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I got a few marigold plants planted in the ground. A lot of them died, two are surviving somehow.

Earlier these two seemed to be dying also. Their leaves are turning white or are they white spots ?

enter image description here

Next, they turned all green, new branches came out and buds and a flower too.

Now the leaves are all turned white again.

What is this? Why are they turning white again after recovering from that? I water them everyday, they get enough light also.

Spectra
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  • Where are you in the world and what have the day/night temperatures been like in the last month or so? Is the white stuff like a deposit on the leaves that can be wiped off, or in the leaf itself? – Bamboo Feb 21 '19 at 14:59
  • @Bamboo south asia..day/night temperatures were like 25-30/15-20 degrees. those are not deposites..its in the leaves. – Spectra Feb 22 '19 at 14:04
  • Celcius or Fahrenheit? – Hamid Sabir Feb 23 '19 at 10:29
  • @HamidSabir celcius. – Spectra Feb 23 '19 at 19:35
  • I've grown quite a few marigolds. Haven't come across anything like this. Temperature for sure isn't to blame. Tell me a little bit about the leaves. Do they have a crispy texture to them? Those that are turning white. Do they appear to be on the verge of drying out? Do you water them at the base or from overhead? What kind of fertilizer do you use? How often? Was there anything else planted before in place of the marigolds? If yes, what? – Hamid Sabir Feb 23 '19 at 20:24
  • When I took this picture, they were not crispy and did not seem to dry out. For latest status of the leaves I'll have to come back later. I was watering from overhead all this time and also some amount to the base. There was probably few sugarcane plants a year back there. I haven't used any fertilizers yet. The thing bugging me is obviously the white thing, but even more than that is it was white like this at first ..then again lavish green like a healthy one then again turned white. Why ? – Spectra Feb 24 '19 at 19:38
  • @HamidSabir yes they seems like they are drying out. – Spectra Feb 26 '19 at 06:27
  • One thing i know from experience that is bad for marigolds is watering them from overhead. A little shower now and then is beneficial but wet foliage over a prolonged period of time actually leads to diseases and powdery mildew is one of them that actually causes leaves to take on a pale appearance before drying them out and eventually killing the plant altegother. Remove all infected or dead parts off of the plant and start watering it at the base and see if it makes a difference. You should also incorporate some (compost) into your soil aswell to eliminate the risk of deficiency. – Hamid Sabir Feb 26 '19 at 15:56
  • Okay..will do so and see what happens... – Spectra Feb 26 '19 at 19:21

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Our marigold leaves (in India) have been turning white too. It is a form of fungus. Spraying NEEM OIL is suggested. Even the soil may need to be treated with neem. If things still don't get better, may have to just discard the plant. And remember to treat the soil before planting new.

Navya Kumar
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  • Thanks for letting me know. Those have died and I haven't planted anything there since then. However I'll keep in mind your suggestions if it happens next time. – Spectra May 11 '19 at 11:37