Beet leaves are purple. Why beet leaves turn yellow, redden, curl and wither. Why do beet leaves turn yellow and red?

When growing beets, gardeners have little trouble - water, weed and thin out. Further, the vegetable grows on its own and you can not look at the beds until harvest. On the other hand, problems that have arisen can not be missed for long, which can significantly reduce the number of root crops and worsen their quality. One of these common problems is a change in the color of the tops. In healthy bushes, the petioles are red and the leaves are green, but sometimes the red color begins to pass to the leaf plate.

Why the beet leaves turn red and what to do about it depends on the specific reasons for this phenomenon. Most often these include:

• lack of trace elements;
• increased acidity of the soil.

nutritional deficiency

Beet tops are an indicator of plant health. As soon as it begins to experience a lack of trace elements, this immediately affects the leaves. By the nature of the changes, it is possible to establish what specific substance the beets need:

1. Sodium deficiency. Outwardly healthy juicy leaves turn red. Solution to the problem: water the plantings directly on top with a solution of kitchen salt (250 g per bucket of water).
2. Phosphorus deficiency. The leaves first fade, then turn dark, and then turn red. Solution to the problem: add superphosphate to the beds.
3. Potassium deficiency. The green color of the tops gradually disappears, and it is replaced by a rich dark red hue, while the leaves curl. Solution to the problem: feed the beets.

It is important to establish exactly what substance the beets lack, because an excess of trace elements will also affect the future harvest.

Acidity

Beet tops turn red even if the soil on which it is grown has an increased level of acidity. Beets grow well and bear fruit only in neutral soils.

You can also check the acidity of the earth in a folk way. To do this, moisten a handful of soil, roll it into a cake and pour a little vinegar on top. The appearance of bubbles indicates that the earth is alkaline.

If nothing happened, make another cake and sprinkle it with regular soda. With increased acidity, it will hiss, with neutral - there will be no reaction.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, add to the site at the rate of 100 g of the substance for each square meter of area.

Beetroot is considered an unpretentious garden crop in cultivation. But still, gardeners are faced with such a problem as red leaves on a plant.

Why do beet leaves turn red what to do

Most often, this phenomenon occurs in case of stunting, and also if the root crop does not form and the tops do not develop. Red leaves occur during the period of growing seedlings and already on planted beds.

If redness along the stems occurred on the sprouts while still in seedlings, then this could happen for the following reasons:
- you purchased a planting mix with the addition of sea sand, not river sand. This indicates the poisoning of the entire plant, while the roots suffer the most. In such a situation, transplanting into soil with a different composition and washing the root system will help.

Lack of moisture can lead to discoloration. To do this, check the degree of moisture and change the irrigation pattern.

Excessive fertilizer can be bad for beets. The finished soil already includes the required amount of fertilizer, and gardeners add them again. As a result of this, the plant may be poisoned, and its leaves will turn red or even wither. Overfeeding can be solved by transferring to a different soil or washing the old one with running water.
Redness in the open field occurs due to the following reasons:

1. Acidic soil
The most common cause of problems in growing beets is an obstruction in the absorption of essential components from the soil. Not all levels of soil acidity are suitable for beetroot growth. In such a situation, the tops turn red, the leaves grow small, and the tubers grow small, while they have a bad taste and are quite hard.
Therefore, it is necessary to determine the level of soil acidity. This is very easy to do. You will need baking soda and vinegar. Then take a handful of earth, moisten a little and make a cake out of it. Pour vinegar on the surface of this cake and wait for the result. If the soil is alkaline, then bubbles should appear, if this does not happen, then the soil is neutral or acidic. Make a second cake and sprinkle soda on it. When a reaction occurs, the soil is acidic.

To deoxidize the soil at home, you need to fertilize the soil and treat it with an ash solution before planting a crop.

To eliminate such a problem, it is necessary to fertilize the soil and treat it with an ash solution before planting a crop. So that the soil is not acidic, you need to add ash depending on the pH level. Most often, 100 grams of solution are taken per square meter.

For beets, soil with neutral acidity is suitable.

2. Lack of phosphorus and potassium.

As a result of a deficiency of these elements, the tops grow dull and dark, at the beginning it gets a slightly greenish tint of color, and then the leaves of the vegetable turn red. With a catastrophic lack of phosphorus, you need to choose the right fertilizers added to the soil. To do this, you need a solution of slurry in a ratio of 1 to 10 or bird droppings (1:20). You can also feed with a lack of these elements with superphosphate.

Top dressing of the soil with superphosphates with a lack of phosphorus and potassium in the soil

Beetroot leaves turn red and immediately curl, this indicates a lack of potassium. You can correct the situation with potash fertilizers, as well as wood ash.

3. Lack of manganese and magnesium

The deficiency of these elements leads to the fact that the leaves of the beets turn red, which is missing, you need to fix it with top dressing.

4. Lack of sodium.

The leaves of the root crop have changed color, possibly due to insufficient sodium. You can change the situation by watering with saline. For the preparation of which you need 250 gr. A liter of solution is consumed per meter of land. If the beet leaves turn red than you already know how to water, but it is important to process the leaves with the prepared solution, and not try to water the root itself.

If you decide to water with saline, you should be 100% aware of why the red beet leaves turn red. If you are unsure, excess sodium can reduce crop yields.

5. Top dressing.

With excessive feeding, the tops turn red at the beginning, then dry out.

Beet top dressing

There are several reasons for the reddening of the leaves and the cessation of beet growth. But you need to fix the problem only after the cause is precisely determined. If you do not pay any attention to this process, then you risk losing the crop.
If elementary methods are used in time, then it is possible to exclude the appearance of redness on seedlings and on already planted plants in the ground. If you know that the summer cottage has an increased level of acidity, then it is better to add lime in advance. Preventive measures will help in the future not to fight diseases of the culture, preventing their development.

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, beetroot was used for medicinal purposes, namely its roots, leaves and tops. In the vastness of our country, culture gained fame in the 10th century. In terms of iron content, beet ranks second, followed by garlic. Beets have always been considered an unpretentious garden crop. Even if you take care of her to a minimum, she will not cause much trouble to summer residents, but, nevertheless, under some circumstances, problems with the plant can happen.

Reasons why leaves turn red

A variety of infections contribute to the fact that the yield of the root crop can be reduced by an order of magnitude. If you do not make any attempts to restore the garden crop, you can lose up to 80% of the crop. To avoid mass losses, it is important to study the symptoms of possible diseases. This data will help to detect the first signs in a timely manner and quickly take appropriate measures.

Reddening of the leaves can often be observed both at the peak of seedling growth and in open space. With the first option, the reasons can be very diverse. For example, instead of the necessary river sand, sea sand was accidentally mixed into the ground. In this case, it is recommended to quickly transplant the beets, and rinse the root system carefully and thoroughly with running water.

Another reason for redness can be top dressing added to the soil mixture. An excess of trace elements predisposes the tops of seedlings, first to redness, and then to complete drought. If the reddening of beet leaves has become noticeable already in the open field, then the reasons that could cause this problem, in this case, can be much more. So, a small amount of phosphate fertilizer. It is not difficult to solve this problem, you just need to add the necessary drug to the land. For example, it can be superphosphates.

The next reason is the increased acidity of the soil layer. Oxidized soil will prevent the garden crop from absorbing the necessary top dressing and minerals. Therefore, the beets do not grow, and the tops gradually become purple-red. Beets will be able to give a full-fledged rich harvest only if the soil has a neutral acidity index. This problem can be solved with the help of ash, which should be well sprinkled on the ground under planted crops. You can also use an ash solution, getting it by combining several glasses of ash with 10 liters of water. An important note will be the fact that the solution must be thoroughly mixed before watering, otherwise the beets will not receive the phosphorus contained in the sediment. In addition, beet leaves should be poured with a solution of salt water in the following proportion: a glass of salt per 10 liters of liquid.

Many gardeners believe that honey or dolomite flour will help reduce acidity, but this is not entirely true. These substances have a delayed action effect, which is why it is recommended to introduce them into the soil in the autumn.

One of the most unpretentious garden crops, it does not require special growing conditions. But beets also have enemies - pests and pathogens that can not only ruin the crop in the garden, but also destroy the stocks harvested on. Beet diseases can affect both the root crop and the leaves. It doesn’t matter which side the trouble came from, in any case, the whole plant as a whole suffers.

The fight against diseases is carried out in two directions: preventive and curative. Any problem is easier to prevent than to eliminate, so prevention should be given maximum attention.

How to protect the future crop from diseases?

Prevention of any beet disease is a complex event. It lasts from the moment the seeds are selected until the harvest for the winter. Includes:

• selection of varieties with high disease resistance;
• fertilizing plants with fertilizers;
• proper care;
• timely harvesting, taking into account weather conditions;
• inspection of root crops before laying in storage.

Competent agricultural technology and timely top dressing will make beets practically invulnerable to infectious agents. Well, if trouble did occur, it is important to know how to get out of the situation with the least losses.

Beet diseases: signs, causes

Any gardener will benefit from information about the most common beet diseases (with photo) and the fight against them.

There are brown spots on beets. What is this?

The beets are almost ready to be harvested, but suddenly the leaves, and then the fruits, begin to become covered with brown spots. These are the signs phomosis- fungal disease of beets. During storage, infected root crops not only deteriorate themselves, but also spread the infection among healthy ones.

The first manifestations of phomosis are hardly noticeable: small, slightly elongated spots on the leaves can be overlooked. But at this time, the fungus already penetrates the plant and all the beets disappear.

Proper crop rotation, disinfection of planting material and fertilizing with potash fertilizers at the final stage of the growing season will help to avoid this insidious beet disease, which can destroy the entire winter stock during storage. Sick plants are treated with fungicidal agents.

By the way, the appearance of small spots on the leaves can also be caused by improper watering (sunburn due to the bright sun) or an overdose of fertilizers. It is necessary to moisten the beets in the evening and correctly calculate the dosage of the applied top dressing.

Why do beetroots lighten and dry young leaves?

If you observe the following picture on your beets: the leaves selectively lighten, and then twist down and dry out, then the culture is infected downy mildew or false. This fungal disease can be identified by a greyish-purple bloom on the underside of light-colored leaves. Peronosporosis is provoked by prolonged rains and prolonged cooling.

If there are signs of this beet disease, then treatment should be started immediately. Options for remedies for peronosporosis:

• Bordeaux liquid at a concentration of 1%;
• copper oxychloride - 50 g per 10 l. water.

The composition is used for spraying immediately after the detection of infection and ten days later.

It is possible to prevent fungal diseases of sugar beets and canteens by presowing seed treatment using formalin, as well as observing crop rotation (do not plant beets in one place more than once every three years).

Beet seedlings die, not having time to grow. What's up with them?

Sometimes young fodder beets die in this way. Diseases that cause this condition are called root beetle. Root beetle is provoked by microorganisms living in moist, heavy clay soils. In waterlogged conditions, seedlings often suffer from this trouble. Regular loosening of row spacing is the best prevention of root beetles. With such a simple action, you can save the harvest from this disease of sugar beets and table varieties.

Why are there brown spots with red edges on the leaves?

Among the fungal diseases that are primarily affected by sugar and fodder beet, diseases cercosporosis also worth paying attention to. Signs - reddening of areas of leaf blades. Most often, the disease affects beets overgrown with weeds. Leaf diseases (photo of manifestations of cercosporosis below) progress rapidly, as a result of which the plant is left without foliage and dies.

Keeping beet beds clean, timely weeding and fertilizing the soil is the best way to avoid this trouble.

The petioles of the beet leaves turn black. What's up with them?

If the leaf petioles turn black at the base, dig up the root crop and inspect it. Cracks covered with white bloom will definitely indicate Fusarium rot. A similar picture occurs when brown rot is affected, only in this case the plaque will be brown.

Soil deoxidation with lime, chalk, and drainage of areas with stagnant water can protect against rot. Complex top dressing should be enriched with boron. Regular deep loosening of row spacings is also of great importance. If an infected plant appears on the bed, it should be immediately removed from there and destroyed (burned).

Beet pests

What other pests and diseases of sugar beet, fodder and canteen are found on farms? These are beet and mining flies, beet aphids, flea beetles and shield beetles.
ON THE PICTURE:

All these pests affect the leaves, in particular:

• yellow beet fly larvae eat through leaves;
• white larvae of the mining fly act similarly;
• beet aphid sucks the juice from the petioles, from which the nutrition of the leaf is disturbed and it dies;
• the flea lives in beet roots, its larvae feed on thin roots;
• the beet shield-bearer looks like a bug, the insect damages the seedlings and leaves of adult plants.

Pests die as a result of preventive measures, such as weeding and deep autumn digging of beds. As control measures, you can use a decoction of onion peel or special insecticides.

Knowing about the most common sugar beet diseases and measures to combat them, you can quickly and accurately diagnose, begin medical work and achieve complete victory over pests or infection.

Do not forget about the most important thing: only weakened beets are affected! Diseases and pests are not able to defeat the natural immunity of a healthy plant.

Good harvests!

Beet leaves turn red - why is this happening and what to do

Beets are unpretentious in cultivation, but if the rules of agricultural technology are not followed, the leaves may turn red. Such cultures lag behind in growth and develop incorrectly.

Immediately, we note that the reddening of the leaves of beets is not always a sign of any disease. In some varieties (Sugar and Burgundy), the tops turn red as a result of frequent and abundant watering. Usually such vegetables are poorly stored, but this redness does not affect the quality and quantity of the crop. Therefore, if the plant develops normally, there is nothing to worry about. But if there is a lag in growth, you need to identify the cause as soon as possible and eliminate it.

Reason 1: acidic soil
This is the most common cause of beet tops turning red. The culture prefers soils with neutral acidity, therefore, before sowing seeds, acidic soil must be limed (spill with a thoroughly mixed ash solution - 2-3 cups of wood ash per 10 liters of water). And in the fall, for digging, it is recommended to add chalk or dolomite flour to the soil (450-500 g per 1 sq.m).

Soil liming

Liming the soil will not only reduce acidity, but also help the beets absorb phosphorus - an important element necessary for the proper development of this plant.

Reason 2: lack of nutrients
Redness in beet greens can be caused by a lack of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, or sodium. So, with a deficiency of phosphorus, the aerial part of the plant first acquires a dark green color, and after some time it becomes red.

With a lack of potassium, the tops also become dark red (especially at the edges), and in severe cases, they get sick and dry out. This disease is often referred to as marginal necrosis.

With a lack of magnesium, the tops turn brown and twist upwards, a deficiency of manganese and sodium also leads to reddening of the incised part of the plant.

Regular top dressing will help to fill in the missing elements in the soil. To eliminate the deficiency of magnesium and manganese, it is recommended to use a solution of slurry (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20). At the same time, the fertilizer consumption is 1 liter per 1 running meter.

Beet top dressing

Beets need properly fertilized soils with neutral acidity

Also, fertilizing with lime and potassium is useful for beets: 200 g of lime and 80 g of potassium chloride are dissolved in 10 liters of water, everything is thoroughly mixed and the plants are watered every 14 days at the rate of 1 liter of solution per 1 running meter. Feeding is stopped when signs of nutrient deficiency disappear.

To eliminate sodium deficiency, you need to add table salt to the water for irrigation (at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). And the lack of phosphorus is compensated with superphosphate at a dosage of 30-40 g per 1 sq.m.

Please note: with an excess of micro and macro elements, beet leaves may also turn red. Therefore, correctly observe the dosage of applied fertilizers.

Reason 3: beet cercosporosis
This problem is more difficult to deal with than the previous ones. If the beet leaves did not just turn red, a border appeared on their edges, and the entire leaf plate was covered with brown-burgundy dry spots, gradually turning into holes, then the plant was attacked by a fungal disease - cercosporosis.

Beet cercosporosis

Symptoms of beet cercosporosis

This disease affects both sugar and fodder beets. Most often it manifests itself in the second half of summer in wet weather. The fungus can cut the yield by almost half. Therefore, it is important to start treatment on time and not forget about preventive measures.

Before sowing, soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate. After germination, 3-4 times during the growing season, spray the plantings with any fungicide, and once every 10-14 days, treat with copper-containing preparations (for example, a 1% solution of copper sulphate).