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Plant Care

By: Mark Bartley

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If a plants leaves are yellow, then it is suffering from a condition called chlorosis, which is a lack of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the substance that gives a leaf its greenness, and is a fundamental componet photosynthesis, the process plants use to obtain energy from light. However the attentive, knowledgeable gardener will be used to dealing with the issues of chlorotic leaves, will know what avoiding steps to take, and will be able to return an unhealthy plant back to full verdant magnificence. Here are some common causes of mellow yellow leaves.

Water. Too much or too little and you very quickly get yellow leaves. But with proper preparation of soil before planting, water related issues can be pretty much avoided. What you are looking for is adequate drainage, but with thecapacity to hold moisture like a sponge without getting water-logging, a particular problem if you have a clay soil, or draining too quickly as with sandy soils. Simply supplementing organic matter before planting will promote a good soil pore structure, allowing excess water to drain off while retaining enough moisture for good plant growth. Manure is one option, a product such as Levington Organic Blend Farmyard Manure is a recommended commercial product. Purpose made soil conditioners are another way of achieving the same result, Miracle-Gro manufacture a superb Eco Sense Soil Conditioner, which is a peat free blend. Once you have added organic matter, don't forget to mulch to reduce water evaporation and keep the weed down. There are plenty of options for mulching such as composts or barks like the Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Natural Pine Bark which helps keep moisture 6 times longer and stays functional for up to 3 years.

Poor soil through pH imbalance is another issue. As part of getting your soil ready for planting, you should find out the acidty level of your soil. This is called its pH. It's extremely important as it governs the uptake of food by roots, and can be found by using a pH testing kit, easily obtainable from any garden centre. Having discovered the pH of your soil you might then realise that you're growing the wrong types of plants for the soil type, and this is causing the yellowing, or it may be that you need to adjust the pH of your soil. For general gardening needs, an optimum pH is about 6.5 which is slightly acidic. Should any adjustment be needed, then an organic mulch can work to reduce alkalinity, while liming will bring down acidity. Also, digging in organic matter will help to create a humus rich soil, which will have a high buffering capacity, in other words strong ability to resist change in pH. If you want to grow ericaceous plants (acid loving) but have the wrong soil type, try growing them in containers of Miracle-Gro azalea, camellia and rhododendron compost. Alternatively, if you want to grow these plants directly in your garden soil ensure you regularly feed them with an ericaceous plant food. Miracle-Gro have a choice of suitable liquid and granular feeds.

When the lovely green leaves of a previously healthy plant start to yellow, nutrient deficiency is probably the main reason. And prime suspect is a lack of Nitrogen, which is vitally important for plant growth. Once the vigorous growth of spring has slowed, the plant may have used up its available supply. Deficiencies of iron, magnesium, sulphur, and molybdenum will also cause a yellowing of leaves. Fortunately, nutrient deficiency is easily avoided by a good feeding regime. In the spring, provide established plants a good feed using a product such as Miracle-Gro Slow Release Plant Food. And treat your lawn with similar care, as without TLC, it will yellow too. A lawn feed and weed product like Evergreen Complete will provide the right nutrients while eliminating mineral sapping weeds.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Using the right plant food and a quality weed killer are cheap and straight forward ways of making sure your garden looks great. This is one of a general series of garden advice pieces from Mark, a recognised gardening expert.

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