Correct Yellow Leaves Overnight

In our desert soils, yellowing of plant leaves is frequently because of a lack of iron available to plants. Plants need iron to make the green pigment in their leaves, and green stems, called chlorophyll. Even though iron is not a part of chlorophyll it cannot be made without iron. If the chlorophyll is not made, the color of the leaf stays natural. In most cases a leaf's natural color is yellow.

Winter is the time of year when soil applied iron is not going to be effective. Liquid sprays applied to leaves can cause greening in 24 hours or less on warm days. In some cases it could be a bit longer.

iron chlorosis on cherry laurel

Yellowing on citrus

There are three ways of getting available iron inside the plant; applying it to the soil, applying it to the leaves and injecting it into the plant. Applying iron to the soil is best done just before new growth in the spring and through the early summer months. After that time and including the winter the best method is to spray the leaves with a liquid iron spray. Iron injections with products such as Medi Caps or the more sophisticated Mauget technique is also best done in the spring.

Iron sprays to the leaves are best done with any of the iron chelates because they are nonstaining on stucco and cement. It is best to use distilled or deionized water for iron sprays. 

However, if you use tap water from desert regions you must adjust the alkalinity of the water before you make the iron spray. In Las Vegas our water needs to be a bit more acidic or we might lose the effectiveness of the iron spray. The easiest way to adjust the water's alkalinity is to use vinegar. How much to use per gallon of water depends on the alkalinity of the water but usually around 1 to 2 tbs per gallon. You should check it with pH strips to be sure.

The other ingredient you should use with the spray (it will make the spray MUCH more effective) is a wetting agent to help move it through the waxy leaf surface and inside the leaf. EZ Wet is an excellent product for this person and requires about 1 tbs per gallon of spray.

EZ Wet surfactant for helping iron move inside the plant

The sequence you should follow is this:

• Fill the sprayer with enough water to do the job and no more.
• Adjust the water with vinegar to a pH of 5.5 to 6.5
• Add iron chelate according to the label
• Add EZ Wet to the finished spray
• Use all of the spray; repeat sprays four or five times every 2 to 3 days until you get sufficient greening
• Rinse the sprayer

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