What Is Wrong With My Molokhia?

Do the leaves have any small circular or irregularly shaped dry spots that are gray to straw in color?

Are there any water-soaked brown marks on the plant's stem, stem peels back at lesion to reveal fibers underneath?

Are the plants stunted and die prematurely?

Do the leaves have spots or blotches?

Are the leaves greenish-yellow and the growth rate is poor?

Are the leaves pale on their upper side and are there any dusty blisters on the undersides?

These symptoms indicate a fungal disease - Anthracnose. Keep plants dry when watering to prevent spread. Spray plants with copper when the first fruit develops if you have had problems in the past. Bordeaux mixture can also help to protect the plant from the disease.

Sclerotium rot is a fungal disease that can infect molokhia plants. Fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii, survives in crop debris in the soil. Remove infected plants. Avoid overcrowding plants to promote air circulation. Plow crop debris deep into the soil. Provide a barrier to infection by wrapping lower stems of the plant with aluminum foil covering the below-ground portion of the stem and 2-3 inches above the soil line.

These symptoms are most likely caused by fungal disease - Basal Rot. This disease attacks grape hyacinth bulbs when soil temperatures are around 65 to 75°F. Discard any diseased bulbs and avoid infecting healthy ones. Dust bulbs with Benlate before planting them. Dig up bulbs in cool, dry weather, and dry them rapidly. In the event of a serious problem, do not plant any hyacinth bulbs in the area for 3 years.

Your plant is suffering from a fungal leaf spot. These can come from several fungi (Alternaria, Cercospora, Colletotrichum, Septoria), causing spots to occur on foliage. Spots may enlarge rapidly, especially in wet weather. Destroy infected leaves or plants. Spray plants with sulfur to prevent the disease from spreading, especially if the weather is wet. Spray between rains. Prevent problems by thinning plants to provide good air circulation.

Greenish yellow, strap-shaped leaves followed by a poor growth is caused by Aster yellows disease. There is no cure for Aster yellows, so the infected plants should be destroyed. Prevent the disease by controlling leafhoppers. Spray the plants with the insecticidal soap 3 times, once every 3 days.

Likely cause for these symptoms is a fungal disease - Rust. Provide good air circulation around plants by thining them. Avoid making leaves wet when watering. All infected leaves should be removed. Spray leaves with sulfur early in the season to prevent rust or to treat mild infections.

Yellow, stunted plants and roots that have swollen galls indicate root-knot nematodes. Other symptoms are plants wilting during bright, hot days. Prevent root-knot nematodes by applying chitin or introducing parasitic nematodes to the soil before planting. Solarizing the soil also helps in preventing root-knot nematodes.