Q. I have never seen this on a plant before and I have
never had a problem with pests on this plant.
What am I dealing with here?
never had a problem with pests on this plant.
What am I dealing with here?
A. Great pictures, that helps a lot. I am going to take
an educated guess that this is water being released from small openings on the
leaf edges called hydathodes. The release of excess water from inside the plant
is called guttation. You can read more about hydathodes here.
an educated guess that this is water being released from small openings on the
leaf edges called hydathodes. The release of excess water from inside the plant
is called guttation. You can read more about hydathodes here.
What is gutational water?
These can be very complicated explanations and I don’t
know about your background and whether they will confuse you or if you
understand them. Basically, small plants can push a lot of water inside of them
through a mechanism called root pressure. Root pressure takes water from
the surrounding soil, if there’s plenty of it, and push it inside the plant.
Sometimes the root pressure can be so great that the plant needs to release
some of this excess water. Many plants have specialized openings on the leaf
edges called hydathodes that allow it to do this. Technically, the process of
taking excess water inside the plant and releasing it through hydathoes is
called guttation.
know about your background and whether they will confuse you or if you
understand them. Basically, small plants can push a lot of water inside of them
through a mechanism called root pressure. Root pressure takes water from
the surrounding soil, if there’s plenty of it, and push it inside the plant.
Sometimes the root pressure can be so great that the plant needs to release
some of this excess water. Many plants have specialized openings on the leaf
edges called hydathodes that allow it to do this. Technically, the process of
taking excess water inside the plant and releasing it through hydathoes is
called guttation.
Back in the day….
Golf course superintendents are very familiar with this
but may not know the correct scientific terms. Years ago golf course
superintendents would go to the putting greens early in the morning and
“whip the greens” with a long bamboo pole. It was found when plants
are growing very close together in places like golf course greens that this
excess water, guttational water, could encourage diseases if it was not removed
from the leaf blades. They used to call it dew but the main problem was from guttational water full of plant sugars and a good “food” for plant diseases.Whipping the greens with a bamboo pole knocked the water
off of the blades of grass and reduced the possibility of disease. Very few
whip the greens anymore but instead they use a short irrigation cycle to wash
off the leaves of guttational water (which is high in plant sugars and disease
prone) and replaces it with irrigation water which has no sugars in it.
but may not know the correct scientific terms. Years ago golf course
superintendents would go to the putting greens early in the morning and
“whip the greens” with a long bamboo pole. It was found when plants
are growing very close together in places like golf course greens that this
excess water, guttational water, could encourage diseases if it was not removed
from the leaf blades. They used to call it dew but the main problem was from guttational water full of plant sugars and a good “food” for plant diseases.Whipping the greens with a bamboo pole knocked the water
off of the blades of grass and reduced the possibility of disease. Very few
whip the greens anymore but instead they use a short irrigation cycle to wash
off the leaves of guttational water (which is high in plant sugars and disease
prone) and replaces it with irrigation water which has no sugars in it.
So what does this have to do with you?
If this is
guttational water it simply tells you that the soil is full of water. Little
leaf Cordia is a desert adapted species and does not have to be irrigated
frequently. It tells you that the soil around these plant roots is full of
water and you may or may not be watering too much if you see this water present
frequently. Make sure that you give the plants a “rest period”
without water before the next irrigation. Other than that, nothing to worry
about.
guttational water it simply tells you that the soil is full of water. Little
leaf Cordia is a desert adapted species and does not have to be irrigated
frequently. It tells you that the soil around these plant roots is full of
water and you may or may not be watering too much if you see this water present
frequently. Make sure that you give the plants a “rest period”
without water before the next irrigation. Other than that, nothing to worry
about.