Passion fruit (Passiflora Edulis, grown from seed) problem

[nexxogen]

Hello everyone. Some of the leaves on my passion have started to look like this. I've searched the net, but was unable to determine the cause by comparing with the very few pictures I found. Could someone help me with identifying what might be happening to my vine?

[spiritprof]

It looks like the pH of your soil is off.  This can cause certain nutrients to lock out and become unavailable for uptake, which appears as several deficiencies in your plant at once.  There are inexpensive meters for testing soil pH, or you can test the pH of your runoff with a standard meter and go from there.  I recommend getting a meter that can test pH and ppm.  Ideal pH for passiflora edulis in soil is 6.2-6.4; it likes slightly acidic conditions.  Increase pH by adding dolomite lime (mix into topsoil), decrease pH with diluted fertilizer applications.  This doesn't look like fertilizer burn, but if you've been applying a lot of nutrients lately, you may want to check ppm runoff as well (flush with water to fix).  Also make sure you soil is draining well, sometimes adding some coarse perlite to your mix can help a lot - this has helped me in the past with several types of passiflora.  Are these in the ground or in pots?  Hope this helps!

[nexxogen]

Thank you spiritprof for the detailed answer!

To answer your questions.

Chicken manure has been applied  to the plants maybe about 3 weeks ago.
The plants are in pots. How could I add perlite without damaging the roots?

So pH might be both too low or to high? I have a 3 in 1 pH meter like in the picture below, but it doesn't seem to work. It's always stuck between 7 and 8, no matter where I put it. Or am I doing it wrong?
And what is that "ppm runoff", and how to I check for it?

[bsbullie]

Hiw much manure was added to each pot, size if pots, and was it composted?

[nexxogen]

We added about 150 grams of manure, stirred into water to each pot. And yes, it was composted.

I'm not sure about the exact dimensions of the pots, but I estimate them to be between 40 and 50 gallons.

[spiritprof]

When did this problem start, and how big were the plants when it happened? I know you mentioned you grew from seed.  If your pots are 40-50 gal each, how big were the plants when you put them in?  Could be they were too small when you transplanted.  Answer these and I should be able to help more.

As for the meter, that's an older analog meter, which sadly is unreliable.  There is an inexpensive digital one on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Rapitest-1835-Luster-Digital-Analyzer/dp/B007Z0LTH6/

ppm is "parts per million" which is a TDS reading (total dissolved solids, amount of nutrients in your water), testing the runoff refers to meters that test liquids instead of soil (which most do, though they cost more).  You can test the water that runs out of the bottom of your pots for pH and ppm to diagnose most problems, which is what I typically do.

If you have the funds, I always suggest gardeners using pots to invest in a nice combo pH/TDS meter that can be calibrated, preferably one where the electrode can be replaced.  If you like I can dig up a listing or to for you.

[nexxogen]

The plants were planted from seed last summer. They definitely were small for pots that big when they were transplanted (which happened last September if I remember correctly), about 8 inches tall, or so. They weren't showing any signs of problems, but then came winter. We had a very cold spur where the temperatures went down to 20F at certain parts of the town, which didn't happen in a long time. Normally, the temperatures here rarely go below freezing. Luckily, we have a huge balcony and the vines were positioned next to a south facing wall and were covered in protective fabric for the duration of the spur, and ended up with minor leaf damage, which was amazing imo. They started growing again when the warmer weather came, and they've developed this problem only recently, maybe 20 days ago or so.

Here's a photo from May 23rd. Now, they are about 26 inches tall.

[spiritprof]

Ok thanks for the back story, very helpful.  Based on the timeline it looks like the problem started right after you added the chicken manure.  Willing to bet the pH of the resulting mixture was too low (chicken manure is very acidic).  Chicken manure is a great fertilizer but it lacks some key micronutrients.  My best guess is that you should mix 1-2 tablespoons dolomite lime into your top 1-2 inches of soil then water - this will raise pH slightly while adding calcium and magnesium.  However, before doing so I highly suggest you verify the pH of your soil.  If in fact your pH is too low (under 6.2), then dose with dolomite and re check pH every 2 waterings.  If you need any further help just private message me.

Cheers,
Jon

[nexxogen]

Ok thanks for the back story, very helpful.  Based on the timeline it looks like the problem started right after you added the chicken manure.  Willing to bet the pH of the resulting mixture was too low (chicken manure is very acidic).  Chicken manure is a great fertilizer but it lacks some key micronutrients.  My best guess is that you should mix 1-2 tablespoons dolomite lime into your top 1-2 inches of soil then water - this will raise pH slightly while adding calcium and magnesium.  However, before doing so I highly suggest you verify the pH of your soil.  If in fact your pH is too low (under 6.2), then dose with dolomite and re check pH every 2 waterings.  If you need any further help just private message me.

Cheers,
Jon

Thanks Jon. I've sent you a private message.

[greenman62]

when using your PH meter, did you wet the soil ?
i had a similar meter, and i failed to get readings until i started to wet the soil
gotta make sure the water isnt too acidic or alkaline though. distilled works.

i am also wondering if the  plant was getting an even amount of sun
maybe it was sunburn ?

here is a rough PH test.

DIY Soil pH Test: How To Test Soil Acidity/Alkalinity without a Test Kit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcIUo_cE8yM

[BajaJohn]

Here are some household items you can check your meter with...

Lemon Juice 2.0
Vinegar 2.2
Apples 3.0
Wine and Beer 4.0
Tomatoes 4.5
Milk 6.6
Pure Water 7.0
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) 8.3
Milk of Magnesia 10.5
Ammonia 11.0
Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) 12.4

[nexxogen]

Thanks guys. Yes, I did wet the soil. Not only that, but I've tried dipping it in water only and no matter what, the pH always stays the same. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work. I'll be buying a digital pH meter for sure.

[junglevulture]

This looks an awful lot like a chemical burn, possibly from Chlorine.

[nexxogen]

This looks an awful lot like a chemical burn, possibly from Chlorine.

Unless there's chlorine in the chicken manure, there's no way it's that, because we haven't added any chemicals at all.

[shot]

mg magnesium

[junglevulture]

If its in a pot still, is the source of water you are giving it chlorinated?

[nexxogen]

Could be, but we keep that water in open bottles for 24 hours before using it to water plants. But in case that is the issue, how do I fix it?

[Viking Guy]

Does not look like chlorine burn, but I will tell you an easy fix.

Go to Wal-Mart and hit the RV section in the back near sporting goods.  They carry hoses and hose line filters designed for filtering water for human consumption.

Attached one of those inline filters to your water source and run your hose from that directly.  Viola.

No more chlorine touching your waterings

[nexxogen]

Unfortunately, I don't live in the USA.

[nexxogen]

So I measured the pH and it's 6.78. Can this value cause problems with nutrient absorption? It's not perfect but it doesn't seem to be that bad.

[Lory]

Could be, but we keep that water in open bottles for 24 hours before using it to water plants. But in case that is the issue, how do I fix it?

Letting the water still in open bottle for 24 hours is absolutely NOT enough to get rid of problem.
Apart from chlorine there are tens of different disinfectants used to treat tap water nad most of them are chlorine and bromine based so TOXIC to plants.
I strongly advice you to take the easier solution: collect rain water and use it for watering your plants.
This will save you A LOT of problems.
By the way I'm italian i was in Bar several times, the climate is lovely, you will be successful in growig your passiflora as soon as you will protect it from winter cold, expect to get fruit in less than a couple of years, goodluck! 

[nexxogen]

Thank you for the advice Lorenzo. I will see what I can do.

[sildanani]

Unfortunately, I don't live in the USA.

Could you buy on eBay? Internet has everything lol.

[nexxogen]

Unfortunately, I don't live in the USA.

Could you buy on eBay? Internet has everything lol.

Yep, but hoses are kinda large, so I would expect a pretty big shipment price, and also, everything more expensive than 50 euros is subject to customs here, so that's some extra cost and in the end it's not worth it unfortunately.

[noochka1]

You can purchase a cheap countertop water distiller from Amazon or elsewhere in your area.  They work great.