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Marietta

I have 3 plants out front and 3 in back. I prepped both areas the same and did soil test on both. The only difference is the front gets a couple more hours of sun ( I do have shade cloth over it) and the plants in front came from 2 year old seed. I'm sure that is not important but wanted to include it. However , the front plants are extremely brittle. The stems break easily as do the leaves. Any ideas why or is it simply genetics

7/4/2025 11:47:18 AM

Western PA

Brittle is usually a sign of excessive Nitrogen. Are the brittle plants growing fast ?
Various reasons why certain plants would have more N than other plants in your patch. In my case, I get nutrients leaching out when I get too much rain. The lower plants in the patch usually don’t have enough N.
Hot spots in a patch are a real thing.
I’m sure if you want to spend the money, a soil test on each area would tell you a lot.

7/4/2025 1:22:54 PM

Whidbey Island

I have the same problem. My soil tests and tissue tests show no excess nitrogen. I even used less nitrogen than recommended. Very frustrating.

7/4/2025 7:08:26 PM

Grittyville, WA

Maybe they need silicates or copper or boron, then? If the other trace minerals are missing its like pouring concrete without adding rebar? Its either an excess of one thing, or a deficiency of another? Maybe it's just the time of day. They'll snap during the time of day when the turgor is high. 11 am to 4 pm might be the best time to not break the plant.

[Last edit: 07/04/25 7:59:06 PM]

7/4/2025 7:50:56 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I always use silicate in my vine bury mix and a few drenches during the year. I just did a test and I was low on N. We are having a cooler summer then usual so I was thinking my plant was brittle because if this? First time for me in all the years I've been growing. Using a lot of 3rd stage growth to fill in areas vines have snapped.

7/6/2025 10:50:45 AM

Marietta

Funny you would say cooler than normal. I'm in North Georgia and we have been in the 90"s. I thought it may be temperature related but was leaning too hot. I have one pumpkin that is 10 days old but growing really slow. I'm guessing that is heat?

7/6/2025 4:36:36 PM