hello!
having a nice crop of spinach just lately (first time ever!)

it's not a big deal, but i was wondering if anyone knows why some of my
spinach plants get "bubbly" leaves - it's as though the edges of the leaf
stop growing at some point, but the bulk of the leaf continues to expand, so
you get a wavy sort of surface to each leaf on the affected plants. some
plants are like this on every leaf, others not affected at all. the cultivar
is "medina" fwiw.

thanks if anyone knows!

kylie (who is enjoying spring enormously thank you very much).

On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:15:51 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

hello!
having a nice crop of spinach just lately (first time ever!)

it's not a big deal, but i was wondering if anyone knows why some of my
spinach plants get "bubbly" leaves - it's as though the edges of the leaf
stop growing at some point, but the bulk of the leaf continues to expand, so
you get a wavy sort of surface to each leaf on the affected plants. some
plants are like this on every leaf, others not affected at all. the cultivar
is "medina" fwiw.

thanks if anyone knows!

kylie (who is enjoying spring enormously thank you very much).


I thought that the bubbly leaf is an invariable attribute of the
Silverbeet group of spinaches.

Not, though, of English spinach.

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

Richard

"Richard Wright" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:15:51 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

hello!
having a nice crop of spinach just lately (first time ever!)

it's not a big deal, but i was wondering if anyone knows why some of my
spinach plants get "bubbly" leaves - it's as though the edges of the leaf
stop growing at some point, but the bulk of the leaf continues to expand,
so
you get a wavy sort of surface to each leaf on the affected plants. some
plants are like this on every leaf, others not affected at all. the
cultivar
is "medina" fwiw.

thanks if anyone knows!

kylie (who is enjoying spring enormously thank you very much).


I thought that the bubbly leaf is an invariable attribute of the
Silverbeet group of spinaches.

it is!

Not, though, of English spinach.

exactly, it's not! :-) the spinach in question is true spinach, not
silverbeet. (i never worry when the silverbeet goes bubbly).

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

.... like the lower two in the photograph.
it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.
thanks!
kylie


Richard

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"Richard Wright" wrote in message
On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:15:51 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

exactly, it's not! :-) the spinach in question is true spinach, not
silverbeet. (i never worry when the silverbeet goes bubbly).

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

... like the lower two in the photograph.
it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.

IIRC, wide rather than tall in silverbeet is some sort of nutriet/trace
element deficiency - perhaps the same thing applies to Spinach. Knowing
your soil, it's rather poor. Have you tried adding a pinch of trace
elements when you'd done your bed preparation? Or even a one off
application of packet chemical stuff at the start.

On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:50:04 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

"Richard Wright" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:15:51 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

hello!
having a nice crop of spinach just lately (first time ever!)

it's not a big deal, but i was wondering if anyone knows why some of my
spinach plants get "bubbly" leaves - it's as though the edges of the leaf
stop growing at some point, but the bulk of the leaf continues to expand,
so
you get a wavy sort of surface to each leaf on the affected plants. some
plants are like this on every leaf, others not affected at all. the
cultivar
is "medina" fwiw.

thanks if anyone knows!

kylie (who is enjoying spring enormously thank you very much).


I thought that the bubbly leaf is an invariable attribute of the
Silverbeet group of spinaches.

it is!

Not, though, of English spinach.

exactly, it's not! :-) the spinach in question is true spinach, not
silverbeet. (i never worry when the silverbeet goes bubbly).

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

... like the lower two in the photograph.
it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.
thanks!
kylie


Richard

Curiouser and curiouser. Can you put an image of the disease
somewhere? It might ring a bell with somebody.

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"0tterbot" wrote in message
"Richard Wright" wrote in message
On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:15:51 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:

exactly, it's not! :-) the spinach in question is true spinach, not
silverbeet. (i never worry when the silverbeet goes bubbly).

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

... like the lower two in the photograph.
it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.

IIRC, wide rather than tall in silverbeet is some sort of nutriet/trace
element deficiency - perhaps the same thing applies to Spinach. Knowing
your soil, it's rather poor.

thought of that, it's certainly possible, although i'd now describe my
veggie soil as rapidly improving!! thing is, the good & bad ones are as
little as 10cm away from each other. which does happen, i know. but still!

i must say i do have the problem of dud plants that just go nowhere, yet
sitting right next to big healthy ones. my manuring is perhaps a little
haphazard, resulting in an irregular spread.

Have you tried adding a pinch of trace
elements when you'd done your bed preparation? Or even a one off
application of packet chemical stuff at the start.

don't know anything about that stuff even if inclined, so no. i've been
adding in blood & bone periodically as well as keeping the mulch going, and
have even been organised enough to have limed a few times! :-)
oh well, thanks farmie.
kylie

"Richard Wright" wrote in message
...
http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/293/spinach

... like the lower two in the photograph.
it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.
thanks!
kylie


Richard

Curiouser and curiouser. Can you put an image of the disease
somewhere? It might ring a bell with somebody.

well, technically i _could_, but it seems unlikely! :-)
thanks anyway richard.
kylie

"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
"0tterbot" wrote in message

it also occurred to me that the bubbly plants don't grow tall like the
middle bunch there - they stay short & get sort of wide.

IIRC, wide rather than tall in silverbeet is some sort of nutriet/trace
element deficiency - perhaps the same thing applies to Spinach. Knowing
your soil, it's rather poor.

thought of that, it's certainly possible, although i'd now describe my
veggie soil as rapidly improving!! thing is, the good & bad ones are as
little as 10cm away from each other. which does happen, i know. but still!

i must say i do have the problem of dud plants that just go nowhere, yet
sitting right next to big healthy ones. my manuring is perhaps a little
haphazard, resulting in an irregular spread.

The International gardening ngs have been full of articles about horse poop
contaminated with a herbicide used for pasture. Apparently this herbicide
can be residual in horse poop and will especially kill or stunt things like
tomatoes or potatoes (these two being particularly sensitive). No mentions
so far of greens having a problem by being stunted or bubbly, but the
description of one plant doing well and one only a few inches away doing
very poorly is similar to the probs people have experienced.

The 2 herbicides (control of broadleaf weeds) are Aminopyralid and
Clopyralid. I know they are used here as my husband has some of herbicides
for paddock use where these are the active ingredient - bloody good stuff
for the weeds that need knocking too. The Poms have banned them for no good
reason that I can see other than the sale of contaminated horse poop to
gardeners.

That 'may' be a factor but even if it is, don't worry about it as the
recommended way for it to disappear is to spread the manure. Course the
Poms like to pile it so they get that mythical thing "well rotted manure".
Piling it concentrates the stuff.

Have you tried adding a pinch of trace
elements when you'd done your bed preparation? Or even a one off
application of packet chemical stuff at the start.

don't know anything about that stuff even if inclined, so no.

I would recommend it. Your soil is lacking in nutrients and some of the
trace elements are very important for plant growth. I have a bottle of
trace elements (about the size of a mid size Vegemite jar) and I've had it
for at least a decade. I never used to use it but started to give the beds
a dash of it once a year and I'm convinced it has made a difference to
overall health and performance. When I do my Spring fertilising of 9 parts
(I use old kitchen cup measures and measure 2 and a quarter cups) Blood and
Bone and 1 part Sulphate of Potash (quarter of a cup) I add about a
teaspoon of the trace elements.

i've been
adding in blood & bone periodically as well as keeping the mulch going,
and have even been organised enough to have limed a few times! :-)
oh well, thanks farmie.

Most welcome. Must be about time for the annual Axe murderer's lunch????

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...

The International gardening ngs have been full of articles about horse
poop contaminated with a herbicide used for pasture. Apparently this
herbicide can be residual in horse poop and will especially kill or stunt
things like tomatoes or potatoes (these two being particularly sensitive).
No mentions so far of greens having a problem by being stunted or bubbly,
but the description of one plant doing well and one only a few inches away
doing very poorly is similar to the probs people have experienced.

hm, and "eww".

mind you, have had the good plant/dud plant dichotomy going on ever since i
began gardening, so the possible reasons might be endless!

The 2 herbicides (control of broadleaf weeds) are Aminopyralid and
Clopyralid. I know they are used here as my husband has some of
herbicides for paddock use where these are the active ingredient - bloody
good stuff for the weeds that need knocking too. The Poms have banned
them for no good reason that I can see other than the sale of contaminated
horse poop to gardeners.

That 'may' be a factor but even if it is, don't worry about it as the
recommended way for it to disappear is to spread the manure. Course the
Poms like to pile it so they get that mythical thing "well rotted manure".
Piling it concentrates the stuff.

Have you tried adding a pinch of trace
elements when you'd done your bed preparation? Or even a one off
application of packet chemical stuff at the start.

don't know anything about that stuff even if inclined, so no.

I would recommend it. Your soil is lacking in nutrients and some of the
trace elements are very important for plant growth. I have a bottle of
trace elements (about the size of a mid size Vegemite jar) and I've had it
for at least a decade. I never used to use it but started to give the
beds a dash of it once a year and I'm convinced it has made a difference
to overall health and performance. When I do my Spring fertilising of 9
parts (I use old kitchen cup measures and measure 2 and a quarter cups)
Blood and Bone and 1 part Sulphate of Potash (quarter of a cup) I add
about a teaspoon of the trace elements.

ok, thank you :-)

i've been
adding in blood & bone periodically as well as keeping the mulch going,
and have even been organised enough to have limed a few times! :-)
oh well, thanks farmie.

Most welcome. Must be about time for the annual Axe murderer's lunch????

i think it must be getting on for that time!!
/heads out to sharpen axe
kylie