Bananas.org - View Single Post

adrift · 08-06-2009, 10:14 PM

My Ice Cream is in full Florida sun all day, and loves it. High temps have been 95-102 degrees in the shade for months now. But note, the leaves are in the sun. The roots are in the shade of the leaf canopy and 3" of pine bark mulch. I'm guessing your soil is going to be very warm.

1. The darker green lower leaves but light green upper leaves indicate a lack of iron and/or calcium (not nitrogen).

2. The deformity of the new leaves tends to indicate that the deficiency is calcium more so than iron.

for 1 & 2 -- That could be because your soil is lacking in those nutrients, or it could be related to lack of water or alternating dry then wet, or it could be pH.

3. I've seen that wet-and-brown patch on newly emerging leaves when either (a) soil was very acidic or (b) after a heavy application of ammonia based nitrogen (partially composted manure). Did you apply a bucket of manure to try to green up the pale leaves?

4. You say that you applied muriate of potash. That is potassium chloride. Chlorine is hard on plants and the microorganisms in your soil. That may be contributing to the burning. You need a lot of water to keep that flushing through.

* That soil looks rather rocky and sandy. Can you stir a cubic foot or two of (canadian sphagnum) peat or coco fiber into the top 3 to 6 inches to aid water retention and get some organic stuff in there?

* Can you get some wood chip mulch (or similar that is available locally) to shade the soil?

* Unless you are making changes, you probably only need to check the pH every 3 to 5 years, but you probably should check it in several places around your property. With all that sand and rock, I bet you don't have the buffering that a bunch of organic river bottom "muck" has and your pH could be way off the charts. Either way.

Is there is a mom-and-pop nursery nearby? They may be able to check the pH of your soil for you free or cheap. (I've never seen a big box place do that.) Or, a county extension office or a nearby state university may offer that. Or check with the local high school science department. (I'm sure they could do it, but they may not know how to do it.)

Or, if none of those work, quite a few of us here can do it, either because we do TC, hydroponics, or brewing, or are heavy duty plant geeks, and have pH meters. If you send one of us a few baggies of soil...

08-06-2009, 10:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
adrift adrift's Photo Gallery Location: Central FL Zone: 9a Name: KJ Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 174 BananaBucks : 25,570 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 625 Times Was Thanked 197 Times in 87 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 422 Times	Re: Help! B.I.D. (Banana in Distress) My Ice Cream is in full Florida sun all day, and loves it. High temps have been 95-102 degrees in the shade for months now. But note, the leaves are in the sun. The roots are in the shade of the leaf canopy and 3" of pine bark mulch. I'm guessing your soil is going to be very warm. 1. The darker green lower leaves but light green upper leaves indicate a lack of iron and/or calcium (not nitrogen). 2. The deformity of the new leaves tends to indicate that the deficiency is calcium more so than iron. for 1 & 2 -- That could be because your soil is lacking in those nutrients, or it could be related to lack of water or alternating dry then wet, or it could be pH. 3. I've seen that wet-and-brown patch on newly emerging leaves when either (a) soil was very acidic or (b) after a heavy application of ammonia based nitrogen (partially composted manure). Did you apply a bucket of manure to try to green up the pale leaves? 4. You say that you applied muriate of potash. That is potassium chloride. Chlorine is hard on plants and the microorganisms in your soil. That may be contributing to the burning. You need a lot of water to keep that flushing through. * That soil looks rather rocky and sandy. Can you stir a cubic foot or two of (canadian sphagnum) peat or coco fiber into the top 3 to 6 inches to aid water retention and get some organic stuff in there? * Can you get some wood chip mulch (or similar that is available locally) to shade the soil? * Unless you are making changes, you probably only need to check the pH every 3 to 5 years, but you probably should check it in several places around your property. With all that sand and rock, I bet you don't have the buffering that a bunch of organic river bottom "muck" has and your pH could be way off the charts. Either way. Is there is a mom-and-pop nursery nearby? They may be able to check the pH of your soil for you free or cheap. (I've never seen a big box place do that.) Or, a county extension office or a nearby state university may offer that. Or check with the local high school science department. (I'm sure they could do it, but they may not know how to do it.) Or, if none of those work, quite a few of us here can do it, either because we do TC, hydroponics, or brewing, or are heavy duty plant geeks, and have pH meters. If you send one of us a few baggies of soil... __________________ I've got to stop asking people, "How stupid can you be." People are taking it as a challenge.