Spots on pepper, eggplant and okra. Cercospora (frog eye)?

LMinAL · May 18, 2014

Last year in this bed I planted tomatoes. I can't rotate too much due to small space, so I ended up with chard, herbs and radishes in the spring and added peppers, eggplant and direct seeded okra for the summer. I'm sure I have cercospora on the chard (have had it in the past, but not a big deal as we eat it early), but now my peppers and eggplant are showing up with tiny red/black dots as well. The okra seedlings had the spots too so I just pulled them out. I have plenty of time to reseed.

Has anyone else had this? Or could this be a carryover of the septoria or bacterial speck from last year? I've sprayed preventative from day of plant out, but we've had so much rain the past week it's been hard to keep them covered. I don't know whether to pull them out and start over or just keep spraying preventative and wait. I really don't want it spreading to my tomatoes!!!

RayR · May 18, 2014

I don't see how anyone could identify what it is or if it's anything to worry about at all at this point. What have you been spraying as a preventative? A preventative against what? Fungal, bacterial, insects?
Whatever the case, pulling plants is no solution to leaf spots.

Mojave · May 18, 2014

Looks OK to me.

LMinAL · May 18, 2014

Sorry, preventative against bacterial and fungal diseases. I've alternated Daconil and copper.

I had such a horrible time with septoria and bacterial speck on tomatoes last year and the affected tomatoes were in the bed I had to plant peppers, eggplant and okra in this year. I know the spots are small, but they are numerous on every leaf of every pepper, eggplant and all okra seedlings in that bed. I'm trying to be proactive against disease this year, maybe a little paranoid.

The only insects I've noticed are aphids, but not many on peppers. I guess I will keep a watch and if it gets worse run it by the ag extension office for them to look at.

b54red · May 22, 2014

You could have flea beetles biting the leaves.

Personally I think you are being a bit paranoid. After all you live in Alabama so diseases are a part of gardening and ever present down here. It sounds like you are doing an excellent job with preventive sprays so you should be fine.

Last year was an anomaly with so much rain in July. I think everyone had terrible problems with speck and spot diseases last year around here and with all that heavy frequent rain fungicides were worthless.

Bill

LMinAL · May 23, 2014

Thanks Bill. I'm trying to relax and enjoy gardening this year, but I also want to make sure I'm being vigilant and catching problems early. It's a delicate balance sometimes!

But this has otherwise been a great week - everything really happy, growing and setting fruit. I am trying out Texas Tomato Food this year and just made my first application. I read in another thread you had good luck with it. I'll be interested to see the results.

May 18, 2014	#1
LMinAL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 46	Spots on pepper, eggplant and okra. Cercospora (frog eye)? Last year in this bed I planted tomatoes. I can't rotate too much due to small space, so I ended up with chard, herbs and radishes in the spring and added peppers, eggplant and direct seeded okra for the summer. I'm sure I have cercospora on the chard (have had it in the past, but not a big deal as we eat it early), but now my peppers and eggplant are showing up with tiny red/black dots as well. The okra seedlings had the spots too so I just pulled them out. I have plenty of time to reseed. Has anyone else had this? Or could this be a carryover of the septoria or bacterial speck from last year? I've sprayed preventative from day of plant out, but we've had so much rain the past week it's been hard to keep them covered. I don't know whether to pull them out and start over or just keep spraying preventative and wait. I really don't want it spreading to my tomatoes!!!

May 18, 2014	#3
Mojave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SF Bay area Z9a Posts: 821	Looks OK to me. __________________ Bill _______________________________________________ When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir Believe those who seek the Truth: Doubt those who find it. -André Gide

May 18, 2014	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	I don't see how anyone could identify what it is or if it's anything to worry about at all at this point. What have you been spraying as a preventative? A preventative against what? Fungal, bacterial, insects? Whatever the case, pulling plants is no solution to leaf spots.

May 22, 2014	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	You could have flea beetles biting the leaves. Personally I think you are being a bit paranoid. After all you live in Alabama so diseases are a part of gardening and ever present down here. It sounds like you are doing an excellent job with preventive sprays so you should be fine. Last year was an anomaly with so much rain in July. I think everyone had terrible problems with speck and spot diseases last year around here and with all that heavy frequent rain fungicides were worthless. Bill

May 23, 2014	#6
LMinAL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 46	Thanks Bill. I'm trying to relax and enjoy gardening this year, but I also want to make sure I'm being vigilant and catching problems early. It's a delicate balance sometimes! But this has otherwise been a great week - everything really happy, growing and setting fruit. I am trying out Texas Tomato Food this year and just made my first application. I read in another thread you had good luck with it. I'll be interested to see the results.