Ongoing crape myrtle nutrient deficiency
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penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Looks like a magnesium deficiency.
TN_Jim
Omono
Chlorosis between veins could be any single element or combination of iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and insect herbivory.
Providing these elements to the plant may be pointless if the plant can not uptake them. That said, your soil looks like it was made for a houseplant not a tree, and definitely not a bonsai mix. Your watering has to be flawless in a mix like you have presently -your end goal should to be to completely replace with good soil once the plant has regained strength
This tree should be outside in full direct sun and allowed to dry thoroughly in the first 1-2” of soil between watering. You could lightly fertilize with an organic product with a very broad Spector macro and micronutrients.
Critters? Perhaps. Would look for them thoroughly and treat accordingly.
Providing these elements to the plant may be pointless if the plant can not uptake them. That said, your soil looks like it was made for a houseplant not a tree, and definitely not a bonsai mix. Your watering has to be flawless in a mix like you have presently -your end goal should to be to completely replace with good soil once the plant has regained strength
This tree should be outside in full direct sun and allowed to dry thoroughly in the first 1-2” of soil between watering. You could lightly fertilize with an organic product with a very broad Spector macro and micronutrients.
Critters? Perhaps. Would look for them thoroughly and treat accordingly.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
A good fertilizer will contain all the micro-nutrients you need, but this looks like classic magnesium deficiency. Problem is, it is so late in the season that you have little time to make the corrections needed and the plant will soon be going dormant. You don't have any time to waste.
Its in my raised bed. Too expensive to fill with bonsai soil. Mostly regular black gardening/ flower soil and some sand. Already gave some organic fert and inorganic slow release with trace elements. But I guess it wasnt enough. I have something with magnesia, Ill try that as well as additional organic fert. Could it also be nitrogen or does that look very different?
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Epsom salts have proven effective.
cmeg1
Imperial Masterpiece
Is there drainage?
Too wet makes anearobic conditions that lets the rootpathogens grow and really throw off ph right at the root.
Too wet makes anearobic conditions that lets the rootpathogens grow and really throw off ph right at the root.
The issue started while we didnt have rain for months and I had to water every second day. I worked a bit in that soil, it had good moisture levels.
Ill go apply magnesia now
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Don't forget - mineral deficiency can be caused by water that is too high pH. You can still get mineral deficiencies if your water is too alkaline - even if plenty of minerals are available in the soil. If you are watering with 100% mains water, make sure you know the pH of your water coming out of the hose! City utilities usually keep water high pH because it is easier on the water infrastructure (pipes, fixtures, etc). This may be the case here - particularly if you were relying mostly on rain water (slightly acidic) and suddenly switched over to alkaline city water.
In Southern California my irrigation water was 8.5 pH. I struggled constantly with iron deficiency, and had to use both a soil acidifier and iron supplement.
In Southern California my irrigation water was 8.5 pH. I struggled constantly with iron deficiency, and had to use both a soil acidifier and iron supplement.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Magnesium deficiency is more common when pH is too low.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Yeah.... though that doesn't look like mangnesium deficiency to me. It looks like manganese deficiency. Or at least - it looks like what my citrus trees looked like when they got severe manganese and iron deficiency prior to me acidifying the soil.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
I guess only a soil analysis could tell for certain, but it looks exactly like magnesium deficiency to me. If it is an iron deficiency, it is the worst I have ever seen.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
My iPhone has been taking some weird photos lately, but here is my raised bed. I filled it with mulch, and the trees are inside grow bags with bonsai soil. This keeps the main roots inside a proper environment, and the few escape roots can have all the fun they want inside the mulch. The mulch just helps keep the moisture in the bags so they don't dry out too quickly. When it's time to collect, you end up with a decent root ball close to the tree. I have 2 pines that were toppling with the wind inside pond baskets that I placed in the mulch, I know this will be a bit harder to pull this spring, as I am moving them into Rootpouch as well. If you can get large perlite, I would remove 50% of your soil in the beds and mix in the perlite to improve drainage and aeration... garden/flower soil gets very waterlogged. Where in DE are you? I lived in Kitzingen for a year and it is very rainy there.
I have used perlite extensively, but am turning away from it. Its just so much lighter than anything else I use, and looks a bit weird when it floats to the top and stays there. And the dust which may or may not act like asbestos in the lung. Same with vermiculite. I am still using both, but just wont buy more.
When I have plants dying of unsuspicious causes, I dump the soil mix into my raised bed, so thats how it gets quality soil amendments over time.
For the summer, flower soil has worked very well. But I will probably see about protecting the bed from rain when it gets really wet in fall and winter. It could kill the pomegranates and crapes. Makeshift roof maybe.
When I have plants dying of unsuspicious causes, I dump the soil mix into my raised bed, so thats how it gets quality soil amendments over time.
For the summer, flower soil has worked very well. But I will probably see about protecting the bed from rain when it gets really wet in fall and winter. It could kill the pomegranates and crapes. Makeshift roof maybe.
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Interesting, I am also seldom using perlite any longer. In the states we have a product that is diatomaceous earth that I am using in place of perlite. It is sold here by Napa stores and is called Napa 8822.
I don't know if you have a similar product.
As to the dust, whether its de, pumice, calcined clay, perlite, peat moss, sphagnum or any other product, its all bad for your lungs. When I make a small batch of soil mix inside I spray it with water and keep the spray bottle by my side. Sometimes I actually use my brain and I wear a dust mask.
Ken Duncan
Yamadori
This looks like thrip damage to me. I use a systemic insecticide to control them on my crape myrtles.
I really dont think moss dust can be compared to stone needles that lodge in your lungs, lol.
Theres is something available here, 1-6mm and 2,20EUR per kilo is what I found within a minute. Doesnt seem too bad, I might try it
I think its too regular for that. But if you have a picture of your own damaged crape leaves, feel free to post it in this thread as well. Maybe you dont have to use pesticides after all.
Maiden69
Masterpiece
I wouldn't use perlite in my bonsai soil, but it would work great for airing a flower bed soil. There should be no floating around, as you shouldn't be flooding your raised bed. It should help the water flow through the soil instead of flooding it. The one I bought it's a 1/2" size particle and I plan on using it along with the mulch in my next raised bed.
cmeg1
Imperial Masterpiece
Now that I consider this its nutrient deficient or disease.
Im no disese expert…….
its either root fungus causeing wack ph or ph is just bad which is the ONLY cause of deficiency…. Unless you have a general lack of mineral which is somewhat rare.
so it’s pH or disease
Also filling it with soil from plants that have problems as not a good idea you’re weighing the odds very low for figuring things out properly.
Everything is always pH = deficiency ………or disease.
Usually if all your plants have it it’s pH related ….if it’s just a couple have it it’s a root fungus or a disease……. root fungus always throws off pH right at the root big time…… It’s caused by low oxygen and too much moisture the fungus is present everywhere ….it get a chance to grow and attack.
And honestly now that I even considered this further…… it’s the potting soil!!!!!!?! ….it’s Pete based ,gets extremely acidic and turns into an acidic soil and since it’s an organic soil now it buffers itself completely and is very very very hard to fix the pH……potting soil sucks. It is good at first with the lime agent or the dolomite shells they add or whatever but the turns very acidic and turns into a self buffering soil that cannot be fixed it is made for annuals and nothing else.
Word …..I’ve been down this road!!
our yard soil buffers pH naturally it’s very hard to change unless you add lime it’s usually generally not too bad unless it’s fertilized a lot.
And that it’s old I guarantee it’s the problem extremely acidic cannot be fixed no matter what pH nutrient you dump into it
potting soil is a gimmick
at the end of the season nearly all things in potting soil look trash.
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