My latest disease problem

[mdvpc]

Here are the results today, June 24, from my experiment. The transplants (New Yorker)were all the same size, started exactly the same time, etc, and have been in the containers about 2 weeks. All are in the same exact container (5 gallon smart pot), all have the exact same mix (compost and crushed pecan shells), all are being fed the same fert-liquid soil drench.

From left to right, the first one has zeba and is being watered only with reverse osmosis water-so the water is about as pure as it can be. I am watering about every third day in this container.

"Zeba is a unique superabsorbent polymer based on natural cornstarch, making it biodegradable, nontoxic and odorless. As a starch-based polymer, Zeba is made up of glucose molecules, which are linked together chemically to become a water-insoluble, net-like matrix in the form of a hydrogel that holds and releases water for use by plants as needed."

The second is on the drip system, with regular water from our water utilities, but I have used clearex once to attempt to clear the salt that builds up. Drip comes on every night at 9pm.

The third is on the drip system, with the same water from our water utilities, but nothing has been used to attempt to clear the salt build up. Drip comes on every night at 9pm.

The temps have been 90-98 degrees since I put these in the containers.

Ami and Dice-thanks for your input on this.

Dice-No roundup anywhere. Plus I had the same problem in my closed greenhouse this past winter.

Ami-I never have ber-I bet in the last 5 years, I havent had 10 fruit with ber.

I called the master gardener's hotline here in el paso, and they suggested using gypsum in the containers-supposedly the gypsum attaches to and leaches out the salt. I got some and put some in containers that are in ICU, so they arent expected to make it anyway-we will see.

[amideutch]

Michael, and the plot thickens. Strange about the non appearance of BER as from the references high salinity does affect the plants uptake of Calcium. Sure wish you would get a tissue analysis of the affected plants. How is the plant fairing that was given the Hydrogen Peroxide? Ami

[mdvpc]

Ami-I have a testing lab that will do that. One of my business partners owns a vineyard and has this contact. So I am going to do it. But you can see in the photo that so far, the plant on the right is not as vigorous. I am talking to a friend of mine whose brother works with irrigation, and he is going to come by and talk to me about putting in a 200 gallon a day ro unit into my drip system. May even talk to him about fertigation.

[mdvpc]

I got my 200 gallon per day reverse osmosis system put in today. They have to come back and replace all the drips (the ones I have been using are at least 10-15 years old) with new drips that put out 1 gallon per hour. I also put in a pre-filter, that is on the left in the photo, then the ro unit has a second, sediment filter then a carbon filter then the 2 ro membranes on the top. I will know in a month whether or not this will fix my problem.

[bohica]

mdvpc, I would have recomended liquid gypsum, it is much faster acting, a weeks time instead of a month or more.

[mdvpc]

Bo-I did get some liquid gypsum. I have used that, trying to get the salt from the roots, and will use it once a week for 2-3 more weeks to try and clear the salt from the containers. The ro unit will stop that problem, but I still have the problem of salt buildup on the plants already. I do have 4 containers that have been watered since the beginning with ro water from inside my house.

[Nightshade]

How are your test plants doing, Mike? I have heard of some California container gardeners having the same salt problem with their tomatoes and I believe this is what happened to mine.

Although it has happened at different rates, the lower leaves on almost every plant have turned brown nearly overnight. Oddly, though, they each have a topnot of leaves remaining, which, in most cases, is still green and bearing fruit.

In the past I have noted that our alkaline water causes many perrenials to go chlorotic yellow over time. I've learned to counteract that with ironite, but I've never had a problem with tomatoes before.

jan

[mdvpc]

Jan:

I pulled them. We had sustained temps of 100 or over for days and days. Soil temp around 90 degrees that whole time. I didnt think it was going to be fruitful. I have started my fall greenhouse tomatoes and not only will they be only watered with ro water once they are in the containers, but I also have only used ro water when I hydrated the potting soil and fed them while germinating etc.

Our water is very alkaline and very salty. Your description of what happened to your plants-overnight browning with the tops still green was what happened to me.