Phosphorus deficient?

[Wargamer777]

Take a look at these Kellogg's Breakfast tomatoes. The tip of the leaves are drying up/crisping. Underside is a bit purple, so I'm sure this is phosphorus deficient? Maybe a little diluted liquid fish fertilizer?

Or is it maybe something else? My other seedlings have a little purple leaves on underside, but not this type of leaf damage. It is just the 3 KB's.

http://tinypic.com/r/wl9o1v/7

http://tinypic.com/r/2drz96a/7

http://tinypic.com/r/rh4uif/7

http://tinypic.com/r/5eddeu/7

[RayR]

Purple on the underside of the leaves is the sign of phosphorus deficiency usually caused by exposure to cold temperatures. When the soil temperature drops too low for a period of time, the roots can't uptake phosphorus to the plant. I've had that happen myself in the past when I put my plants outside too early to harden off.
Keep them warm and the problem is reversible. Diluted liquid fish fertilizer would be a good idea if you haven't fed them anything yet.
Not sure about the crispy leaf edges on the KB's, but it may be related.

[Wargamer777]

They haven't been in any cold weather. They are upstairs where it generally stays in the 70-80's range. Maybe a cold night it will dip to 67 or so.

Strange that it is only the KB's though. I'll get some fish fert and see what happens.

[RayR]

If it's not cold, then it may be that your soil mix is just deficient in nutrients. At this point you haven't fed them anything yet?

[Stepheninky]

What type seed starting soil are you using? I am guessing its high in sphagnum peat moss which has a pH of around 4.5. This could be a cause.

Low humidity can also cause similar results. what is the humidity levels in the room?

Have you used any fert?

what type of water are you using?

sometimes a pathogen can cause this type issue as well.

Though IMHO humidity or PH is my best guess as to the cause of the issue.

[creister]

It could be CRUD, which Carolyn knows alot about. Hopefully she will reply. I know if it is what is called CRUD, you need to isolate those particular plants and remove the infected leaves.

[Fusion_power]

While this has commonly been called crud, it is physiological, not a disease. What the plants need is direct sunlight, temps of about 80 degrees, and a good fertilizer with micronutrients. When I grew KB indoors, I always had this problem. Now that I have a greenhouse, I never see it. It does not seem to be just temperature dependent, rather seems to be from low light levels combined with low temps.

Please also look up the damage that soil salts can have on leaf margins. You can get something very similar. If soil salts are the problem, flushing the soil by deliberately overwatering will leach the salts away. Since this is only on KB, soil salts are not likely to be a problem.

DarJones

[Wargamer777]

Originally Posted by Stepheninky

What type seed starting soil are you using? I am guessing its high in sphagnum peat moss which has a pH of around 4.5. This could be a cause.

Possibly.. .I am use Sun Gro's Plug and Seedling Redi-Mix. 55-65% Sphagnum peat moss, dolomitic limestone, wetting agent, and gypsum.


Low humidity can also cause similar results. what is the humidity levels in the room?

No clue here....

Have you used any fert?

I have not used any fert yet on any of the seedlings. I will use some diluted fish fertilizer tonight.

what type of water are you using?

Typical tap water which probably has some clorine content.....

sometimes a pathogen can cause this type issue as well.

Though IMHO humidity or PH is my best guess as to the cause of the issue.

And again, this is only happening on the KB's.


EDIT: After further reading on CRUD, it looks like I will try and get these Kellogg's Breakfast seedlings a little extra early sun on the back porch for a bit as well.

[Wargamer777]

Ok, I hit them up with some Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seawood diluted at 1 tsp a gallon of water. Let's see how they do in a few days.