Hi
I wondered if anyone may be able to put my mind at rest and maybe give their opinion as to what they think went wrong.
Yesterday morning I looked at all my plants and they looked fabulous, glossy green leaves, healthy flowers bursting with fruit. I had 200 in pots and about 200 in the field. The field is at the rear of the house the pots at the front.
Here is a picture of the healthy field:
Then at 1pm i went to work. I got home at 6pm and this is what I found:
Basically most of my plants were dead when I got home. All my 300 plus seedlings that had been very healthy that morning were dead to and looked like this
I have been driving myself insane thinking of all the possibilities
It had been a very hot day although this is nothing unusual, last year my chillies thrived in the heat so I don't think the heat killed them.
The plants had all been sprayed with neem in recent weeks and luckily had no bugs or diseases that I knew of, they were healthy, watered and well looked after.
The plants were all watered the day before using the local campo water supply which we pay for and are allowed so many minutes a fortnight. This water runs down past neighbourhood fields and gardens, it runs down open pipes which people have access to if they wish.
Now my gut feeling is that salt ended up in the water. I had been doing really well with my chillies and had just started to sell them at an English ex-pat supermarket in the next village, only a couple of euros here and there but it was interesting for me and helped pay towards my costs of growing (which this year including seeds, neem oil, soil, etc etc have been about 300 euros. Some people had been a bit jealous of my chillies. Now I expect foul play along the line. My seeldings in the plastic cups have a visible line of dreid white powder along the rim which looks to me like dried salt.
WHAT COULD HAVE KILLED MY BABIES IN 6 HOURS? That is why I think salt. The plants were all wilted the ones in the field at the back of the house and the pots in the front of the house.
I can't stop crying and am gutted! (I know it sounds daft but I have spent since 1st March 4 hours every morning and a couple every night weeding, repotting nuturing them.
I feel so disheartened I never want to go through that again.
If anyone has any opinions as to what they think it may set my mind at rest.
Kind regards and thanks for reading my posts
tori
I wondered if anyone may be able to put my mind at rest and maybe give their opinion as to what they think went wrong.
Yesterday morning I looked at all my plants and they looked fabulous, glossy green leaves, healthy flowers bursting with fruit. I had 200 in pots and about 200 in the field. The field is at the rear of the house the pots at the front.
Here is a picture of the healthy field:
Then at 1pm i went to work. I got home at 6pm and this is what I found:
Basically most of my plants were dead when I got home. All my 300 plus seedlings that had been very healthy that morning were dead to and looked like this
I have been driving myself insane thinking of all the possibilities
It had been a very hot day although this is nothing unusual, last year my chillies thrived in the heat so I don't think the heat killed them.
The plants had all been sprayed with neem in recent weeks and luckily had no bugs or diseases that I knew of, they were healthy, watered and well looked after.
The plants were all watered the day before using the local campo water supply which we pay for and are allowed so many minutes a fortnight. This water runs down past neighbourhood fields and gardens, it runs down open pipes which people have access to if they wish.
Now my gut feeling is that salt ended up in the water. I had been doing really well with my chillies and had just started to sell them at an English ex-pat supermarket in the next village, only a couple of euros here and there but it was interesting for me and helped pay towards my costs of growing (which this year including seeds, neem oil, soil, etc etc have been about 300 euros. Some people had been a bit jealous of my chillies. Now I expect foul play along the line. My seeldings in the plastic cups have a visible line of dreid white powder along the rim which looks to me like dried salt.
WHAT COULD HAVE KILLED MY BABIES IN 6 HOURS? That is why I think salt. The plants were all wilted the ones in the field at the back of the house and the pots in the front of the house.
I can't stop crying and am gutted! (I know it sounds daft but I have spent since 1st March 4 hours every morning and a couple every night weeding, repotting nuturing them.
I feel so disheartened I never want to go through that again.
If anyone has any opinions as to what they think it may set my mind at rest.
Kind regards and thanks for reading my posts
tori