Whats Eating Me?

[cartaysm]

Hello,

I've replicated a SIP bed following this;
http://albopepper.com/SIP-raised-bed.php

The reason I state this is because this is a container garden, just a big one. In my garden, I have mostly peppers (cayenne, ghost, habanero, scotch bonnet, and Thai), tomato, beans, and a few flowers.
 
I noticed before I left for vacation that something was attacking my Thai plant pretty badly and basically it thinned out the plant.  When I got back from vacation I noticed whatever hit the Thai plant had moved to my entire bed, and now I'm seeing whatever it is recking havoc on all my vegetables.
 
One other observation was on the tomatoes, I saw I had blossom rot which typically points to calcium. While I understand that potting mix being deprived calcium is rare, I did go ahead and enrich the mix with calcium. 
I'm hoping that someone can take a look at my attached photos and tell me whats plaguing my garden, so I can start treatment.  The only treatment I've done thus far is the calcium.
 
Thank you.

 

[CAPCOM]

I see nutrient deficiencies as well as some possible environmental issues. What are you feeding if anything?
 
 
A detailed description of your grow would be most helpful in making any recommendations. Included any reasoning used to make your decisions in any part of your grow.

 

[solid7]

Yes, there's a lot going wrong in this picture.
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There are no unimportant details here.  If you want it fixed, be specific.  About everything.  Soil, feeding, watering, etc, etc, etc.  Sometimes, a nutrient deficiency isn't the lack of nutrients, but the inability of the plant to use the nutrients.  So the more you say, the better. 
.
If you don't know what kind of details to list, perhaps read some (like a dozen or so) other member posts, with anything that includes "help" in the title...  It's late, I'm tired, and I probably forget what kind of details need asking. LOL

 

[Voodoo 6]

horn worm, or whatever else people call the variants these days. army worm, etc.

 

[lek]

please take a look at the underside of the leaf too.

 

[cartaysm]

Thank you very much for your questions.  I went out this morning and grabbed a few pictures, however, I wasn't sure how to add them to a reply so I just modified my original post to add them. 
 
Let me do my best to describe the bed.
 
 
I built a 7x3x3 SIP bed as outlined in this article.
http://albopepper.co...-raised-bed.php
 
 
I have 4" corrugated pipes that retain all my water and when I fill it, I fill through a port that drops directly to the bottom into the pipes. The plants can go as deep or as shallow as they would like, and I have an inch or so of air before the potting mix starts.
 
I filled the volume of the box with mostly promix potting mix that I purchased from Menards. I did add another bag or two of a different mix, but I cant remember the name right now.
https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/compost-soils-amendments/pro-mix-reg-all-purpose-professional-growers-mix-2-cu-ft/0105p-1020030rg/p-1444451345687.htm
 
 
I also added an entire bag of worm castings I purchased from Costco.
 
From there I've done ZERO feeding as I assumed the mixes and castings would have enough to get me through this first year.
 
When I saw my issue could be calcium I did add a little (roughly two tablespoons for the entire bed)
https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/calcium-nitrate
plus 
https://www.greenwaybiotech.com/products/tomato-fertilizer
 
 
I'm sure I'm missing something from what you've asked, but any insights would be GREATLY appreciated and I can provide more detail.

 

[solid7]

How much worm castings was in the bag?  Because for a container like that, worm castings - or any compost - should be used sparingly.

 

[cartaysm]

A complete guess, but I'd guess 3/4 of a pound in 63feet3.

 

[solid7]

That would be a pretty small bag.  Worm castings are heavy...  Does that sound right? (small bag)

 

[cartaysm]

Costco and small don't really go together but I don't remember it being heavy at all.  The only thing I found online was talking about a 10 lb bag, so maybe it was 10 pounds and I added 7ish pounds.

 

[solid7]

Did you meant to write 6 cu. ft, or 63? (I'm pretty sure you meant 6, but I have to ask)

 

[cartaysm]

7 feet long, 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep = 63 feet3

 

[solid7]

7 feet long, 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep = 63 feet3

 
Wow, that's  quite a bed.  There should be no problem with the quantity of castings for that.

 

[solid7]

I built a 7x3x3 SIP bed as outlined in this article.
http://albopepper.co...-raised-bed.php

 
I am very familiar with this system, as I've built a number of Albo totes, myself.
.
You did see the part where he says that the maximum depth is 16.5", right?  I'm not suggesting (necessarily) that this is THE problem.  BUT... raised beds work in pretty specific ways.  If your raised bed is bottomless, such that the media touches earth, then you get the added benefit of better drainage. (no perched water table, unless you have some super dense clay or something underneath)  If you just build a deep bed like this, you really have a gigantic container.  You are not getting the benefit of wicking. (because your SIP is too deep)  And if you aren't getting proper wicking, then what's keeping your water supply constant?  Without constant water, you don't get constant nutrient delivery.  So this can manifest itself in the form of deficiencies.
.
Even worse...  If you have that much water setting stagnant in a device like this, that isn't going anywhere, what might be going on down there in the bilge? 

 

[solid7]

Additionally...  Some of your damage looks like a combination of factors.  It looks like you have leaves dragging the ground.  This can leave you vulnerable to insects, moisture, and mechanical damage.  On that point...  Low hanging leaves next to the edges will be damaged by wind movement.  Then, we're back to the first point. (vulnerable to pests and bacteria)  For the peppers, at least, it would be good to trim any low hanging leaves.

 

[solid7]

The tomatoes, for me, look like they're just plain too wet.

 

[cartaysm]

Sorry Im home now with a tape measure and my memory was a bit off... 7x3x16.5

Also the worm castings were 10lbs, Id say I have about 3lbs left so about 7lbs in the bed

 

[cartaysm]

Thank you very much solid. Ill run with your suggestions and post back in a few weeks with the new growth.

 

[solid7]

Thank you very much solid. Ill run with your suggestions and post back in a few weeks with the new growth.

 
Best thing you can do for now, might be to back off watering.  It does look a bit wet.  Can't do anything about rain, but don't add anything to it, unless you really need water.  Do a deep check, if you're not sure.  (remember that wilting doesn't necessarily mean thirsty)

 

[cartaysm]

Thanks solid. I pruned all the leafs back so none are touching the potting mix. Weve definitely been getting a lot of rain, but Ive also filled my reservoir three times. So yes I can back off watering.