Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

Hi all.

I have a 4 year old vic plum planted last year. some of the older leaves are turning yellow. Would I be right in thinking this is due to lack of nitrogen? The tree is planted with grass right up to the trunk, so I thought I would use a liquid nitrogen feed.

Thanks

Peter

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

Halo wrote:
Hi all.

I have a 4 year old vic plum planted last year. some of the older
leaves are turning yellow. Would I be right in thinking this is due to
lack of nitrogen? The tree is planted with grass right up to the trunk,
so I thought I would use a liquid nitrogen feed.

Thanks

Peter




Possibly a nitrogen deficiency. A little Miracle Grow around the tree
wouldn't hurt. It is generally not a good idea to have grass, or
anything else growing within the drip line of the tree. It takes
energy away from the tree.

Yellow leaves could be indicative of a more serious problem. If the
leaves turn this color in the fall, this could be a sign that the tree
is going dormant or dying. Check the base for entry holes of borers.

You did not give your location and type of soil, which could give
more clues to the problem. Did you get a lot of rain this year,
and does your soil drain well?

Sherwin

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

In article ,
sherwin dubren wrote:

Halo wrote:
Hi all.

I have a 4 year old vic plum planted last year. some of the older
leaves are turning yellow. Would I be right in thinking this is due to
lack of nitrogen? The tree is planted with grass right up to the trunk,
so I thought I would use a liquid nitrogen feed.

Thanks

Peter




Possibly a nitrogen deficiency. A little Miracle Grow around the tree
wouldn't hurt. It is generally not a good idea to have grass, or
anything else growing within the drip line of the tree. It takes
energy away from the tree.

Yellow leaves could be indicative of a more serious problem. If the
leaves turn this color in the fall, this could be a sign that the tree
is going dormant or dying. Check the base for entry holes of borers.

You did not give your location and type of soil, which could give
more clues to the problem. Did you get a lot of rain this year,
and does your soil drain well?

Sherwin

Hmmm ...

Not having any plum trees, so I am not expert.
I lean toward iron deficiency.

The yellowing of leaves is called Chlorosis in normal green plants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis

As for using "liquid nitrogen" requires careful use!
In a science class "liquid nitrogen" was used to dip a rose in it and
then smashed on the table. The rose shattered like glass :)
Very Cool Huh :)

Enjoy Life ... Dan

--
Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

In article -
september.org, says...


Hmmm ...

Not having any plum trees, so I am not expert.
I lean toward iron deficiency.

The yellowing of leaves is called Chlorosis in normal green plants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis

This year has produced chlorosis in a number of sun-loving plants and
those that don't like wet feet.

It has been overcast wet and cool (for here) all spring.

So far "summer" has been a little better. At least we're getting some
sun, a bit less rain, some higher daytime temperatures and the long days
are helping a little.

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

"phorbin" wrote in message
...
In article -
september.org, says...


Hmmm ...

Not having any plum trees, so I am not expert.
I lean toward iron deficiency.

The yellowing of leaves is called Chlorosis in normal green plants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis


To add to phorbin's post
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/focus/chlorosis.html will give you a bit of
help in determining the cause.

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

gunner wrote:
"phorbin" wrote in message
...
In article -
september.org, says...


Hmmm ...

Not having any plum trees, so I am not expert.
I lean toward iron deficiency.

The yellowing of leaves is called Chlorosis in normal green plants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis

To add to phorbin's post
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/focus/chlorosis.html will give you a bit of
help in determining the cause.


The article you referenced says that iron chlorosis usually shows up
on the younger leaves first, then the older leaves. This might
indicate their other suggestion of manganese or zinc deficiences.

I would still not rule out other possiblities, like over watered roots
or the tree going prematurely into dormancy because of some disease
or insect damage. The original poster has left out many details, like
is this yellowing on all branches, or just certain ones, etc.

Sherwin

Thanks for all the replies, I've been away the last few days. I'm based in the UK, Midlands. So we've had some heavy rain recently, but also allot of sunshine, for the UK at least. The soils is a little sandy, so drains quite well. The yellowing of the leaves is not on this years new growth at all & mainly on the older leaves. I've also noticed this morning that a few plums have dropped also.

My idea of lack of nitrogen was based on a quick search on goggle, as I didn't think it was water logged & got plenty of water.

I did mean a liquid fertilizer that also contains nitrogen. I don't plan to have my plum tree cryogenically frozen.

Thanks

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

Halo wrote:
Thanks for all the replies, I've been away the last few days. I'm based
in the UK, Midlands. So we've had some heavy rain recently, but also
allot of sunshine, for the UK at least. The soils is a little sandy, so
drains quite well. The yellowing of the leaves is not on this years new
growth at all & mainly on the older leaves. I've also noticed this
morning that a few plums have dropped also.

My idea of lack of nitrogen was based on a quick search on goggle, as I
didn't think it was water logged & got plenty of water.

I did mean a liquid fertilizer that also contains nitrogen. I don't
plan to have my plum tree cryogenically frozen.

Thanks




If you have other similar plants nearby with or without the same
problem, it could be a soil deficiency of minerals. Here in the
USA, we have a product called Miracle Grow, a liquid fertilizer,
but you must have something like it in Britain.

The tree may be in trouble for other reasons. Check for insect
attacks (borers at the soil line). Again, is this on all branches
or just particular ones? This could be a climatic thing, and if
so, the tree should come back ok next year. Are there any
damages to the leaves besides yellowing, and does the fruit
look normal? The web site posted indicated that older leaves
turning yellow was a possible sign of zinc or magnesium deficiency.

Sherwin

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

In article ,
sherwin dubren wrote:

Halo wrote:
Thanks for all the replies, I've been away the last few days. I'm based
in the UK, Midlands. So we've had some heavy rain recently, but also
allot of sunshine, for the UK at least. The soils is a little sandy, so
drains quite well. The yellowing of the leaves is not on this years new
growth at all & mainly on the older leaves. I've also noticed this
morning that a few plums have dropped also.

My idea of lack of nitrogen was based on a quick search on goggle, as I
didn't think it was water logged & got plenty of water.

I did mean a liquid fertilizer that also contains nitrogen. I don't
plan to have my plum tree cryogenically frozen.

Thanks
Why don't you take a sample to your nearest nursery and ask them what
they thing. Maybe the local secondary school has a biologist. Maybe
there is a college or university near you that is familiar with your
regions flora and fauna, huh?
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

Billy wrote:
In article ,
sherwin dubren wrote:

Halo wrote:
Thanks for all the replies, I've been away the last few days. I'm based
in the UK, Midlands. So we've had some heavy rain recently, but also
allot of sunshine, for the UK at least. The soils is a little sandy, so
drains quite well. The yellowing of the leaves is not on this years new
growth at all & mainly on the older leaves. I've also noticed this
morning that a few plums have dropped also.

My idea of lack of nitrogen was based on a quick search on goggle, as I
didn't think it was water logged & got plenty of water.

I did mean a liquid fertilizer that also contains nitrogen. I don't
plan to have my plum tree cryogenically frozen.

Thanks
Why don't you take a sample to your nearest nursery and ask them what
they thing. Maybe the local secondary school has a biologist. Maybe
there is a college or university near you that is familiar with your
regions flora and fauna, huh?

Gee, he could have saved a lot of time by just bypassing this forum
and going directly to his nearest 'experts' location. This to me is
just a cop out when you have no knowledge of the subject matter.

Sherwin

Yellow leaves on plum tree
 

In article , says...

Why don't you take a sample to your nearest nursery and ask them what
they thing. Maybe the local secondary school has a biologist. Maybe
there is a college or university near you that is familiar with your
regions flora and fauna, huh?

Gee, he could have saved a lot of time by just bypassing this forum
and going directly to his nearest 'experts' location. This to me is
just a cop out when you have no knowledge of the subject matter.

Sherwin

Yes. He could have saved time. That said, having some knowledge makes
for better questions.

Halo's follow up contained, "The yellowing of the leaves is not on this
year's new growth at all & mainly on the older leaves."

Let's assume that he means the older leaves are on previous years' wood
and not, last year's leaves carried through the winter and still on the
tree.

That suggests, as you suspect, some kind of trouble on, in, or inside
the tree and not an environmental, nitrogen uptake issue or soil
problem, though it may be that the soil is also in trouble.

Given we can't go have a look at it, consulting with a reputable local
expert or two to get a diagnosis seems reasonable to me.

I don't know about anyone else, but I would be loathe to feed anything
but compost to a distressed tree until I know what's going on with it.
Even then, compost and other organic amendments.

Hi Peter, I think you're right, I checked a few different sources and it does sound like nitrogen deficiency rather than lack of iron or magnesium (due to it being on older leaves not younger leaves) I've been using a fertilizer called 6x which is basically heat treated dried manure, You buy it in a big square tub with an orange lid. It's hard to go wrong with this stuff. It's easy to overdo it with some fertilizers

Hi i'm new on here (first post)

i have a similar problem with my plum tree,
not sure of it's age as it was in the garden when i moved in, only small though

after a couple of years of cutting it back, i'm now letting it grow.

any way i recently came back from holiday to find my tree which was lovely and green when i left, all the leaves turned yellow and drooping, the new growth is still green though, i think it may be a fungus as the bark is coming away and i can see fungus on the outside, also a few insects scuttling around.

i like the peter am in the midlands

the tree has been fed this year
obvioulsy was no fruit as all new growth

Pictures always help. However the usual reasons for yellowing of OLDER leaves are not to do with the tree's diet. Younger leaves show up deficiencies way sooner than old ones do.

So if older leaves are going yellow it is more likely to be a fruit tree disease than poor feeding. My first thoughts are apple scap or a blight of some sort.

Both are fungal and there are no fungicides that you could use this late and still eat the fruit. So if you spray, you don't eat. If you do not spray, clean up the leaves and other rubbish under the tree in the autumn and burn it or dump it. Do not put it on your compost heap. That way you reduce the chances of the disease overwintering.

Good luck

Hi I'm back, didn't realise other people had responded since I last looked. The issue seemed to go away with feeding, however around a week ago the tree started to show blotchy yellow & green leaves. Shown a look at the below link.

P.s when did Picasa stop doing hot links!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/petern...70669558187618