Dying Vegetable Plants :(

[cardiffsteve]

What wood would that be Steve? You told me off for calling you Wood Eye

Ms Fennel I would never tell anyone off.

[jdlondon]

Water on leaves magnifying heat - wow. I never knew that. I'm pretty sure in the past that I've watered on leaves on a hot day because I was thinking it would cool them down, just like it would cool me down. Who woulda thunk?!

Note to self - plants and people, two different things.

[Two_Sheds]

Water on leaves magnifying heat

It's another gardening myth: Sunburnt plants 'myth' is debunked - Telegraph

"However ... the team found that leaves with small wax hairs are susceptible to leaf burn. This is because the hairs can hold the water droplets in focus above the leaf’s surface, acting as a magnifying glass" source

[jdlondon]

Good to know. And ever since my run-in with powdery mildew, I'm going to be careful anyway when it comes to watering.

[Two_Sheds]

Powdery Mildew is hard to avoid: just try and keep susceptible plants well watered

[Potstubsdustbins]

Actually the experts have not said that sunburn/scorch doesn't happen, thats just a journo looking for a headline.

What they really said was "The most likely times for sunburn to occur were actually early morning or late afternoon when the sun is lower"

Therefore sunburn/scorch can happen. If you then extrapolate the thesis sunburn/scorch is more likely to happen at this time of year due to the sun being lower in the sky in the northern hemisphere.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

^ but why though? What's the science bit?

[Potstubsdustbins]

The science is contained in the article refered to by the journo, the only thing they are on about is that the old adage about watering at midday is wrong not that sunburn/scorch doesn't happen.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

I read the article, but I still can't see the explanation, just the conclusion.

" the most likely times for sunburn to occur were actually early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is lower, rather than at midday when it is at its highest and hottest."

but ...

"When water droplets were placed on leaves ...then left out in the sun at various times of the day until the water had evaporated, they found no evidence of leaf burn."

[jdlondon]

.... rather than at midday when it is at its highest and hottest."

So strange. But then again, with the 'no evidence' thing as well, it's pretty obvious some other factor/s is involved, probably something like pressure or ozone or wind or hell, magnetic forces etc etc! All quite fascinating really.

[Gemmalaveen]

I have had my peppers and chillis, plus toms and 3 gherkins and one serpent squash in pots in my unheated greenhouse - sat in seed trays for 3 weeks now - and I have 2 panes of glass still missing. I fleeced them for a few nights but they all seem fine out there. They were hardened off for a few days before they went out at night.

You are much braver than I am... I moved all my seedlings to a workshop at the end of the garden (huge south-facing window) only to bring them all back in to my sun room a week or two ago when the weather dropped to -4C. I am too scared I will lose all my green kids! I am giving it until the end of this week.