we've all had to deal with ye

---

Dreaded yellow.... 

for me, its been either poor soil or water with pH off so far, that nutrients can't be absorbed well. Either correct the pH to aid the root's absorption (ammonium sulfate comes to mind),  or else boost the levels of trace elements with Plant Starter, or something similar. 

 a little of both helps. The Fish fertilizer and volcanic ash help with natural sources, but are pricey. 

pH was never an issue for me my soil and water that I feed it always stays right at about 6. After I eliminated pH I started looking at iron and other potential deficiencies. For me it came down to nitrogen. I will check my soil PH tomorrow on treated plants with the ammonium sulfate and report back on the soil pH

@will said:

I have a half thought thru theory that during the winter the soil pH increases due to reduced rain water and replacing it well mineral ridden well water. Then in the summer the rain water begins to neutralize whatever salts built up etc. Unleashing these beasts we know of as trees.  

Interesting theory. The higher humidity probably helps a lot also. 

okay I just went and checked the pH on that tree and it's running a little higher than I thought it would be. It's running between 6.5 and 7 last time I checked it it was running right at 6. I use well water so I checked that and was super surprised to find it at a pH of 5.

@peteypyro here it is for lawns mostly... lots of it.

 its the sulfur that produces the acid to dissolve and release the essential (for green chlorophyll production) metallic trace minerals (iron,  boron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, etc). Chem class over

@roadkill That is the same nitrogen source and pH adjusted golf courses use for greening up. The ammonium ion supplies the nitrogen,  and the sulfate ion lowers the pH, making many more trace elements available, like iron, manganese, magnesium, boron, etc. I believe the pH reduction may be more important than the added nitrogen. 

@roadkill. Great info! When my pH gets high...

           ... I too find ammonium sulfate acidifies the soil... 

 I use it by the pallet out here on the lawns too...

  The sulfate ion acidifies the soil, and releases more trace elements from the soil, and the ammonium ion really greens them up with its high nitrogen bio-availability.

That is my go-to solution too.  You can see the 2 sets of new green  leaves, and the older chlorotic yellowish leaves.

 Its like night and day, but took a month to show.  Great stuff!

@peteypyro great stuff man thanks for the images. I love seeing that older growth versus newer growth and the color shift

@roadkill hey rk. Good to see you around. Were you able to recover your sick tree/s?

no I was not able to. One of the trees has died it was about 6 or 7 ft tall and the other ones not doing too well

@roadkill aww man

@peteypyro I have some leaves like that too. Chlorotic leaves can be fixed by aluminum sulfate?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LDnQQNhtJeeYp8J67

This is great, I have had this problem with my farm as well. The high ph causes this problem- the technical term is chlorosis. Ammonium sulfate definitely solves this problem but in my experience, it is a somewhat dangerous short-term solution and I stopped using it because I drink water from my well. I found that the chemicals eventually leached into my system. Not the end of the world but going forward the past few years I use these three steps at my farm:

Short term: I dilute Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron with water and pour that around my plants. Results- 1 week; lasts 1 month

Mid-term: I add Monterey LG7115 Dr Soil Acidifier Granules Iron and Elemental Sulfur Acidic Fertilizer around my plants which is a slow release of the short-term step. Results- 1 month; lasts 4 months

Long-term: Build soil- this naturally will even out to give a ph of around 6. I do this with compost, biochar, and worm castings. Results for life (also cheapest)

I know I used name brands but I didn't link because I am not affiliated. I find that telling people the exact brand helps save them time but please, by all means, shop around. The main point is Liquid Iron and Iron Granules.

@agroforestry said:

<p>This is great, I have had this problem with my farm as well. The high ph causes this problem- the technical term is chlorosis. Ammonium sulfate definitely solves this problem but in my experience, it is a somewhat dangerous short-term solution and I stopped using it because I drink water from my well. I found that the chemicals eventually leached into my system. Not the end of the world but going forward the past few years I use these three steps at my farm:</p><p><strong>Short term:</strong> I dilute <em>Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron</em> with water and pour that around my plants. Results- 1 week; lasts 1 month</p><p><strong>Mid-term:</strong> I add <em>Monterey LG7115 Dr Soil Acidifier Granules Iron and Elemental Sulfur Acidic Fertilizer</em> around my plants which is a slow release of the short-term step. Results- 1 month; lasts 4 months</p><p><strong>Long-term:</strong> Build soil- this naturally will even out to give a ph of around 6. I do this with compost, biochar, and worm castings. Results for life (also cheapest)</p><p></p><p>I know I used name brands but I didn't link because I am not affiliated. I find that telling people the exact brand helps save them time but please, by all means, shop around. The main point is Liquid Iron and Iron Granules.</p>

 Great post! I've started experimenting with some different mulching techniques to address the ongoing water/ph problem (my ground water is extremely alkaline for one). Working in more pine needles, bark, etc (mainly because I have no where else to put it while maintaining the grounds) one of the positives here is with heavy mulching watering has went down to literally 0. 

@will ah yes, the power of mulch. It solves nearly EVERYTHING hah

Plants needs too much water= mulch

Weeds around plant= mulch

Plant needs better soil= mulch

Soil has high pH= mulch

Soil has low pH= mulch

I could never get my kratom cutting to root but I plan to order more soon and try again. Soon I hope to have a kratom tree to test on my farm, I have over 120 different types of fruit trees so I'd love to add in the diversity of a great medicinal plant.

@pharmatree today we have kratom popsicles on the trees

@peteypyro oh no how cold did It get

Really felt this chill. Had a roof reading at 20f on Friday night as air mass plowed through without obstruction. No visible ice though. I’m not sure what thermodynamics were at play as the air a few feet off the ground was substantially warmer and all the large trees have been packed heavily with mulch and logs - effectively turning the trees themselves into a radiator in this frigid air. In other news the older dog doesn’t mind the cold when going for walks but the little one sure does.

I am getting cornered today as we had some rain. Doubtful that this water will evaporate any time soon.

@will glad the dogs are okay. An interesting fact- some orchard keepers have overhead irrigation that runs continually through frost to prevent frost damage.
https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/stone...

Just got 6 unrooted cuttings, going to follow this method: https://kratomwatchdog.com/top...
Does anyone have any better ones? I've tried cuttings in rain water and had no success last time. Hopefully, this method works better.

@agroforestry there are myriad rooting techniques I've shown here,  about 2-3 years ago. They all work to some degree. I prefer sterile seed starting mix of 1/3 peat moss 1/3 perlite and  1/3 vermiculite.  Sterilized by heating dampened mix to 200°F in an old microwave oven. I use cinnamon powder as antifungal (vital). 

  See the old postings I've made in 2019~2021