Beets are a fairly unpretentious vegetable. However, it often makes the gardener worry when growing. One of the fairly common reasons for concern may be the sudden redness of the tops. In this article we will tell you what to do if beet leaves turn red depending on various reasons, and whether it is worth sounding the alarm at all.
Reasons for redness of beet tops 2. How to restore the green color of foliage 2.1. What to do if there is a lack of plant nutrition 2.2. How to water beets correctly so that they don’t turn red 2.3. How to deal with diseases that cause redness of the tops 2.4. What to do if the tops change color due to high acidity
Photo by ru.depositphotos: Determine the cause of redness of the tops before treatment.
Are burgundy or red leaves a problem?
A change in the color of a plant’s leaf blade from green to red, in whole or in part, indicates poor care, a lack of nutrients in the soil, or the presence of various types of lesions. The cause can be determined by the nature of this change, since it is very indicative of one or another influencing factor.
Depending on the damaging factor, the appearance of the tops will differ. In some varieties (for example, Burgundy, Sugar and some others), redness of the ground part is a signal of too much watering. This does not affect the growth and development of the root crop, but it does affect subsequent storage.
Causes of leaf color change
Red beet leaves can be caused by cultivar selection. In most cases, this feature is indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging, so before planting you should study the description of the features of the garden crop.
There are quite a few reasons why leaves may turn red. In most cases, the source of the problem should be sought in the quality of the soil or human actions. The most common causes of red leaves in beets are:
- increased soil acidity;
- deficiency of minerals in the soil;
- plant diseases;
- excessive nutrition of the plant;
- abundant watering.
A lack of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium in the soil leads to the problem of reddening of the leaves. The problem arises not only when the plant is undernourished, but also when the plant is fed excessively. In this case, the root vegetables become heavily filled with juice, and some of it ends up in the leaves. To eliminate a problem, you need to correctly determine the cause of its occurrence.
Why did the leaves turn red?
A general change in the color of the tops is often characteristic of excessive watering or a lack of organic matter or mineral nutrition. Less often, the foliage may turn red due to an overabundance of fertilizers and a kind of poisoning of the beets. When red patterns appear, sometimes with points of necrosis, it is worth thinking about the damage to the crop by fungal invasions. Let us tell you in more detail why the leaves turn red and why the beets do not grow.
Soil acidity
The most common cause of redness is increased soil acidity. Beets react seriously to any changes in the acid-base composition of the substrate on which they grow.
You can check this parameter using table vinegar and soda. The products are applied separately to damp clods of earth. If the soil foams under soda, then this indicates an acidic environment, and if under vinegar, this indicates leaching. A neutral medium will not give a reaction in both cases.
Reference
Beets grow well in neutral or slightly alkaline soil.
Lack of substances
Lack of mineral and/or organic substances is the second reason for redness and poor growth of beets. Growth during such starvation slows down and productivity decreases. A lack of minerals can cause a serious decrease in the quality of root crops, including complete loss of the crop. Changes in shade depend on what the plant lacks:
- When phosphorus is deficient, the leaves darken, then turn purple-red throughout the leaf.
- Potassium deficiency is characterized by redness of the leaf along the edges.
- A lack of manganese is expressed, in addition to a change in shade, in the curling of the sheets upward.
Important
Before applying fertilizers, you should make sure that the cause of redness is a deficiency, and not an excess of chemical elements.
If after fertilizing the color does not return to normal, you should think about re-fertilizing the soil. Mineral poisoning has the same negative impact on the quality of root vegetables as their deficiency.
Beetroot diseases
Fungal infections of leaves, or mycoses, are expressed in very characteristic color changes in beet tops. A striking example is cercospora blight, in which the edge of the leaf turns red, and dark spots appear along the leaf blade, followed by the formation of necrosis at the site of their occurrence. With ascochyta blight, the foliage is initially covered with blue-green spots, which gradually turn brown and die. You can read more about beet diseases here.
Pests
The tops of beetroot rarely turn red due to attack by pests. More often, when foliage is damaged by aphids, beet flies or weevils, it turns yellow and gradually dies, and often does not grow. Redness with clear signs of parasites is often associated with loss of nutrients.
Improper care
Improper selection of soil and the introduction of sea sand into the ground can be the reasons for the change in leaf color to red. Excessive fertilizing and watering also have an effect. The bright red foliage of beets clearly signals poisoning by mineral fertilizers and salts contained in sea sand.
Redness of beet tops: what is the reason and how to deal with it
When growing beets, gardeners have little trouble - watering, weeding and thinning. Then the vegetable grows on its own and you don’t have to look at the beds until harvesting. On the other hand, it won’t be long before problems arise that can significantly reduce the quantity of root crops and deteriorate their quality. One of these common problems is the tops changing their color. Healthy bushes have red petioles and green leaves, but sometimes the red color begins to transfer to the leaf blade.
Why beet leaves turn red and what to do about it depends on the specific reasons for this phenomenon. Most often these include:
- lack of microelements;
- increased soil acidity.
Lack of nutrition
Beet tops are an indicator of plant health. As soon as it begins to experience a lack of microelements, this immediately affects the leaves. Based on the nature of the changes, you can determine what specific substance beets need:
- Lack of sodium . Externally healthy succulent leaves acquire a red color. Solution to the problem: water the plantings directly from above with a solution of kitchen salt (250 g per bucket of water).
- Lack of phosphorus . The leaves first fade, then become dark, and then turn red. Solution to the problem: add superphosphate to the beds.
- Potassium deficiency . The green color of the tops gradually disappears, and is replaced by a rich dark red hue, while the leaves curl. Solution to the problem: feed the beets with potassium chloride.
It is important to establish exactly what substance the beets lack, because an excess of microelements will also affect the future harvest.
Increased acidity
Beet tops also turn red if the soil in which they are grown has a high level of acidity. Beets grow well and bear fruit only in neutral soils.
You can also check the acidity of the earth using a traditional method. 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 soil is alkaline.
If nothing happens, make another cake and sprinkle it with regular soda. If the acidity is high, it will hiss; if the acidity is neutral, there will be no reaction.
To reduce the acidity of the soil, add ash to the site at the rate of 100 g of the substance for each square meter of area.
What to do if the tops turn red
You can prevent or eliminate redness of beet tops by resorting to an integrated approach. And you should start with the simplest and most important thing - compliance with agricultural technology.
Organizing proper care
Compliance with the irrigation regime and crop rotation rules, and the application of fertilizers can be the key to a good harvest. You should not plant beets in the same place two years in a row.
Reference
The crop depletes the soil, especially for its potassium content, which it really needs. After planting beets in this place, it is advisable not to plant them again for at least two to three years.
Excessive amounts of fertilizer will not only not speed up the growth of root crops and improve their quality, but will also cause harm to the plants. Poisoning with organic matter and minerals requires immediate transplantation of beets to a new location, which is very expensive. It is necessary to strictly follow the dosages indicated on the fertilizer packaging and remember the concentrations. When fertilizing with compost or slurry, follow the rule “it’s better to have too little than too much.”
The acid-base balance of the soil is also important. To reduce acidity, water the soil with an infusion of wood ash or coal and add lime. The alkalized substrate is acidified with a solution of potassium permanganate.
What to feed: what is missing when there is redness
Both mineral and organic fertilizers are equally important. But in an effort to provide beets with all the necessary substances, it is important not to overdo it. So, how to water beets if the tops are red?
Mineral fertilizers
The first fertilizing for beets is applied after thinning the seedlings. During the period of primary growth, the crop consumes a lot of nitrogen, and a little later – potassium. It is optimal to use nitroammophoska, lime and potassium chloride.
The lack of phosphorus is compensated by the addition of phosphates and superphosphates. You can eliminate the lack of sodium by watering with a regular solution of table salt - to prepare it, take 250 g of the product per 10 liters of water). You can also use complex inorganic fertilizers.
Organic feeding
The application of slurry or chicken manure is carried out during the growing season. Feeding with such natural fertilizers replenishes the supply of not only organic substances, but also nitrogen and potassium.
Reference
The concentration of mullein for solution in water is taken at the rate of 1:8, chicken or other bird droppings - 1:12.
It is not advisable to introduce fresh manure. But this is allowed under the condition of acidic soil, which simultaneously neutralizes the acidity of the soil and improves the humus component of the soil.
Struggle
Red tops are one of the signs of beets being damaged by certain diseases. Therefore, prevention and treatment of diseases, as well as the fight against parasitic insects is another important step in solving the problem.
With diseases
The fight against mycoses comes down mostly to the use of fungicidal drugs. Fungal infestations are much easier to prevent than to treat, since already affected leaves will have to be removed and burned. Digging or deep loosening of the soil destroys the mycelium of the fungus.
Attention
At advanced stages of cercospora and ascochyta blight, only transplanting root crops to a new place, already treated with fungicides, will help.
It is advisable to transfer the least damaged plants; they often have small red leaves, while large ones may still remain unchanged. Sick specimens are burned as far as possible from the crops to prevent the spread of fungal spores by air.
With pests
This includes timely weeding not only of the beds, but also of the surrounding areas, especially ditches and roadside strips. If possible, mow down vegetation in abandoned areas nearby. This minimizes the transfer of harmful insects from intermediate plants to the beets.
Advice
Do not neglect sowing green manure that contains phytoncides that repel insects. For example, calendula increases protection against wireworms and nematodes.
Do not forget about insecticidal preparations; they are used in strict accordance with the instructions.
How to grow beautiful beets?
The process of growing a vegetable, like any other crop, has its own characteristics. In order to get a good harvest, you need to follow proper care rules and show care and hard work at every stage; Regularly water and fertilize.
In this case, the fertilizer consumption should be such as to provide the beets with the required amount of essential microelements. Caring for young and fragile plants will bear fruit in the future, when harvesting.
Why do beets have white rings? White beets - description and application
Sugar beets are similar in appearance to red table beets.
We are used to seeing burgundy-colored beets on our table. But in our country two more species are grown - fodder and sugar. The first is intended for feeding cattle and small cattle, the second is technical for processing. From the name we can understand that sugar beets are used for sugar production, but some people use them in cooking. By the way, white types of root vegetables do not contain dyes, which so often cause allergies. Farmers plant the crop on an industrial scale, but some summer residents also grow it on their plots.
To create a sugar beet variety, breeders began their work back in 1741. They wanted to find an alternative to cane to make granulated sugar available to everyone. In our country, white sugar beets appeared in the 19th century, and as we see, the crop has been grown from that moment to this day. It is worth noting the fact that root vegetables have become much better in quality - if two centuries ago they contained only 1.3% sugar, now the norm is 20% of the total mass.
On a note! During the production of granulated sugar, pulp remains, which is subsequently used to feed animals; molasses is used in cooking as a sweetener and leavening agent. Also, defecation dirt remains and is used to fertilize the fields.
