sunny area. |
| Weak, spindly plants | Plants too thick | Seed at recommended rate. |
| Weak, spindly plants | Too much nitrogen | Avoid excess fertilization. |
| Failure to set fruit | Improper temperatures | Follow recommended planting time. |
| Failure to set fruit | Too much nitrogen | Avoid excess fertilization. |
| Failure to set fruit | Insects | Identify and use control measures. |
| Dry brown to black rot on blossom end of tomato | Low soil calcium | Add gypsum. |
| Dry brown to black rot on blossom end of tomato | Extremely dry soil | Irrigate and mulch. |
| Misshapen tomatoes (catfacing) | Cool weather during blooming | Plant at recommended time. |
| Abnormal leaves and growth | 2,4-D weed killer | Do not use sprayer previously used to apply 2,4-D. |
| Abnormal leaves and growth | Virus disease | Remove infected plants to prevent spreading. Control insects that transmit the virus. |
| Cracked tomatoes | Drought followed by heavy watering or rain | Keep plants mulched and watered. |
For more information, see other excerpts from The Alabama Vegetable Gardener, ANR-0479.
Kerry Smith, Extension Home Horticulture Associate; Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Entomologist; Charles Mitchell, Extension Agronomist, Professor, Agronomy and Soils; John Everest, Visiting Professor, Agronomy and Soils; Edward Sikora, Extension Plant Pathologist, Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology; Joseph Kemble, Extension Specialist, Professor, Horticulture; all with Auburn University; and Rufina Ward, Research Entomologist, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University.
Reviewed October 2021, The Alabama Vegetable Gardener, ANR-0479