Oak Leaf Chlorosis

/Oak Leaf Chlorosis/

Oak Leaf Chlorosis

Leaf chlorosis (yellowing) is a perennial problem of pin oak (Quercus palustris) and other oak trees in landscapes in many parts of the Midwest. Depending on the severity of the problem, trees typically range from bright green to bright yellow. The extent of chlorosis can vary from tree to tree and even within the tree itself, with some branches appearing normal while others are severely affected. If chlorosis is severe and not treated, trees will defoliate, weaken and may eventually die. This spring, many pin oaks in the Midwestern area are showing especially severe chlorosis and, in some cases, the color of the leaves range from yellow to slightly orange. Treatment - Chlorosis in pin oaks is usually due to a deficiency of iron in the leaves. Iron is important for chlorophyll synthesis in plants, so when it is deficient, leaves cannot make chlorophyll, resulting in a yellow appearance. Chlorosis of pin oaks is typically associated with alkaline soil pH äóñ pH greater than 7. As soil pH increases, the ability of pin oaks to take up iron decreases dramatically. The best solution for iron chlorosis is to avoid planting pin oak in alkaline soils. Some closely related species, like northern pin (Q. ellipsoidalis) and scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), have excellent fall color and usually hold up better to alkaline soils than Q. palustris.

By | 2016-01-11T00:51:24-08:00 January 11th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Philodendron Problem

Your split leaf Philodendron likes bright indirect light indoors and moderate water. In pots, water only when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle. The browning/yellowing of the leaves may be due to insufficient light (try putting it by a window that gets indirect light) or a watering problem. Also do not allow the plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. Is your plant in a pot within a pot? If so take your plant to a sink and allow the water to drain out thoroughly before returning to the decorative pot. If it is in a pot without drainage holes, suggest you transplant in a container with drainage holes. We do not see any signs of insects, but carefully inspect not only the top of the leaves and stems but also underneath the foliage. Depending on the species and cultivar, the latex from the leaves and the stems/branches can be very irritating to the skin so be sure to wear protective gloves when handling. Also feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for container house plants. We hope you Swiss cheese philodendron grows lush and full again.

By | 2016-01-10T20:38:56-08:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|1 Comment
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Butterfly Bush

Your flowering shrub is likely a butterfly bush, a sub shrub in your area and can die back to the ground when in areas with cold winters. This by itself is not a problem because many people cut it back to the ground in spring. There are two reasons why they might not make it through the winter. One, the soil might be getting too cold. Provide winter protection such as a mound of chopped leaves around the base of each plant. They should be hardy in your area and such protection shouldn't be necessary, but perhaps it is windy there. Two, the soil could be too wet, causing the roots to rot. It is very difficult to correct drainage problems after plants are in the ground. Applying an organic mulch around each plant at least as wide as the shrub, and maybe wider, will eventually improve drainage as the mulch rots each year and adds organic matter to the soil. You may want to consult a horticulturist at a local garden center or botanic garden in case there is a local problem with these shrubs that we don't know about. It is a lovely butterfly and bird magnet.

By | 2016-01-10T11:52:11-08:00 January 10th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Janet Craig Dracaena

Your plants is likely a popular houseplant, D. deremensis 'Janet Craig' that thrives in well-drained soil in bright, indirect light indoors or filtered sunshine outdoors. Prized for its tufts of shiny, deep green foliage atop cane stems. Because of the upright form, the foliage can collect dust so wipe off periodically with a damp cloth. Water when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle and feed with a slow release fertilizer formulated for container plants. Young plants are a tuft of upright leaves. As the plant grows, it forms a cane-like stem with a cluster of leaves at its top. According to the ASPCA, all dracaenas are toxic to cats: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/dracaena. In case of ingestion, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately because we cannot guarantee identification from a photo or a timely enough reponse. There is a poisonous plant database here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants. There is also an animal poison control number listed here: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control but there may be a $65 charge.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Nutrient Deficiency

From the photo it appears there might be a nutrient deficiency. If the plant is growing "in-ground" deficiencies are usually not due to lack of nutrients in the soil (unless you used primarly unfertilized soil amendments or organic matter that hasn't broken down yet), but often nutrient deficiency is caused by over or under-watering for the plants needs. Over-watering can cause the plant to produce vegetative growth rather than flowers, and underwatering is stressful for the plant and it may respond by not producing flowers if the plant is a flowering one. In water stressed situations, plant roots either begin to rot or dry out and therefore can't function sufficiently to absorb nutrients along with water and we often see yellow leaves. We recommend watering more deeply and less frequently rather than providing smaller amounts more frequently. If the water does not soak into the soil quickly and begins to runoff before you can provide a sufficient amount, you can apply water until it just begins to runoff, let that water soak in, apply more again until just before runoff, let that soak in, and repeat this several times during one irrigation (in the same day). We recommend keeping the soil evenly moist, and avoiding fluctuations between dry and flooded soils to keep the salts diluted in the moist soil. A time-release fertilizer is also recommended.

By | 2016-01-10T07:43:30-08:00 January 10th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Spurge

This is a euphorbia commonly known as spurge. Though this is a rapidly growing group of popular hybrids, we can't tell which one without seeing the whole plant and looking at its flower; because there are many similar kinds. Euphorbia prefer full sun and good drainage. Larger cultivars can be as large as shrubs growing 3-4ft tall and wide, then there are many that are smaller, under 2ft. They come in a wide range of foliage colors and growth habits too, from those that can re-seed and become quite weedy, to those that have underground runners that act like ground cover to those that are quite polite and easy to deal with in any location.
The best way to propagate these is by divisions taken now (divide the rootball with a shovel and transplant part of it where you want to grow it). But you can also propagate it from cuttings taken now. After you make the cutting, put the stem in warm water for a few hours so that the white sap doesn't congeal and seal off the bottom of the stem. Then dip the cutting in a rooting hormone and plant in a pot full of potting mix. Make a plastic tent over it (easily made with a coat hanger and a clear plastic sleeve that comes back from the cleaners with your clothes) to hold in the humidity. Keep the soil moist, and keep the plant in a frost-free, warm place (like a north window) where it gets plenty of indirect light, and it should root in a couple of weeks.

By | 2016-01-10T03:38:50-08:00 January 10th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Kangaroo Fern

Excellent fern for a window with indirect light. In a plastic pot this shouldn't need water more than once a week. Watch out for scale insects, which unfortunately look a lot like the spores that this plant produces. The good news is that they appear more on the stems and never in regular patterns on the leaves, like the spores do.

Keep this plant evenly moist - if it isn't root bound a through, once-a-week soaking should be fine. Like most plants, don't let the pot sit in a saucer of water longer than a couple of hours but don't be stingy with the water because you're afraid of water draining into the saucer. You'll need to have water drain out if the plant is being well watered.

Grow this fern in a bright location - filtered sun, or morning sun is perfect, or a few feet away from a Southern or Western window.

Be sure to repot in a larger container when the plant is root bound - tip it out of the pot and if you see a congestion of roots, it's time to upgrade! Only put soil in the pot - no rocks, shards or other debris, no matter what your mother/neighbor told you ;-)

Fertilize regularly according to directions - only after watering the plant well, however. Never fertilize a thirsty plant.

By | 2016-01-10T01:59:31-08:00 January 10th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Difficulty Seeing Damage

I can see the yellow spots on your azalea leaves but the shot is too far away to tell much about it. Since all the spots look yellow, not brown, it appears that this damage has happened recently which argues against fungal problems. A fungus would show up a little at a time, and some of the spots would be brown while others would be yellow turning to brown. So this might be damage caused by something hitting the plant's leaves such as a cleaning product, herbicide, liquid fertilizer etc. If you clip off the worst of the leaves it will be easier to monitor if whatever caused the damage has come and gone.

These spots are too large to be lace-bug damage, which is the most common insect that feeds on azaleas. If the damage continues by all means send us another photo or two of a closeup of two or three leaves. Look to see if there is anything on the underside of these leaves and should you see anything like an insect send us a photo. Be sure that when this plant is watered that no hot water spray from a sun-heated hose hits the foliage before the water runs cold again.

By | 2016-01-10T01:51:22-08:00 January 10th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Water And Fertilizer Issues

We typically see yellowing of leaves in response to over or under watering, and/or nutrient deficiencies. Water should be applied when needed (according to weather conditions and plant size) rather than on a fixed schedule. When applied, water deeply (fewer times per week as opposed to daily) and maintain even soil moisture (avoid fluctuations in very dry and very wet/flooding of soil). Insufficient water dries out roots, and too much water drowns roots; both situations result in a lack of nutrient uptake. We've included a link about Peppers so you can refer to this for appropriate fertilizer applications. If watering is done properly and leaves are still yellow you can use this rule of thumb: uniformly yellow lower/older leaves means a lack of Nitrogen. Yellow areas between the veins on newer leaves (at the top of the plant) results from a lack of Iron. We recommend you ask your local garden center professional for an appropriate fertilizer. (Also note that Peppers are heavy Phosphorous users). Here' the link:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/CULTURAL/vegefertilizing.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/peppers.html

By | 2016-01-10T01:19:11-08:00 January 10th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Rose Issues

It looks as if there are a few things going on here.
It is hard to see clearly but there is probably a fungal leaf spot disease. It is difficult to tell from this photo which one it might be but both are treated more or less the same: No overhead watering, remove and properly (do not compost) dispose of all affected plant parts and litter, provide the plant with it's optimum growing environment (full sun; rich,well-draining soil; fertilizer formulated for roses; enough water to sustain the plant). Here is a link that might be helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/DISEASES/leafspotdis.html
The way the rose is withering suggests not enough water. You would be the one who would know that.
By the looks of the photo, there may not have been enough amending of the soil to ensure the success of the rose plants. Also, the weeds compete with the roses for water and nutrients in the soil. The weeds are best removed.
Her a couple of other links that you might find helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7465.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/rose.html

By | 2016-01-09T22:53:52-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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