Content
Eggplant leaves turn white for a variety of reasons. They are often associated with improper care and poor-quality soil. If growing conditions are normal, but the leaves have turned white, this is most likely the result of pests or diseases. The main causes and methods for eliminating them are described in the article.
Why do eggplant leaves turn white?
Eggplant leaves turn white for various reasons. Plants are quite demanding; they need good lighting, stable watering, and maintaining a certain level of air humidity. It is equally important to provide regular fertilizing and create fertile soil for planting or pre-fertilize the soil in the greenhouse. The main reasons why foliage becomes covered with white spots are described in the following sections.
Improper watering
Eggplants are quite demanding of constant moisture. Normally, water for seedlings should be given 3-4 times a week, watering it from a spray bottle and then using a thin stream under the root.Adult bushes are watered twice a week, and in hot weather - three times. If these rules are not followed, the leaves will turn white, wither and eventually fall off.
Another important point is that watering should be regular and not too abundant. For example, you cannot give the entire weekly norm at one time and leave the plants without water for the rest of the days. It is better to water at least every 4-5 days. Leaves may also turn white due to too cold water. Therefore, it must first be left to room temperature.
Excess minerals
Eggplants need regular feeding, which is applied literally every 2-3 weeks. But you shouldn’t think that the more fertilizer you give, the better for the plants. In fact, with an excess of minerals (potassium compounds, superphosphates, microelements), the soil begins to become saline.
As a result, the acidity pH changes, causing the root system to absorb nutrients much worse. Therefore, the plants lag behind in development, the leaves turn white and become smaller, and noticeably fewer ovaries are formed.
Unsuitable soil
If light spots appear on the eggplant leaves, the reasons may also be due to poor-quality soil. The culture develops normally on chernozem, loamy soils with a loose structure and a neutral or slightly acidic reaction pH = 6-7.
Foliage may turn white due to irregular watering
If the soil is poor and contains a lot of clay, the leaves may turn pale and then fall off. As a result, photosynthesis processes will be disrupted, the fruits will be small and not as tasty. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare or purchase a fertile mixture for growing seedlings in advance.
Several months before transplanting seedlings into open ground or a greenhouse, the soil is dug up and fertilizers are applied. If necessary, add sand and sawdust to make the earth less dense. Then the roots will receive more air, which will ensure normal growth of eggplants.
Unsuitable microclimate
Even if the soil is fertile, it is not enough to grow eggplants. Plant leaves also turn white due to microclimate disturbances. The culture is quite demanding on temperature and humidity levels.
When growing seedlings, you need to maintain stable heat in the range of 25-27 degrees. Adult plants develop normally at a temperature of 22-28 degrees. At night a slight decrease is allowed, but not below +15. As for humidity, it should be approximately constant, but moderate - 70%.
It is not always possible to create such conditions in open ground due to unfavorable weather. As a result, the leaves become covered with white spots. Therefore, in most regions, eggplants are cultivated in greenhouses or small greenhouses.
Excess lighting
Eggplants are demanding of light. Therefore, even at the stage of growing seedlings, it is necessary to install phytolamps. After transplanting into a greenhouse or open ground, it is better to shade the seedlings a little. If the weather is too hot, the leaves may turn white from too much sunlight. Therefore, gardeners usually install a canvas made of light-colored materials or protective screens.
Diseases and pests
White coating on eggplant leaves also appears due to some diseases or pests. The cause is mainly associated with fungal infections, such as fusarium. It manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- leaves become light;
- then they dry up and fall off;
- in the advanced stage, the entire bush dies.
Signs of fusarium wilt
Also, the foliage turns white due to powdery mildew. The main symptom of the disease is the appearance of a powdery coating on the surface of leaves and stems. It is better to immediately remove the affected bushes from healthy ones.
As for pests, the main danger is spider mites. They are very small, so they are not visible to the eye. But their appearance can be determined by the characteristic thin web covering the stems.
What to do if eggplant leaves turn white
When the foliage turns white, the first thing you need to do is determine the cause. If it is associated with improper care, it is enough to eliminate the influence of the harmful factor, for example, normalize watering. If the cause is related to infectious diseases, it is better to transplant the affected plants and treat the remaining bushes with a fungicide.
White leaves on eggplant seedlings
On seedlings, the foliage may turn white due to infertile soil. A suitable mixture can be purchased at the store or made with your own hands based on turf soil, peat, sand and humus (2:1:1:1). But if it is no longer possible to replant the seedlings, it is worth adding fertilizer. For this purpose, complex compositions are used, for example, “Baikal” or “Ideal”.
It also happens that the soil is quite fertile, but the leaves still turn white.In this case, it is important to check the growing conditions - organize lighting, cover the seedlings with film at the first stage, constantly ventilate and spray the soil with a sprayer.
White coating on eggplants in a greenhouse
If eggplants turn white in a greenhouse, the reason is probably due to improper care. Plants should be watered every 4-5 days to keep the soil slightly moist. Excess water is just as harmful as too little. To ensure constant moisture, it is recommended to mulch the plantings with straw, hay, sawdust or other natural materials.
To prevent the leaves from turning white, fertilizers are applied strictly according to the schedule and in the quantities specified in the instructions. First, feeding is given two weeks after transplantation, then at the flowering stage, then at the beginning of fruit formation, then during their ripening. It is recommended to use complex formulations, alternating them with organic matter, for example, mullein infusion 1:10.
Thanks to regular fertilizing, the leaves will not turn white
Preventive measures
Coping with diseases, pests, and eliminating the effects of sunburn or drought is not always easy. Sometimes the influence of negative factors is so strong that some of the bushes die. Therefore, it is recommended to follow certain preventive measures to prevent such problems. Experienced summer residents urge you to pay attention to the following tips:
- Before planting, treat the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate 1 g per 1 liter or a fungicide, for example, Fundazol.
- Disinfect both the soil and planting containers for seedlings.
- To prevent the leaves from turning white, regularly ventilate the room where the seedlings grow. Ventilate the greenhouse or greenhouse, especially after watering and in hot weather.
- Choose varieties adapted to the climatic conditions of the region, as well as resistant to diseases and pests. For example, you can consider the following varieties: Black Beauty, Viola de Firenze, Epic F1 (hybrid), Gardener's Dream, King of the North F1 (hybrid).
- To prevent the leaves from being white, maintain planting density, leaving a minimum distance of 35 cm between bushes.
- After transplanting seedlings into the ground or into a greenhouse, carry out a one-time treatment with a fungicide, for example, with the drug “Maxim”, “Tattu”, “Fundazol”. This is a good measure to prevent powdery mildew and other infections that cause leaves to turn white.
Conclusion
Eggplant leaves turn white usually due to improper care. Plants are quite demanding, so it is necessary to create suitable conditions for them at all stages - from seedlings to harvesting fruits. Typically, eggplants are grown in a greenhouse, which makes it possible to regulate the microclimate. Thanks to this, the leaves will not turn white, and you will be able to get a good harvest.
