Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

I think this might be a phosphorous deficiency. Jim will know. When you
see purple on leaves and veins of leaves, it is usually a phosphorous
deficiency.

What I do when this happens, is give my plants a feeding of bloom food,
something with a high middle number on the package.

You mentioned black on the leaves but in the picture it looks purple.
Usually on tomato plants if the deficiency is phosphorous, the stems and veins
get purple.


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A potassium deficiency can turn the edges purple.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/PotasDed.jpg)

I also see some bad leaves in the background that have turned brown. Did
they have the purple/black on them before they turned brown.
I keep all my leaves that are not perfect trimmed off my plants so that
diseases cannot spread.

Just a guess on my part and am sure Jim will have the answer.

Joanne

Group:

I'm sorry that I can't determine that it is a phosphorus deficiency. As Joanne indicated, phosphorus deficiencies manifest themselves with purple veins and purple under-side of leaves, whereas the pictures show purple EDGES, with no discernible purpling of the veins that I could see. Because of the color there may well be some phosphorus influence, but it isn't a symptom I've ever seen. It "feels" to me to be a disease because of the fuzzy appearance (or is that just a blurry photo?).

I would probably feed with a high P fertilizer mid-week, but I believe you should also remove all affected leaves - AND any others low to the ground that might be creating a hospitable environment for disease.

My experience with potassium deficiency would indicate firing of leaf edges, but not purpling. Dr. M says "chlorotic leaves with necrotic leaf edges and necrotic leaf tips are symptoms of potassium deficiency" on tomato leaves. Chlorotic means without the green color, and necrotic means dying.

Jim Kennard

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