Me and my itchy fingers decided to move the Okra seedling from its recycled plastic bottle container to a bigger one. Three days after its move, one of its leaf turned yellow and wilted. Another leaf is turning yellow as I type. I don’t know if this will progress to the rest of the whole plant. It’s the only seedling that germinated out of over 10 seeds that I tried. Shucks.
Dill is turning yellow too. Could it be overcrowding? Should I pull out the yellowed ones to make space?
Feeling Blue.
Blue + Yellow = Green = Definitely not the colour of my okra & dill
12 comments
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February 29, 2008 at 5:35 am
Kate
I notice you are using garden soil, by the looks, instead of potting mix. Next time I would use potting mix or at least half potting mix because growing in a pot reqires a different set of rules. The yellow may be over-watering. Don’t water until the soil is dry, when you stick your finger right into it up to the first knuckle! The roots are near the bottom of the pot and may be saturated otherwise and devoid of oxygen. Potting mix drains better and this saturation will happen less.
Good luck. Isn’t it funny – gardening by remote-connection!
February 29, 2008 at 9:21 am
Kristi
I would say either they have been over watered or they may need nitrogen. Do you use a fertilizer?
February 29, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Teresa
Hi Kate! Noted on the over-watering part. So much to learn, so many elements to make it work. I should read up on the different types of soil. Yes, it’s funny… and heartening. The gardening bloggers community are such nice people. I get advice all the way from Australia! Thanks!
Hi Kristi! Nope, no fertilizers used cos not sure what to add. Do coffee grounds count as nitrogen? I can get my hands on those.
February 29, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Patrick
It’s not unusual for plants to turn a little yellow sometimes and for a few leaves to die. It’s usually under or over watering, but sometimes it can be the plant isn’t getting enough sun. As leaves die, you should remove them by pinching them off with your fingers. Don’t worry if it’s only a few leaves here and there.
I wouldn’t suggest adding any fertilizers unless you think it’s really necessary. A good organic OUTDOOR fertilizer to use is fish emulsion, but it will smell like fish for a few days after you use it. Compost is also a good fertilizer, if you get that sorted out.
March 2, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Teresa
Hi Patrick! You’re right! The original set of leaves wiltered and I pinched them off. So far, nothing seems to be happening to the other 3 remaining leaves. Keeping my fingers crossed. Yes (chuckles), I so want to get my compost sorted out
March 27, 2008 at 9:37 am
joco
Hello there,
You have no idea how uplifting your blog is to me!
I am quite cheered up to see that not every gardener is successful.
My catalogue of failures was getting me down, but I realize I will have to learn to laugh at them and take it on the chin, like yourself.
Water is a problem here in the UK, since they saw fit to add fluoride willy-nilly. As if chlorine isn’t bad enough!
Call me ‘naive’, but I use Evian on my most precious plants, as it seems the only way to keep leaves from going yellow. Rainwater is so acid thanks to being downwind from a coal-fired powerstation, that it is not worth collecting.
Do you think that the water you use might be to blame?
March 29, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Teresa
Hi Joco! Thanks for alot for dropping by and you have no idea how encouraging your words are as well
Don’t give up! Yes, well said, we laugh at them and take it on the chin!
In this case, I think it’s the soil. I silly-ly bought a bag of burnt soil for repotting and my okra fail to grow anymore since then. Guess potting mix is still most suitable.
March 31, 2008 at 6:51 am
Wilson Wong
Hi Teresa,
For growing vegetables, you need to mix in some compost to not only add some nutrients but also immediately confer the much needed water retentive ability to burnt soil. Seedlings in general can get stunted if they are deprived of water at any one point. I have noticed also that okra seedlings can be slow to start with and if you transplant them, they may also stunt for a while. No worries though, they will pick up again. That yellowing leaf on the lower part of the stem is normal.
The dill looks a bit crowded, if you can, try to separate them and grow them spaced further apart. In that case, you may need more pots! Turn the pot around periodically to let plants all equally receive some sunglight… As for the yellowing of leaves in the dill, if it is a lower older leaf that turned yellow, it is perfectly normal. What matters is that the plant does not show massive yellowing.
Wilson
April 1, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Teresa
Erm Wilson, sorry to report that the okra has since died. I killed it. I’m sorry. But I will know what NOT to do next time. I’m going to try and grow okra again.
Noted, I’m going to thin out the dill. Yes, it’s the lower older leaves (thanks for the reassurance) although some parts look like massive yellowing now. Hopefully the thinning helps before it’s too late.
September 4, 2008 at 11:10 am
Anonymous
Hi Teresa,
Happen to chance upon your blog and noted that you grow Dill! The photo looks amazing and sounds like a easy herbs to grow. I will like to try grow some for my kitchen recipe.
May i know what brand and where did u buy the seeds from? is there any thing that i need to take note of for example the herbs like wet or dry soil? i remember trying to grow it from seeds years back but was unsuccessful.
Thanks!
Lian
February 19, 2009 at 10:41 am
fitness fabulous
hello there,
i was searching gardening blogs over google and i found yours.
i’m currently growing 4 plants from seeds:
chilli
dill
mint
bak choy
and now the seedlings have all sprouted beautifully….
and now i know how dill looks like in adulthood after looking at your blog post haha!
February 19, 2009 at 10:42 am
fitness fabulous
another question:
what do you use dill for in your cooking?
i read soups, meats, and fish? basically everything?
i’m from SG so dill isn’t a common garnish in our local food fare.