Iron deficiency is a common problem in certain areas such as Arizona. Keep reading below as to why these areas result in iron deficiency in plants.
What should you look for if you are looking for signs of iron deficiency in your plants?
You’ll also want to make sure you are maintaining your plant and trees properly. Check out our trimming boxwood guide to make sure you are pruning your boxwoods correctly.
How to Spot Iron Deficiency in Your Plants
If there is not enough iron available to your plants then it will undergo chlorosis. Chlorosis is the yellowing of the leaves of a plant. In iron deficiency, the youngest leaves are effected. This is occurs in the younger leaves first because iron is not a mobile element in the plant. The young leaves cannot draw iron from older leaves. Over time, the yellowing may even turn a pale white or the whole leaf may be effected.
For severely affected plants, the leaves may become necrotic. The edges of the leaves tend to show necrosis first.
What Causes Iron Deficiency
As I said earlier, certain low desert areas are more prone to plants with iron deficiency. This is because calcium carbonate deposits occur in these desert soils. This results in a high pH soil that is not conducive to iron uptake by the plant.
To solve the issue, you usually just need to acidify the soil so that your plant can take in the iron. The amount that you need to acidify will depend on your soil and the particular plant you are growing. If you really need to add iron to high pH soils then add chelated iron fertilizers. Iron in this chelated form will remain available to plants to absorb. If you add regular ferrous sulfate to high pH soils, it will have virtually no effect as the plants will still be unable to use the iron.
If you are growing plumerias, you’ll also want to check out our guide on how to encourage your plumeria trees to bloom.
Other Macro and Micronutrients
As you may know, there are many other macronutrients and micronutrients that are important to proper plant growth. The macronutrients is split up into primary macronutrients and secondary macronutrients.