Please help with popcorn plants

[Player1]

Planted some popcorn a month ago and now the plants have 4-5 leaves. They are tall and weak - most of them have one leaf that has broken near the stem but is still alive - all those leaves have some white dust like substance in the thing in the middle of the leaf that supports it. Also, all but the newest leaves are going brown at the tips - lower ones the most.

Some pictures: Plant 1 -

2 - window faces south-west. Fertilized it once, with the one you mix in the water, didn't help though. May the problem be the cold air from the window that is open very-very little all the time (0-15 degrees celsius outside), sunburn (about 6 hours of direct sunlight on the plants on cloudless days), saltburn, over-watering or something else?

[Player1]

Yes, it is dusty looking and I have 9 plants.

It seems that the leaves have stopped turning brown except for one plant. :) Also, all those leaves that have that white dusty looking material and are broken are the third leaves for some strange reason.

[Player1]

This white dust is only in the main veins of the leaves and nowhere else,

but a picture of powdery mildew showed that the leaf had white dust all over it.

It seems to me that something is clogging the "pipes" of the plants.

[Billy]

Have you been to the nursery?

[Player1]

No, don't know where to find one here in Estonia.

[Billy]

OK. Hopefully you have re-potted into an easy draining soil, your avoiding chemical fertilizers that may damage the roots, and have figured out how to get more heat and light to your plants (tenting them outside during sunny weather).

My first guess is that it is a root problem (probably rot from over watering). Problem is I have no idea what the white material is or if it is even a problem. Will it wipe off with a cloth? If so, I'd presume that it is fungus.

------- Presuming it is a fungus

Baking Soda Fungicide

Mix 4 teaspoons (about 1 rounded tablespoon) of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of horticultural oil (any cooking oil) into one gallon of water. Spray lightly on foliage of plants afflicted with black spot, powdery mildew, brown patch and other fungal diseases. Avoid over-using or pouring on the soil. Potassium bicarbonate is a good substitute for baking soda. Citrus oil and molasses can be used instead of horticultural oil. Source:

or

Sprinkle some cinnamon on the white spots, that may help.

or

Apple Cider Vinegar - Use 1-2 tbls per gallon of water for a mild fungicide or acidic liquid fertilizer. Like alcohol can be a natural herbicide if too much is used in tea. Most white vinegars are made from petroleum products. Apple cider vinegar can contain up to 30 trace elements.

1. Corn meal - Use as a topdressing or in a tea for fungal control.

1. Compost teas - This multi-purpose fluid can contain beneficial microbes and soluble nutrients that can be a mild fungicide and disease controller.

2. Bleaches and Peroxide - great fungicides. However, most commerical bleaches are not natural. Use 1-2 tblsp per gallon of water.

Any neighbors who grow corn?

Hea õnn

[Player1]

The white material looks like salt or sugar. It can't be wiped off as it seems to be in the main veins of the leaves. But not all leaves have it

- only 1 or 2 on every plant. It seems like a problem, as it causes the leaves to break (they stay green and alive though). If it can't be wiped off, may it still be a fungus?

And unfortunately - no neighbours who grow corn.

[Billy]

OK, I'm stumped. Charlie, Rachel, Ann, enigma, Om, Emilie, Bill, Joe, come on, we have the reputation of wrecked gardens to uphold. Any ideas?

[Ann]

Player1 expounded:

Those would be my guesses. That soil looks pretty wet. As for the light, is the window clear glass or that low e stuff that blocks some of the rays? All in all they look weak and spindly, as though they'd been overwatered and lacking sunlight.

[enigma]

Billy wrote in news: [e-mail] ct.net.au:

i'd guess it's not causing the leaves to break, but the breaking leaves are causing the crystaline 'stuff'. also, corn leaves break. it doesn't really affect the plant. we're not talking houseplant that always looks tidy. we're talking corn, which grows best in blocks fairly close together so that it acts as it's own windbreak & also so the corn can pollanate. single plants in pots are going to look tatty & not produce. it's just not a houseplant. lee

[Bill]

Can it be one of these?

Bill

[DWW]

Corn likes warmth, a lot of sun and plenty of nitrogen. The OP is missing at least the first two of those. Not to mention possible poor drainage. At a bare minimum shut the window! Then wait for longer days.

[Billy]

From the description, it seems that the upper left is the culprit. Thanks Bill.

[Billy]

Thanks Lee. The poster did say that he has nine of them (3X3), should be OK once they are outside.

[Billy]

Thank you Ann. I think he'll hear you.

[enigma]

Billy wrote in news: [e-mail] ct.net.au:

they do need to be outside once the soil warms to about 60F. i don't think he really needs to worry about the broken leaves he currently has. he will need to worry a bit more about sunburn once they go outside. they'll need a week or so to harden off & then they'll sulk for a while once replanted into a garden. i find it's really not worth the effort to try starting corn early indoors. you don't get any any faster than direct sowing once the soil warms (when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear, it's time to plant corn) lee

[Player1]

Yes, some light was blocked - I should raise them a bit higher, right?

'Bill[_13_ Wrote:

The top left picture does show some white substance on/in the leaves, but as you can see from the pictures I posted - my plants have no spots on the leaves.

Good to hear that the breaking leaves are normal. :)

*Thanks everybody for helping me and for all the good advice!*

[Ann]

Player1 expounded:

They won't get enough sun for growth next to those low e windows. As others have said, corn doesn't do well indoors. Why not start over with new seeds outdoors somewhere - preferably in the ground. Corn is a fast grower.