My 3AM garden looked completely different after one night of rain

I was up late last night watering my tomatoes in Phoenix when I realized I hadn't checked on them after that monsoon storm last week. Same plants, same spot, but the leaves were darker and the stems had this weird purplish tint I never noticed before. It's like the rain unlocked something in the soil or the nutrients shifted overnight. Has anyone else seen their plants change color that fast after a heavy rain or am I just seeing things at 3AM?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinb979d ago

Whoa hold on, you're watering at 3AM in Phoenix? That's the worst time to water in the desert. You're gonna get fungus or mildew on those leaves since the water sits there all night with no sun to dry it out. But yeah, the purplish stems are real - that's usually a phosphorus deficiency or sometimes just the plant reacting to temperature swings after a storm. Those monsoon rains can flush nutrients out of the soil fast, especially in our rocky desert dirt. The darker leaves could be from the rain washing off dust that was blocking the sunlight. Just water early in the morning when it's still cool, not in the middle of the night.

nora_park8d ago

Totally feeling your pain on those monsoon flushes.