Content
Eggplants are quite capricious and demanding plants to care for. Bushes inevitably respond to serious “deviations” from optimal cultivation conditions and errors in agricultural technology by deteriorating their appearance. One of the common symptoms indicating “unhealth” is that the leaves of eggplants in the greenhouse and in the open ground wither. There can be many reasons for this, and it is important to identify them correctly - treatment and other measures taken directly depend on this.
Why do eggplant leaves wither?
Eggplants are sensitive to both cultivation conditions and agricultural technology. By changing its appearance, the plant signals that it is clearly not happy with something. In most cases, restoring the health of the bushes is quite possible. The main thing is to correctly determine the cause.
Excess sunlight
Eggplants are very photophilous; a lack of sunlight and heat negatively affects the development of bushes, and ultimately the volume and quality of the harvest. However, direct sunny bushes that constantly fall on the beds during the hottest time of day are also harmful to them.
It is not difficult to determine that foliage loses tone only due to excess sunlight. It is enough to wait for a cloudy day or water the plants well. They begin to “straighten up” literally before our eyes.
The leaf plates are quite large; in the sun they actively evaporate moisture
Soil acidification
If the soil pH was initially neutral or slightly acidic, which corresponds to the needs of eggplants, it may become acidic due to too frequent and/or excessive watering. The changed indicator, coupled with the acidifying soil in the garden bed, is what causes the eggplant leaves to wither.
Soil acidification negatively affects not only adult bushes. Eggplant seedlings may also have leaves that wilt.
Young plants are more sensitive to pH, substrate composition and looseness
Temperature changes
Eggplants tolerate heat well, but sudden temperature changes are a serious stress for them. If the plant’s leaves only wither after this, the consequences can be considered harmless.
Accordingly, there is no rush to plant seedlings either in a greenhouse or, especially, in open ground. Due to sharp changes in day and night temperatures, the bushes wither. And they definitely won’t survive return frosts.
Often, bushes planted early after a temperature change are slowed down for a long time in their development, get sick, and even die
Transplant stress
If the eggplants are planted in the garden on time, but their leaves still slightly wither and droop, there is no need to worry. The lowest ones may even fall off. This is a normal plant response to stress caused by a change in environment.
To minimize transplant-related stress, it is recommended to begin hardening off seedlings 7-10 days before planting. After this procedure, the leaf blades of the bushes transferred to the garden bed do not wither; they begin to grow faster. It is also important that the soil ball on the roots of the seedlings is minimally damaged during transplantation. To do this, the seeds are planted in peat pots, and the seedlings in ordinary containers are watered abundantly 30-40 minutes before the procedure.
On average, adaptation to new conditions takes 7-10 days, after which the tone of the eggplant leaves is restored
Cold soil
Excessively early planting in open ground is dangerous not only due to sudden temperature changes and recurrent frosts. If the soil has not yet warmed up to 13-15 ° C, the root system practically stops developing. It is not able to supply the above-ground part with everything necessary, so the stem and leaves wither.
Improper watering
Both excessive watering and “drought” in the garden are very harmful to the crop. In both cases, the leaf blades quickly begin to wither. In the first - due to increased soil acidity and “oxygen starvation”, in the second - due to the need to save water. The plant considers the leaves to be the least important, directing all resources to the fruits.
In addition, the foliage withers almost instantly if you water the bushes with cold water. Another consequence of such stress is massive falling off of buds, flowers and fruit ovaries.
The intervals between watering depend on the air temperature, the presence and intensity of precipitation.
Nutrient deficiency
If the eggplants are initially planted in a “poor” substrate, the gardener completely neglects fertilizing or applies inappropriate fertilizers, the leaves on the bushes inevitably begin to wither due to a lack of nutrients. What exactly eggplants lack can be determined by the accompanying signs:
- Nitrogen. The leaves on the bushes wither, starting from the lowest ones. Then they gradually change shade to pale green or yellowish, but the veins retain their natural color.
- Potassium. The leaves first wither, then a dry brown “border” appears along the edge. Very few flowers are formed on the bushes; existing fruits are covered with vague beige-brown spots.
- Phosphorus.First, an unnatural red-violet-brown tint appears in the shade of the underside of the leaf blades, then they quickly wither and die.
- Magnesium. The process goes from bottom to top. Eggplant leaves that have already wilted lighten and turn yellow.
- Manganese. A “mosaic” pattern of spots of different shades of green and yellow with clear boundaries appears on wilted leaf blades.
Complex specialized fertilizers minimize the risk of eggplant leaves wilting due to improper feeding
Diseases
The list of diseases dangerous to culture is quite long. Among those that cause eggplant leaves to wilt, the most common are verticillium and fusarium.
The development of the first is provoked by excess nitrogen in the soil. Eggplants can be affected by verticillium at any stage of development. Their leaves wither from the edge to the middle.
With verticillium, the entire above-ground part quickly dries out and dies.
The fungus that causes fusarium is activated in warm weather with increased air and soil humidity. The pathogen gradually “rises” through the plant’s vascular system, disrupting the normal feeding process, causing intoxication and death.
When fusarium blight occurs, the lowest eggplant leaves are the first to wilt.
Both verticillium and fusarium develop very quickly. From the moment the first leaves wither until the plant dies, 5-7 days pass. Accordingly, it is almost impossible to help eggplants. Therefore, most gardeners prefer to pull out and destroy the affected bushes, preventing the pathogen from spreading further.
Pest attack
Eggplants also have a lot of pests. If the leaves of the plant begin to wither, it is necessary to carefully examine it for the presence of insects or other suspicious symptoms on the bush. Most of the pests that attack eggplants settle on plants in entire colonies, so they are easy to notice and identify. Depending on why the eggplant leaves are wilting, suitable insecticides or acaricides are used.
Contrary to popular belief, the Colorado potato beetle feeds not only on potato tops
Mechanical damage
Eggplant shoots and stems are quite fragile. They are easy to accidentally damage while caring for the plant. And its roots may be damaged when loosened. If the bush itself is damaged, the leaves and fruits on the part left without nutrition begin to wither, lose tone and dry out.
When the roots suffer, it is not a fact that the eggplant will survive at all.
Why do eggplant leaves wither in a greenhouse?
A greenhouse is a closed space with a specific microclimate. Here, the risk that eggplant leaves will begin to wither due to soil hypothermia, sudden temperature changes and strong drafts is much less than in open ground. However, plantings are not completely immune to this problem.
The reasons may be:
- Increased air humidity. If the greenhouse is not ventilated, the moisture evaporated by the leaves remains inside.
- Incorrect watering. Water from the soil in a greenhouse evaporates more slowly than in open ground, and in hot weather the substrate dries out faster. This must be taken into account when determining the intervals between waterings.
- Oxygen deficiency. If the greenhouse is not regularly ventilated, the air quickly becomes stale and humidity increases. This is a very favorable atmosphere for most pests.
Humidity levels above 75% are unacceptable for eggplants; their leaves begin to wither
Why do the leaves of eggplants in open ground wither?
The reason for wilting of eggplant leaves in open ground can be almost any. This symptom causes both a rash choice of planting site, and errors in care, illness, and pest attacks.
Non-compliance with crop rotation increases the risk of eggplant damage by pathogens and insects.
What to do if the leaves of eggplants in a greenhouse wither
Having discovered that the leaves of eggplants in the greenhouse have begun to wither, it is necessary to neutralize the negative impact of a certain factor. Depending on the reason, the gardener may be required to:
- adjust watering and fertilizing system;
- use suitable folk remedies, biological products or chemicals to combat diseases and pests;
- If possible, optimize the indoor microclimate;
- Be careful when loosening, trimming, and harvesting eggplants to avoid mechanical damage.
Prevention measures
It is quite possible to prevent wilting of eggplant leaves in a greenhouse and in open ground. Simple preventative measures will help with this:
- Pre-planting treatment of eggplant seeds to protect against diseases and pests.
- Disinfection of any garden tools and equipment, containers and soil for seedlings. This is especially true for self-prepared substrate.
- Choosing a place for a garden bed, taking into account the rules of crop rotation and the requirements of the crop.
- Planting seedlings only in well-warmed, pre-prepared soil and after hardening.
- Compliance with the landing plan. The spacing between plants and row spacing depend on the size of adult plants.
- A preliminary study of the general rules of agricultural technology for eggplants and the nuances relating specifically to the varieties and hybrids being planted.
- Constant monitoring of humidity, air temperature and other parameters in the greenhouse, their timely correction.
- Loosening the beds (ideally after each watering).
- Regular (every 3-5 days) inspection of plants for the presence of symptoms typical of diseases and pests.
Preventive treatments with suitable preparations if the weather is favorable for the activation of insects or pathogens.
“Crowding” in the garden is favorable for the activation of pathogens and pests
Conclusion
When the leaves of eggplants wither in a greenhouse or in open ground, something is clearly wrong with the plant. This crop quickly reacts by deteriorating in appearance to unsuitable growing conditions and errors in care. Having discovered a symptom, it is necessary to identify the cause or their complex as quickly as possible - otherwise it will not be possible to choose the right “treatment”.
