yellowing of newer leaves from base?

[kevinrs]

I am posting this separate from the insect problems I've posted, since at 8 miles away, the soil and everything's completely different, including the problem.

This plant is the worst, but I'm seeing signs of it on 8 plants, There are some spots turning brown in the middle of the worst of the yellow leaves, but not on most.

What looks like yellowing on the undersides of larger leaves and stems, I think is just light reflecting off the ground.

Could it be a deficiency? or is it a disease? I'm not seeing anything quite like it so far searching.

[Heritage]

Kevin, it looks like an iron deficiency. A couple of threads:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17392

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=17846

[kevinrs]

sounds like a good possibility, now need to figure out if I have anything on hand for iron, or what to buy. If I get something soluble, I have them set up on drip, so can add it that way, and maybe a foliar feeding as well.

I'm sure iron could be an issue, the sandy soil here is pale and somewhat alkaline, could use a truckload of red dirt to even it out or something.

[kevinrs]

I put probably 1/3 of a cup of MG in the drip filter, it's going to go on the whole garden (24 tomatoes, 5 tomatillos, 11 peppers, 6 eggplant, 12 squash, 9 broc/caulif, 22 melons, 6 cukes and a pumpkin, = 90 1 gph drippers *14 minutes = 21 gallons of water that should be used in the morning. MG reccomended rate of use is 1 TBSP per gallon 8 21 = about 1 1/3 cups), so it's not much. I'll have to bring home the MG for tomatoes I have at the other garden and do a foliar spray tomorrow, and probably another dose with that in the filter.

What's a good source of iron, and whatever else is likely missing from this soil http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.e...gc_fid=1090145 It's described as fine sandy loam, an old alluvial fan, granite derived. I figure that over time, most soluble minerals have leached out. I knew I should have gone ahead and sent across the country for a soil test, apparently California doesn't have university agricultural extensions that do the tests for people.

[b54red]

Get an chelated iron product and apply as directed. If the plant turns darker and no new leaves show the yellowing then you will know for certain and a little iron won't hurt anyway unless you really over do it. A few years back I let my beds get too alkaline and I had iron deficiency in several varieties of plants, even my onions. I applied a little iron supplement and everything greened up nicely.

[kevinrs]

Only seeing Liquinox chelated iron and zinc at home depot. That's Iron and Zinc in one, not sure if I need both. So far not seeing anything else on a website that would be in a local store. I'd like to find something I can pick up and use tomorrow, to find out if it fixes the problem before it's too late.

[kevinrs]

So, no opinions on Liquinox? if no one says otherwise, I'm going to have to try it.

[dice]

http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/pro...quid_Iron.html

[kevinrs]

The problem is I don't think I can wait on a product to be shipped. I have 2 lowes, 3 home depot, 4 walmart supercenters, 2 nurserys, more landscaping than anything else, no indoor areas with products, a true value franchise, and 2 hydroponics/greenhouse stores.

all that and the only chelated iron I find online at a store that is local is the Liquinox

[rnewste]

kevin,

I too want to prevent yellowing of the lower leaves as much as possible, this Season. I am now trialing an Iron supplement called Actino-Iron (from the folks at Natural Industries who make Actinovate).



I just began initial dosage of one tablespoon sprinkled around each plant rootball, then fully watered in (Actino-Iron is NOT water soluble like Actinovate is). Time will tell, but you may want to give it a try.

I would start with calling the 2 Hydro Shops, then Greenhouses. Lastly, call Natural Industries directly to verify which retailers carry Actino-Iron - and not just Actinovate.

Raybo

[kevinrs]

I don't have yellowing of the lower leaves, but the newest leaves at the growing tips of the plant. On the individual leaves, the yellowing starts at the base of the leaf.

[ireilly]

Blackstrap molasses has iron in it, and the sugar'll feed the microfauna.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstrap_molasses

[kevinrs]

yeah, I've thought about molasses, haven't figured out where to get it, should be available somewhere well below the retail small jar food grade prices. I looked in a grocery store tonight and couldn't even find that.

[kevinrs]

updated picture, got home barely in time to do a foliar spray of the chelated iron/zinc. Noticed the plants looked different, leaves mostly looking dark green, yellow areas more intense and dead spots. Now my phone won't recognize that it's connected to the computer to upload the picture... will take a while to restart my buggy phone. The only thing I did was add that regular miracle grow to the drip setup, at an amount that would make it more dilute than it calls for. Miracle grow does contain some chelated iron, don't know if it's enough to have made a difference.

the picture is even worse than I thought, blurry, and poorly lit, and it's just been sprayed, so reflections from water droplets too, but here it is for now:

[b54red]

Did you use the Liquinox? A little extra zinc usually isn't a bad thing if your soil isn't high in zinc and most soil isn't. It was even recommended in a soil sample years ago that I add a little extra to mine.

The iron should darken the green part of the plant but the areas that are too far gone with the yellowing will just eventually die. I had a problem with iron deficiency in a group of seedlings this year. I added some extra iron and they greened up good except the ones that had really yellowed badly and those really yellow areas ended up withering up and dying. I just cut off the bad parts and planted them and they are doing fine now.