Re: CULT: boron - indicator plants
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: boron - indicator plants
- From: "* a* C* W* <c*@digitalpla.net>
- Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:56:26 -0700 (MST)
Hello Everyone,
I found the following information in "Your Garden Soil" by Harry Maddox,
published in Britain in 1974.
These common garden plants are identified as indicator plants for boron
deficiency with the following symptoms:
Rutabagas and turnips - hollowed and brown areas (heart rot) in the center
of the roots.
Cauliflower - hollowed and discolored stem.
Apples - small and misshapen fruit with internal and external corkiness.
Maddox also suggests using a foliar spray as a low tech means of detecting
mineral deficiencies in plants. For boron he recommends a mixture of 2 oz.
of borax in 2 gallons of water along with a sticker-spreader so the spray
adheres to the leaves. Spray this on one-half of a group of young plants
and observe response in 7 to 10 days.
Because of the many areas with chalky (high pH) soils, boron deficiency is
apparently a well-documented condition in Britain.
Jeff Walters in northern Utah (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@digitalpla.net
