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Iowa

Here's the link to some pics I posted in the photo gallery:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/displayphoto.asp?pid=6891&gid=1
I was wondering if anyone knew what that looked liked. The first leaves of the plants are cupped like that and the plants tend to be stunted. I delt with it last year also. Plants are in a greenhouse with a soil heat cable underground so it should be a nice environment. Could using soft water in my soil starting mix and at transplanting cause this?
Is there a chance I got a contaminated bag of seed starter. (I use Jiffy organic seed starting mix.)
Could it be from over watering at transplanting?
Last a few of the plants that did not show these symtoms quite as bad made it through alright. But some never made plants, they just sat there and stayed stunted.
Last year I tried bringing a 5 gallon bucket of dirt in from my old patch ( which is on another farm of mine 15 miles away) and using it for back filling at transplanting, but it did not help either.
Any suggestons would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Ralph Trumm

5/1/2011 11:12:54 PM

2-4-d? in plastic sprayed or under plastic hoop?

5/1/2011 11:20:22 PM

Iowa

I would agree that is what it looks like, but I would say that is impossible. Nothing sprayed anywhere near that area before symtoms accured.

5/2/2011 7:31:41 AM

Georgetown, Ontario

I think you hit the nail on the head with the water softener. A water softener will remove the calcium and magnesium from the water and increase the sodium level (salts). This will cause stunted growth, brown edges on the leaves. You should have an outside tap thats not connected to the water softener.

5/2/2011 8:25:09 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

My guess is the salt in the soft water. I know there is nothing wrong with the soil from your old patch, and I use organic Jiffy Mix without problems.

5/2/2011 1:01:06 PM

Iowa

That is a place to start. At my old house I always liked to use warm water when mixing up my starting mix. That water was also softened there, but we do use quite a bit more salt at the new place due to harder water conditions. I will try using regular tap water and possibly some rainwater I caught from the gutters. Everything else seems to grow well in that patch, its just hard getting the pumpkins to grow without looking like that. Any other suggestions of things I could be doing wrong at transplanting would help a lot. Would wide temperature swings, such a 90 degree soil temps to say 50 or so after transplanting cause this?
Thanks

5/2/2011 1:39:49 PM

Western NY

Ralph - are you using artificial lights on them?

5/2/2011 3:24:29 PM

Iowa

not much, andy. Only for 2-4 days after they break the soil. I try to plant them as soon as I can after they come up.
Why?

5/3/2011 8:14:26 AM

Western NY

I've noticed it with artificial lights on mine, but normally only on the first true leaf, which is why I found your pic odd. I quit using the lights and haven't seen it since.

5/3/2011 9:37:58 AM

sevierville, Tn

Are they heat burned ? Did it get To hot inside? Doesn't take long in plastic if the sun comes out ??

5/3/2011 2:56:12 PM