Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Is this a spinach seedling?? Sorry I am poor with identifying plants...

Why are there white dots on the bigger leaves? If you see very closely, the new growth in the centre is covered with a very fine white powder that rubs off. Is this normal?

All my "spinach" seedlings are the same... Please advise. If they are "infected" or something, I would like to get rid of them...

Thanks.

Diagnosis by photo is really hard - It's really hard to tell what is on the leaves first impression looks like insect damage - check for a black dot in the centre of the white area = sap sucker. If no black dot check dotted area does it look to have been scraped away = could be a munching insect - I can also see some suspicious insect like (wriggly) marks on the tips of some leaves. But I'm no entomologist and have yet to find one that can diagnose by teeth marks.

If these do not add up check beneath the leaves under the dot particularly at edges of dots is there anything growing/powdery like the new growth could be a downy mildew - the leaves look slightly chlorotic (yellow) which also happens with downy.

White powder is it on the top or bottom. Looks to be top in photo but I could be mistaken. Top it could be powdery mildew bottom might be downy mildew. I'm not sure what either of these will do in an aquaponics system but I would be tempted to see what happens as both require humidity and it is heading towards summer. They might outgrow it. If keeping avoid spraying water on top of them or watering from above - but you have to weigh that up with other things you could be doing at the moment like temp control etc...

I've noticed the white powder like stuff on spinach leaves too. It seems to be normal.

If it is leaving yellow dots on the leaves (which is what the pictures seem to show) that is not normal.

What I can see in the pictures looks like a little iron might be in order. Yellowing of the leaves while the veins remain green is a sign of Iron deficiency. However the newer leaves look a bit greener so perhaps you added some iron (the leaves that already have the signs of Iron def won't become normal, only the new growth will be better.)

As to the yellow dots on that leaf, I'm not sure what it is but I personally wouldn't worry too much about it yet. If you want to remove the affected leaf you could but I don't think those plants look bad enough to yank out completely unless you have something else you want to put there.

Actually, those little dead spots on the older leaves, could be a sign of potassium deficiency or I've seen spots like that on some of my spinach last winter that was planted in the ground, it was actually freeze damage. Have you had a freeze lately?

Thank for the replies... Well I think I can see a black spot in the centre of some yellow/white spots.. But it is really hard to see with the naked eyes...

Well unfortunately the spinach did not survive the hot day today... and I also just realised that spinach prefers cooler temperatures... not sure what made me put them into the growbeds for the hotter spring/summer temperatures...

Anyways, will try them again when the temperatures cool down in 6 months time...