How to prevent and treat iron deficiency chlorosis in gardenia?

Distribution: It occurs easily in calcareous soil areas.

Symptoms: Leaf chlorosis, which first appears on young leaves at the tips of branches, begins at the leaf margins and develops toward the center of the leaf. The leaf color changes from green to yellow, gradually worsening, and the leaf tissue turns yellow or light yellow, but the veins remain green; later the entire leaf turns yellow, then yellow-white and white, and the leaf margins become gray-brown to brown, necrotic, and dry. The upper leaves of the whole plant are affected most severely, while the lower leaves remain normal or nearly normal. In severely affected plots, the plants weaken year by year and eventually die.

Pathogen: This disease is caused by unsuitable cultivation conditions, such as overly sticky soil, excessive lime content, high alkalinity, low-lying and damp conditions, and insufficient iron supply. It is an important physiological disease.

Prevention and treatment methods:

1. Horticultural control: Use well-drained, loose, fertile acidic soil for cultivation. For potted plants, acidic soil such as mountain soil can be used, and the potting soil should be replaced once every 1-2 years. Use organic fertilizer, and mix ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate into the organic fertilizer when it is being composted.

2. Chemical control: In the early stage of the disease, irrigate the affected plants with 2%-3% ferrous sulfate, or spray the leaves with 0.1%-0.2% ferrous sulfate, or use iron chelate in the soil, 0.2 grams for a 22 cm (6-inch) flowerpot. Treating chlorosis with chemicals should be done in the early stage of disease occurrence, otherwise the effect is poor.

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