From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Tipp City, Ohio

The rye grass growing in my patch for the AGs is looking great. But, for my field pumpkins the grass(which is connected to the Giant patch) looks more of a lighter green and about 20-30% have purple tips about 1 inche. Is this a sign of lacking certain minerals/elements? The rye seed was from the same lot # and I used about 3 buschels on 1 acre total with a higer seed rate in the AG patch....Tom

4/14/2003 8:42:25 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

You need a soil analysis, man. If I don't remember bad, those purple tips could mean a lack of potassium, the light green could come from a lack on nitrogen or magnessium or even on iron.

4/15/2003 12:55:48 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Purple tips on grass is sometimes related to a Phosphorous deficiency. As cold stress sets in, there is a loss of clorophyl. Magnesium & other elements combine to form the reddish purple that is left behind in the absence of green.
Do the soil test. One from each of the 2 areas.
The 2 different areas could also be exposed differently to the weather (however slightly), so don't be surprised if both areas don't test similarly.
Steve

4/15/2003 7:50:44 AM

Tipp City, Ohio

Purple tips are no longer present.

Have not done a soil test for that specific area. Did some searching in some old books of mine and found that a deficiency of Phosphorous was the most likely culprit. But also learned that sometimes the soil needs to warm up so that the plants can more easily absourb the Phosporous element. Well it had warmed up a bit and the purple tips are gone. The lighter green color is still noticable but becoming darker as well.....Tom

4/21/2003 11:01:27 AM

Jackson Twp, Ohio

Our rye is rather light colored this year. About 2 weeks ago i put maybe 15 lbs of urea on my 7000 sq ft. patch and well that rye is now twice as high and much much darker green in color then the rest of our gardens. I guess that means that the rest of our stuff needs a little bit more nitrogen too.

4/21/2003 12:55:47 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

Tom, I had purple tips on my winter rye grass 2 yrs ago,only in area's where the leaves were thick and the compost was lightly covered the leaves...(tips were purple and the stem were white) it wasn't spreading , i wasn't worried,if did start to spread i was gonna rip it all out

billy

4/21/2003 1:18:20 PM