Orange Jasmine.... Chlorosis?

[AaronThomas]

So the OJ that I pilfered from my wife seems to be doing well despite the heavy pruning on top and to the roots.
There is a ton of new growth and lots of back budding. WiI would have taken It down a bit further.

It appears to be suffering from chlorosis and lime green leaves... not the typical dark green it had.

Would miracid clear it up...? Or another product?

Also wondering if direct sun is a bad idea especially since it’s getting hot here.

Thanks!!!

 

[just.wing.it]

I've had this happen to an Azalea, which I cured with a tablespoon of Epsom Salt in water.
I had it happen to a Bougie which needed Chelated Iron.
Now I use a dose of the iron on everything once in a while.

 

[AaronThomas]

a dose of the iron on everything

Nice!
What product do you use... how often?

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice!
What product do you use... how often?

Found this in Amazon, didnt shop around much though.
So far I've used it once on everything after using it a few times over a few months on the Bougie. It worked well....leading me to believe that my water is lacking in iron. So, I figure a Spring dose and an Autumn dose is what I'm gonna do for now.
Be careful, it stains everything!

 

[Hartinez]

Hey Aaron. I was dealing with something similar on a few trees. Here’s that thread and the plethora of answers that followed. Good info. Hope it helps.

Yellowing leaves, growing tree.

Ive got a vining Bougie that I've been training for a few years now. The leaves are quite large but the trunk and bark are wonderful. I quite like it. Over winter I lost all of last years growth and basically started from scratch. This year however all of my growth has been yellow with green...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[AaronThomas]

@just.wing.it Thanks I’ll check it out. It’s in red lava which has iron but clearly not enough!

@Hartinez Awesome! I’ll give a read!

 

[AaronThomas]

@just.wing.it
Hey Mike... just got the iron.
This may be a stupid question… The directions say to use it on the leaves? Or is it something that I should use for the roots?
Is it OK to use with fertilizer at the same time?
Thanks!
A

 

[penumbra]

Use it as label says. You will get faster results as a foliage spray. You can probably use it with fertilizer but if instructions don't say so, take the extra few minutes and apply them a couple days apart.

 

[AaronThomas]

Thanks @penumbra!

 

[just.wing.it]

I saw that, and just watered it into the pot, because I was using it indoors initially, on my Bougie, and that worked fine, no problems.
But I would tend to agree to use it as the label says is likely best.

 

[AaronThomas]

But I would tend to agree to use it as the label says is likely best.

Done! Thanks for the reply! Hope it works. Just fertilized today so I’ll hold off a few.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Foliar feeding is a bit of a gimic. Yes, nutrients are absorbed directly thru the leaves. But with VERY few exceptions, when you use a foliar feed, you drench the roots at the same time. Nearly always the roots absorb more of the nutrients than the leaves.

Yes, iron and manganese have mobility issues, spraying leaves gets iron and manganese to older tissue quicker than waiting for the roots to do so. But definitely water the roots with the fertilizer at the same time you spray the leaves.

There is a rare exception, if you have a rootless tree in a mist propagation bed. But if you had such equipment, you would not likely be posting questions here.

 

[penumbra]

Foliar feeding is a bit of a gimic. Yes, nutrients are absorbed directly thru the leaves. But with VERY few exceptions, when you use a foliar feed, you drench the roots at the same time. Nearly always the roots absorb more of the nutrients than the leaves.

It is difficult for me to take a stance that is contrary to one of the best minds on Bonsainut, but I completely disagree with this statement.
My first experience with foliar feeding was 58 years ago when I was 13. I worked part time for a landscape nursery in Northern Virginia just outside the District of Columbia. About every Saturday or every other, the owner, an older gentleman who reminded me of Colonel Sanders, had me spay all the plants with a liquid fertilizer called Rapid Grow. I don't even know if it is still available or whether it has been replaced entirely with Miracle Grow. At any rate, the plants were almost never spayed to the point of any negotiable runoff, but simply to wet the foliage. In fact, the owner insisted on never spaying the foliage if the plants themselves were dry. Plants were always watered the day before or in some cases several hours before the application of foliage fertilizer. There was always an amazing response to these foliar feedings, not just in rapid plant growth but also in the deep green color the plants responded with. During the summer when I was sometimes away or otherwise involved, I would come back and see that the plants looked a bit "lacking" compared to the way they looked when sprayed every week or two.
It stuck with me and I foliar feed to this day with a compression sprayer, not to wet the soil, but to wet the foliage. This is particularly evident when you fertilize a tree that is in the ground and well established. It would take a lot of water and time to wet the roots and probably several containers of mixed fertilizer. A foliar feeding might only be a few ounces or a bit more for a larger plant, to achieve the results I have continually experienced.
I think we tend to forget how clever plants really are. Its not all textbook plant physiology.
In this regard, an interesting experience I had about ten years ago confirmed for me once and for all how valuable a tool foliar feeding can be when using the correct spray for the job. I had a couple apple trees that constantly had aphids and other insect problems despite using both organic and chemical pest control measures. After spaying with fish emulsion and kelp the problem went away rapidly. Make of this what you will, but tomorrow I spray with this solution as I have been doing for many years.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It is difficult for me to take a stance that is contrary to one of the best minds on Bonsainut, but I completely disagree with this statement.
My first experience with foliar feeding was 58 years ago when I was 13. I worked part time for a landscape nursery in Northern Virginia just outside the District of Columbia. About every Saturday or every other, the owner, an older gentleman who reminded me of Colonel Sanders, had me spay all the plants with a liquid fertilizer called Rapid Grow. I don't even know if it is still available or whether it has been replaced entirely with Miracle Grow. At any rate, the plants were almost never spayed to the point of any negotiable runoff, but simply to wet the foliage. In fact, the owner insisted on never spaying the foliage if the plants themselves were dry. Plants were always watered the day before or in some cases several hours before the application of foliage fertilizer. There was always an amazing response to these foliar feedings, not just in rapid plant growth but also in the deep green color the plants responded with. During the summer when I was sometimes away or otherwise involved, I would come back and see that the plants looked a bit "lacking" compared to the way they looked when sprayed every week or two.
It stuck with me and I foliar feed to this day with a compression sprayer, not to wet the soil, but to wet the foliage. This is particularly evident when you fertilize a tree that is in the ground and well established. It would take a lot of water and time to wet the roots and probably several containers of mixed fertilizer. A foliar feeding might only be a few ounces or a bit more for a larger plant, to achieve the results I have continually experienced.
I think we tend to forget how clever plants really are. Its not all textbook plant physiology.
In this regard, an interesting experience I had about ten years ago confirmed for me once and for all how valuable a tool foliar feeding can be when using the correct spray for the job. I had a couple apple trees that constantly had aphids and other insect problems despite using both organic and chemical pest control measures. After spaying with fish emulsion and kelp the problem went away rapidly. Make of this what you will, but tomorrow I spray with this solution as I have been doing for many years.

Ah, I have to retract some of my earlier statement. You are correct.

I think what I was reacting to was the issue of whether you wet the soil or not. I tend to use dilute fertilizer and combine watering the roots with fertilising. You are correct if your trees are well watered before foliar feeding. It is not a problem if you wet the soil. It is even silly if you take effort to keep all fertilizer off the soil. But yes, foliar feeding is effective.

In nature, majority of nutrients come through roots. In the wild some nutrients do come through foliage, via nitrous oxides, and various sulfur oxides, bird and bat and insect droppings. Even wind born dust can carry iron and other things.

But in the wild, still, more than 50% of nutrient uptake is through roots. It is great utilizing foliar feeding, but it is silly to actively avoid using the roots system at the same time for nutrient uptake. So when foliar feeding, you should at least lightly dampen the soil. If you don't, you are neglecting the tree's primary nutrient management system.

At least that is my take on it. We don't really disagree, I just believe in keeping roots involved in addition to the foliage.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Fertilize the whole organism.

 

[AaronThomas]

Fertilize the whole organism.

@Leo in N E Illinois & @penumbra
Thank you both for your input... the directions on the bottle only mention foliar feeding so I wanted to be clear as to whether I should just hit roots or both.
I suppose I will try just a foliar feeding at first… Anything that falls to the roots will be a bonus. We’ll see how that works.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Leo in N E Illinois & @penumbra
Thank you both for your input... the directions on the bottle only mention foliar feeding so I wanted to be clear as to whether I should just hit roots or both.
I suppose I will try just a foliar feeding at first… Anything that falls to the roots will be a bonus. We’ll see how that works.

Your response is good. I'm not telling you to do anything different.

What gets my goat about foliar feeding is the packaging and labelling that can lead one to believe there is a "reason" to not wet the roots. That is the hogwash that makes foliar feeding seem like a con-job.

It is true that as much as 40% of a trees nutrition can be absorbed through the foliage, but what about the other 60%? There is a benefit to applying fertilizer to the foliage, there is zero benefit to exclude using roots to absorb fertilizer. So the key take away is always wet your foliage with your liquid fertilizer. This is foliar feeding. And it doesn't matter if the fertilizer is labelled for foliar feeding or not, even nitrate fertilizers can be absorbed by the leaves. You do not need a special brand of fertilizer to feed through the foliage. But do not neglect feeding through the roots. The roots are the tree's natural route for more than half of its nutritional needs.

 

[AaronThomas]

So the key take away is always wet your foliage with your liquid fertilizer.

Thats awesome Leo. Learn something new all the time here! I typically stayed away from foliar feeding... especially during the summer... in fear of burning the leaves. I use Jacks 20-20-20 at 2x strength... as well as a 7-9-5 at 2x strength. Not at the same time.

But what you have said about how nutrition being absorbed through the leaves... never knew that percentage was so high. Ill need to reevaluate my fertilizer regime.

Going to give first dose of Iron tomorrow.

Thanks!!!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It can be that high, it is not always that high. Some fertilizers are more easily absorbed through leaves than others, but the range does run all the way up to near 40%.

 

[AaronThomas]

Thank you Leo!