Correcting Iron Deficiency for Camellia

last year

last modified: last year

I have a soil test for a Camellia bed that suggests excessive minerals throughout the soil, but a deficiency of iron. Maybe the excess minerals have somehow impacted the iron levels. The leaves show some signs of chlorosis, so this is consistent with an iron problem. What is the best remedy for this problem?

If I use an iron chelate spray on the leaves or in the soil, doesn't this need constant re-application? How often?

If I try to use an organic product like Espoma Iron Tone, this appears to contain the other nutrients like calcium and magnesium that I already have in excess. And won't the calcium and magnesium levels already in the soil prevent the uptake of iron from the Iron Tone?

I guess this test means that I should only fertilize with a pure nitrogen (N) source and not provide P or K? What would be some good fertilizer sources to do this? Urea? Blood meal?

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

last year

Based on what I can make out from the photos, I don't believe it is just simple nitrogen chlorosis. That tends to present differently than what looks to be interveinal chlorosis. And interveinal chlorosis can be caused by a lot more factors than just a lack of iron - high pH, wet soils, compacted soils and high soil organic content can all be causes as well as a number of other factors. But of most concern is the high levels of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, all of which can cause chlorosis.

So my conclusion is that you are hitting at least 3 of those factors and maybe more. The pH you can probably fix but what do you do about the high soil organic content and the corresponding very high levels of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium?

I don't really have an easy solution for you.......

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Comments (7)

westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Hoping one of the fertilizer experts here will shed light on this.

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

@tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

@daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)

@kevin9408
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
last year
Page 2 of the soil test recommends fertilizing with high nitrogen, no P and no K.
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westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
last year
The two things I would point out in these photos of the Camellia are how sparse the leaves are. Most of the leaf growth is at the ends. And the leaves themselves tend toward chlorotic.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
It certainly doesn't look very good. Whatever is wrong with it has gone far beyond simple iron chlorosis!

It is not always easy to diagnose ailing plants from just a photo. It could be a watering/drainage issue but more likely some sort of nutrient deficiency. This could be due to the high pH level or the rather strange nutrient load from your raised bed soil mix. Or a combination of factors.

You might want to consider the application of just N as suggested by the soil test. But you wont need much - their instructions were for 100 square feet and this is a significantly smaller area to address. I'm not sure I have any other suggestions to offer.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
last year
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) Could it be simple chlorosis from lack of nitrogen?

For something like this would you use an organic source of nitrogen like blood meal, or a fast-acting synthetic like urea?
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
last year
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) It's interesting, but the photos seem to show three types of leaves: 1) all yellow, 2) interveinal chlorosis, and 3) splotches of yellow. The all-yellow leaves suggest possible nitrogen chlorosis. The interveinal leaves suggest iron or one of the other causes you highlight. The splotchy leaves might be something viral.

I believe I have fixed the pH now. I measured my mulch pH today at just over 6 and took a small core sample and combined some material at 6 and 8 inches down into the soil mass and tested pH at around 5.8. So that might further reject iron as the cause.

Is there any harm in my trying a high nitrogen fertilizer like urea or blood meal and just observe the response?