A bright patch of chartreuse among green plants is always welcome, except when it is not meant to be. This osteospermum has me puzzled. It looks as though it is lacking in nitrogen, which might be caused by an inability to take up nitrogen due to our highly alkaline soils, but nothing I do seems to change the color. I have added turkey compost and a solution of iron chelate to the soil but still it remains yellow. It is such a mystery because I have been growing these plants here for several years and this was a new one started from seed this year. Normally they are deep green. Something is stressing them and I'm not sure what it could be.
Here's another one in close up. Any suggestions from the gardening world.
A bright patch of chartreuse among green plants is always welcome, except when it is not meant to be. This osteospermum has me puzzled. It looks as though it is lacking in nitrogen, which might be caused by an inability to take up nitrogen due to our highly alkaline soils, but nothing I do seems to change the color. I have added turkey compost and a solution of iron chelate to the soil but still it remains yellow. It is such a mystery because I have been growing these plants here for several years and this was a new one started from seed this year. Normally they are deep green. Something is stressing them and I'm not sure what it could be.
Here's another one in close up. Any suggestions from the gardening world.
I wonder could your soil pH have changed so there is something they can't take up?
ReplyDeletePerhaps a foliar feed, like fish emulsion or seaweed extract?
ReplyDeleteI grow hydrangeas though my soil is too alkaline and one of the problems, is this.
ReplyDeleteAdd iron chelates, but not enough to solve the yellow leaves. Then I use the rainwater for irrigation because it helps absorb some elements such as magnesium that cause the problem.
You can also change the pH of the water by adding citric acid.
In other plants I have problems of chlorosis and the cause was, simply too much irrigation.
I hope you can solve the problem.