planting a Jabo - is depth really a problem ?

[greenman62]

So i planted out a Jabo several months ago
due to the heat i was piling lots of mulch on it.
Even though i tried to keep the base/trunk free, in time leaves and debris fell in
and now its about 2 inches deep.

I know certain plants dont have a problem with planting them several inches deeper
than the root-crown.
Fig is usually OK with it from what i understand
and tomato and some other herbs dont mind either.

So i am wondering if this is really an issue or not ?
i actually already dug up and corrected/re-planted the Jabo in question
but i am curious all the same

can you plant the Jabo too deep ?

[Cookie Monster]

Is it a red jabo? In my experience, the red jabos seem to be more prone to nutrient deficiencies.

[stuartdaly88]

I have a very similar size Jabo and I had a couple cm's covered without any problems at all Im sure it depends on the density of the mulch? Its been raining/flooding every day for the last week and it is pushing growth really fast! and its in full sun. It didnt mind our 34C weather with very strong solar radiation as long as I water often. I was surprised caus my year old seedlings get burnt up if even in the sun for short! I water often when its not raining and the soil is very moisture retentive.

Is yours getting alot of water? My other plant that I got the same time as the one I put in ground starts to look sad if the drip tray isnt literally full of water during this heat.

Do you know how old your tree is? hoping I can guage the age of my one

[fourseasonsflorida]

A few things:

There are very few things I would recommend planting lower than the surrounding soil, especially since plants tend to settle even deeper in the ground over time.  I would plant the top of the root ball even with the ground.  Naturally, mulch is going to be placed on top of that.  With jabo, I would recommend a few inches of mulch or even more.  Basically, I wouldn't purposely try to plant the jabo deeper than the surrounding soil, but the mulch will naturally be higher than the surrounding soil.

In your pic, you have grass growing very close to the plant.  Remove all grass (by hand, not round-up) within 3-4 feet of the plant and keep it away.  This will make a huge difference in moisture and nutrient uptake that would otherwise be taken up by the grass.

I would also echo what Adam has said in that the jabo seems to grow much better in a pot.  It's worth potting up gradually over a few years, then putting in the ground at a larger size.

[greenman62]

Is it a red jabo? In my experience, the red jabos seem to be more prone to nutrient deficiencies.

Yes its a red.
it gets lots of fish emulsion, some worm castings,
 and a lot of the mulch is leaves, twigs etc... really diverse, several species...
but guava, fig and muntingia leaves making up the bulk.
i gave it a drench of iron (11% DTPA) and epsom 3 times at half strength also.

does it look deficient  to you ?

Remove all grass (by hand, not round-up) within 3-4 feet of the plant and keep it away. 

i will probably expand that mulch zone then
thanks

Is yours getting alot of water? My other plant that I got the same time as the one I put in ground starts to look sad if the drip tray isnt literally full of water during this heat.

Do you know how old your tree is? hoping I can guage the age of my one

dont know the age. got it about 8 or 10 months ago i think ?
but no idea how old it was then.
i water it almost daily, but normally i just give it enough to wet the mulch layer
if i think its dry (and it hasnt rained in a while) i will do a finger probe an inch or so deep
(under the mulch) if its really dry i give it more water, but normally, the mulch keeps it damp.

I use coffee grounds on the outside of the mulch layer in the grass
that seems to keep a wider area from drying out as fast.

[Cookie Monster]

OK. Yah, it looks nutrient deficient. The red jabo seems to be much more finicky than the sabara. I think the red may prefer an acid soil, where sabara can thrive in higher pH soil. You might be better off tossing it into a pot with a peat mix.

[greenman62]

OK. Yah, it looks nutrient deficient. The red jabo seems to be much more finicky than the sabara. I think the red may prefer an acid soil, where sabara can thrive in higher pH soil. You might be better off tossing it into a pot with a peat mix.

what exactly makes you thing its deficient,
and what mineral or nutrient  ?
i did put it in ground months ago, then dug it up a week ago, and re-planted it.
im thinking transplant shock may be making it look a bit shabby ?


one reason i ask, is i have 4 Jabo's
3 are in ground, and one of them is pretty large.
i dont see a huge difference in leaves etc... besides a bit of color
not a whole lot to tell me its Nute deficient.
i am wondering if all of them are ?
Actually, the one in  the container looks like the worse one of the bunch
but, im no expert, and i dont really even know what color
the leaves should be.

another angle of the red...



large one.
put in ground in spring...
gave iron about a month ago, and leaves greened-up a bit.






small one...

[Cookie Monster]

I'm not good at picking out nutrient deficiencies, but I'm seeing the following:

 - Some leaves have yellow tips and margins (and a semi-green inner leaf). I think this is a magnesium deficiency.
 - Some leaves are completely yellow. Not sure what this is. Maybe iron? or sulfur?
 - Some leaves have burnt tips. I'm not sure what this is. I cured mine with copper, but I'm still not sure that it's a copper deficiency.
 - Some leaves have interveinal chlorosis. I think this is an iron deficiency.

A healthy jabo should have dark green leaves.

Your best looking tree is the jabo 1b. The leaves are mostly green.