Are my peas sick?

[Ducatiman]

I've noticed today that my peas have this white coloring and wanted to know if this something I should be worried about.

Can anybody provide some insight?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Chuck]

It looks like the beginnings of a mildew problem caused by keeping the soil too wet.

 

[Ducatiman]

I was watering twice a day with my drip irrigation but have since changed to once a day. I'm wondering if watering daily is still too much but I've gone with "Mel's Mix" and it's supposed to drain well.

Is there anything I need to do with these peas? Remove the petals possibly? I hope they continue to grow.

 

[Chuck]

I was watering twice a day with my drip irrigation but have since changed to once a day. I'm wondering if watering daily is still too much but I've gone with "Mel's Mix" and it's supposed to drain well.

Is there anything I need to do with these peas? Remove the petals possibly? I hope they continue to grow.

A good soaking once a week is more than enough. Removing the petals will not do anything. This is a disease that comes from bacterial spores in the soil. It is almost like household mold where continued dampness allows it to grow.
I know it is confusing but there is a big difference between water drainage and water retention. When planting mediums are saturated the excess water drains away but a lot of the water is absorbed by whatever the medium is comprised of. It acts like a sponge and will stay moist for quite some time, thus the need for watering is greatly diminished. Different mediums require different watering schedules. For instance a sandy medium will require more frequent watering than a manure based mediums or plant based mediums. with no sand. Clay type soils require less watering than sandy soils.
Once a plant has mildew it is difficult to totally get rid of it. You can reduce it enough to get your harvest in. I don't know where you are located so I don't know how long you have until it becomes too warm for green peas, (I assume these are green or English peas) but if you still have time I would recommend pulling them up and starting over. And STOP WATERING TOO OFTEN

 

[Ducatiman]

I'm located in Alabama and they are sugar snap peas. My drip irrigation puts out 1/2 GPH therefore should I run it once a week for 60 minutes to give it a good soaking? I am running it daily for 30 minutes.

Our SQF garden consists of four tomatoe plants, two peppers, four white potatoes, four corn, one mellon, bunch of carrots and sugar snap peas.

I just want to make sure that when I cut it back, the other crops don't die.

Thanks for the knowledge, I can't thank you enough.

Chris

 

[Autumn_Hearthwitch]

I'm growing peas and quite honestly they're getting out of control. They look great, but all over the place. I'd say you're watering way too often. I'd say I water every 4-5 days and that seems to be working fine. Your crops shouldn't die if you cut back and no removing the petals won't do anything. I usually just check to see if the soil is even a little moist and if it is, I leave it alone as they should get what they need out of that, if the soil is dry I water. Of course it also depends if it rained recently or not as well. Good luck, hopefully they'll be fine.

 

[Chuck]

I'm located in Alabama and they are sugar snap peas. My drip irrigation puts out 1/2 GPH therefore should I run it once a week for 60 minutes to give it a good soaking? I am running it daily for 30 minutes.

Our SQF garden consists of four tomatoe plants, two peppers, four white potatoes, four corn, one mellon, bunch of carrots and sugar snap peas.

I just want to make sure that when I cut it back, the other crops don't die.

Thanks for the knowledge, I can't thank you enough.

Chris

I too have 1/2gph drip irrigation. There is no set amount or period of time between watering or how long to water. You water when the plant tells you it is thirsty and not before then. A plant that is thirsty will droop or wilt in the morning. Wilting in the afternoon is normal and not to be confused with morning wilt. As to how long to water it depends on your soil as to how long it takes before becoming saturated. It might take 30 minutes or it might take 2 hours, but what is important is deep watering and you can't deep water without saturating the top few inches. Deep watering encourages the roots to grow deeper. By growing deeper the plant will uptake nutrients that have leached and continue leaching down through the soil. Another benefit of deep watering is that the deeper you water the longer that deep soil stays moist. By watering a short period of time only the top few inches are watered and the roots will stay close to the surface where the summer heat will quickly evaporate the water and what's worse is that the roots will be overheated. The soil in my garden has zero clay and I suppose it could be classified as loam. It has a lot of organic material incorporated into it. It drains extremely well. When I water, the wetted soil is in a circle around the emitter on the surface. When that circle is about a foot in diameter I know that my soil is saturated at least a foot deep.

 

[Ducatiman]

Thank you all for the knowledge, you've definitely educated me on this. I can't thank you enough.

Chris