Silver Patches on Leaves (aka another courgette question!)

[vikkib]

Is this normal?!!

My courgette leaves have loads of silvery patches along the veins and I'm worried they've got something nasty!

The plants seem to be very healthy though and do need potting on which I swear I will do today!



*edit* they are Astia F1, grown from seed, from Wilkinson, btw! */edit*

[Capsid]

That's normal, could be a bit of mildew but it's unavoidable for courgettes. They look very healthy otherwise so no need for concern.

[vikkib]

Thanks, Caspid!

Panic over... well this particular panic anyway!

[zazen999]

Aye, I just lob any dodgy looking leaves off as they grow, they always seem to survive. Are you watering from the bottom and keeping all moisture off the leaves [impossible when the greenhouse gets steamed up I know...]

[BarleySugar]

Courgette leaves are often silvery in places, I think it's to do with the variety, and quite natural. Powedery mildew doesn't usually start until Aug or so, when the plant is older, at least in my garden.

[vikkib]

Aye, I just lob any dodgy looking leaves off as they grow, they always seem to survive. Are you watering from the bottom and keeping all moisture off the leaves [impossible when the greenhouse gets steamed up I know...]

I am watering from the bottom and there doesn't tend to be any moisture on the leaves.

I've been hardening them off for the last couple of weeks; 6-7 days (no nights) in a mini, walk in, greenhouse with the door rolled up and am now leaving them outside during the day and bringing them in at night. I've been doing the latter for about 4 days. So I'm not sure how any moisture would be getting on them.

The silvery patches started appearing when I started hardening them off but this may have just been coincidence.

The patches aren't powdery (i.e. they don't come off when rubbed) and the underside of the leaves look normal.

I'm a bit concerned about lopping the leaves off as so many seem to be effected. I've got three plants on the go though so could try it with one and see how it fairs?

[taff]

I'd lop them off if they turned yellow, but those leaves look fine to me.

[PAULW]

Looks like mosaic virus very common on courgettes but it doesn't affect the crop you can have one with it and its next door neighbours are clean.

[seasprout]

I blew up your picture and had a good look, its perfectly normal.

If it was Mosaic virus it would be more yellow and the plant would start to distort.

Fret not.!

[vikkib]

Thanks everyone!

I'll pot them on and see how they fare.

I managed to get some 14 litre buckets from Wickes yesterday for 95p so I'm going to be drilling holes as soon as it's late enough for the neighbours not to complain about the noise!

[snohare]

I don't know about mosaic virus, but given that it appeared when you started hardening them off (which is basically building up leaf defences against foliar damage) I think it may be the process of the cuticle thickening has started at the veins, and is most noticeable there because it has continued to thicken until the whole leaf has it. I have the feeling I've seen this even worse once in the past when there was lots of hot sunlight on a stressed plant.
It is the right colour for the cuticle cells, they are translucent in order to let in UV light. Take a wee scrape and look at it down a cheapo microscope, you'd be able to see for sure - they are large cells.
Just a guess though !