I don't know a lot about fertilizer and want to make sure I prescribe the right treatment for these trees:
There are about 60 young ficus in a hedge row on a property in Beverly Hills I looked at today. They are at least a few years old- the highest are about 12 feet. Many of these trees are evidencing chlorosis- some seem to be pretty severe.
It is not due to over-watering and likely not due to compaction. The HO's have been periodically applying ironite 1-0-1 for the past year and a half to no avail.
I tested the soil ph in 3 different places and was shocked to see an avg ph of around 4! Granted my soil tester is an electronic Ferry-Morse from Home Cheapo and while it may not be precise it should at least be able to tell whether a soil is acidic or alkaline.
I had thought that chlorosis occurred in alkaline soils but does it occur in highly acidic soils as well or is my tester way out of whack? If so what is the best way to purge the soil of the excess ironite or should I merely add lime or some sort of alkaline fertilizer?
There are about 60 young ficus in a hedge row on a property in Beverly Hills I looked at today. They are at least a few years old- the highest are about 12 feet. Many of these trees are evidencing chlorosis- some seem to be pretty severe.
It is not due to over-watering and likely not due to compaction. The HO's have been periodically applying ironite 1-0-1 for the past year and a half to no avail.
I tested the soil ph in 3 different places and was shocked to see an avg ph of around 4! Granted my soil tester is an electronic Ferry-Morse from Home Cheapo and while it may not be precise it should at least be able to tell whether a soil is acidic or alkaline.
I had thought that chlorosis occurred in alkaline soils but does it occur in highly acidic soils as well or is my tester way out of whack? If so what is the best way to purge the soil of the excess ironite or should I merely add lime or some sort of alkaline fertilizer?
