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Photina - am I wrong about the problem

LunarJimLunarJim Posts: 56
in Problem solving
My photina looks to me like it has a lack of iron, we have clay alkaline soil.  I've sprayed it with sequestered iron (2%) several times a week ago.  It doesn't look to have improved.  Is the problem not lack of iron or does it just need muc more?  The leaves are more green on the side that gets more sun.
Thanks




Posts

  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    It is possible that a foliar feed is not working because of the thickness of its evergreen leaves. I'd consider giving it several bucketfuls of chelated iron/seaweed mix in water now. Then also fertilising in the normal way. You will find that the very bleached leaves won't go away, so you'll have to wait for them to drop off, but the new growth should look healthy and gradually will replace and cover the bleached-looking leaves.

    I'm a bit puzzled though as to why it's happening in the first place--we have alkaline soil in this area and they grow with abandon. Is there some kind of compaction or other soil issue that might be impeding its access to nutrients?
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I agree with @Cambridgerose12, we have very alkaline clay soil in our region and miles of healthy photinia hedges, plus a root drench would be more effective than a foliar spay for the reasons stated. However, it looks more like magnesium deficiency to me, with the colour leaching out between the leaf veins and around the edges. With iron deficiency the whole leaf just gradually goes yellow. It is odd, clay soils are usually mineral-rich and photinia wouldn’t normally have a problem accessing them (like acid loving plants do in alkaline soil). If you feed anything, make sure you follow the dilution rates stated, don’t overdo it, which can do more harm than good.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • LunarJimLunarJim Posts: 56
    Thanks for the interesting comments.  I'll try a root feed and make sure I don't over-do it.  I had read that spraying on the leaves means the uptake is higher but perhaps that isn't always true.  We did dig over before planting this photina about four years ago so I'm not sure why it isn't doing well.  A neighbour has one that looks worse (although due to leaf drop and looking rather bare), we are in the Chilterns but not where there is only a thin layer of soil before limestone.
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