I actually got out into the garden this morning and inspected the crop, first time I've gotten to look at them closely since 2 July. Some interesting things have developed, one exciting, and one that isn't so wonderful.
Here's the crop:
Florida Sumatra:
Argentina:
Small Stalk Blk Mammoth:
Small Stalk Blk Mammoth supplemental planting:
And the exciting development of the first bud....Small Stalk Blk Mammoth:
Long Red Leaf:
Long Red Leaf supplemental planting:
And now for the not-so-good development. There is a nasty looking discoloration appearing of a few leaves of the Long Red and Small Stock. I'm trying to identify it but haven't been able to yet. I suspect it is some type of mold, blue tobacco mold perhaps. I'm not sure how it developed since all watering is done at the ground level and the leaves are not wetted. The only wetting of the leaves that takes place is during feeding, which is only done on a weekly basis.
Here are some examples of the discoloration:
Small Stalk Blk mammoth discoloration
Small Stalk Black mammoth discoloration 2
Long Red Leaf discoloration
All in all I think the crop is progressing nicely. I was surprised to see the bud and concerned to see the appearance of the "disease" or whatever it is. I"m off to try and research and find out what, if anything, can be done about it. I'll update the post when I find out exactly what it is.
ETA: The damage is due to sun-scald.....the leaves give up too much moisture during the hot part of the day and wilt, causing the damage. Only way to prevent is to use a floating row cover to filter the sun-shine or plant drought resistant varieties. Shouldn't affect anything other than the yield.
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