| I noticed that a couple of marigolds have developed brown, sort of brittle leaves that come off with a slight pull. I had lost one of my plants already because of the same thing. They are in a well drained pot, and get plenty of water and Miracle-Gro. Help! What is happening, or could I be doing wrong? |
| There are several possibilities for what you are describing. Here are some common ones. One is that there is physical damage to the leaf, such as caused by knocking it with a hose or a dog wagging its tail against it. Another is that the liquid fertilizer has been misapplied, either at too high a concentration or at too high a temperature, causing tissue damage. The most common reasons would be a watering problem or a rooting problem. Make sure when you water that the soil is being watered rather than the water running down between the soil and the side of the pot. Finally, sometimes an annual will simply fail to root into the potting soil. This can happen if the plant was rootbound or water stressed prior to planting, if there was severe root damage during the transplanting process, or if the soil is too dry -- sometimes the original soil that came with the plant dries out much faster than the potting soil in the new container at home. |
