Re: Sparmannia africana
Susan George wrote:
>
> Hi Moira
>
> I don't really get frosts where I am and the winter has been unusually mild
> anyway - dahlias for instance lasted with flowers to mid winter - so doubt
> the cold factor - and the effect is not seasonal either.
>
> But the hint about 'enriched with organic matter' might give a clue - being
> so close to the beach the soil is pretty lean and sandy here - so I will up
> to doses of food and compost. Still the lower older leaves give what I
> always thought was the typical symptoms of iron deficiency - yellow except
> for green veins? It would be interesting to know more about its natural
> habitat.
Susan
If the older leaves are the ones mainly affected this is more likely to
be a magnesium than an iron deficiency. On some plants the symptoms can
look quite similar, but iron lack typically shows up in the youngest
leaves first and magnesium shortage in the older foliage. It could well
be worth trying the effect of a dose of Epsom salts. Use a tablespoonful
in a can of water.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
