Q. I have an Apricot tree I planted in January (bareroot
from the farm). It has been doing really
well until a couple of week ago I noticed something was eating some of the
leaves. More recently I have noticed
yellowing of some of the leaves. Any
ideas as to what is causing this and how to remedy the problem? I have attached pictures. Thanks.
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| Typical of iron chlorosis is that the newest leaves will have a lighter green leaf than older leaves AND the veins remain a dark green compared to the leaf itself. (Newer leaves are farther out on the limb than older leaves). |
problem. The leaf or leaves were light green with some scorching around the
edges. There might also be some wind damage. In photo it looks like a critter
could have been eating the leaves but that is no big deal if it only affects a
few leaves and doesn’t bother the fruit. In the photos 2 – 4 it does appear to
be a nutrient problem.
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| Not a clear picture from the reader but you can see the scorching of the leaves on apricot. |
See how the leaves on the ends of the branch are
yellowing more than the older leaves coming from the thicker part of the
branch? This is a good indicator it is most likely an iron or irrigation
problem. Irrigation, too much, can also mimic iron shortages or actually cause
an iron shortage. This is what you need to do. If there is mulch, pull the
mulch away from the trunk. If there is no mulch, then pull the soil away from
the trunk until you start to see the roots that were in the original container.
I am concerned you might be developing collar rot. Planting the tree a little too deep can also cause similar looking problems.
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| Again not the best picture but it does look like an insect could have taken a chunk out of the leaf but chances are, if there were strong winds recently, it was wind damage. |
If
you are on a watering pattern that is every day, try to get off of it. Go at
least every other day or even best every third day in the summer but add enough water to get
the water down at least 12 inches into the soil. If it is hard to do this,
build a donut around this young tree at least 18 inches from the trunk. Two
feet from the trunk is even better.
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| One of the many iron sprays. Just make sure you adjust the chemistry of the water to be on the acidic side so that the iron is not lost when you mix it with water. To be on the safe side I would use distilled or RO water and use it all up. Don’t keep it premixed for any length of time. |
This donut or moat should be high enough to
hold about three to four inches of water. Fill it twice until the next
watering. Because we are now in July, spray the leaves early in the morning
with an iron fertilizer spray. Pick an iron product made for correcting iron
chlorosis, an iron chelate is best. I usually recommend EDDHA iron but that is
for applying to the soil. It is expensive and you do not need this chelate for
spraying on the leaves.
Any iron spray made for applying iron to the leaves
should work fine. However, some plants, in fact many plant leaves will not turn
green from an iron spray without multiple applications. So I would make a fresh
spray of iron for the leaves about four times and apply the iron on four
separate applications a few days apart. Remember to apply it in the cool of the
morning.
I would use distilled water or RO water. I would also put a tsp of
liquid dish detergent (one with no addatives like scents or lotions) in one
gallon of spray mix. Shake it to mix the spray and detergent together but not
allow it to foam. Spray immediately. Do
not hold it overnight. Make a fresh spray each time you spray. Next January
make your normal fertilizer application to the tree and include an iron chelate
to the soil that contains EDDHA chelate.