Mamey metal defiency.

[Tropicalgrower89]

I've learned about why my older pace mamey isn't growing and that the new growth seems to be deformed. The leaves are also yellowish with brown lesions (magnesium defiency) and it seems that there's lot of new growth beginning to develop, but will actually never fully develop into leaves. My healthier younger pace mamey has older leaves that are beginning to have a weird reddish purplish color with brown lesions also and I've read that magnesium deficiency begins with the oldest leaves. My passion fruit also have chlorotic leaves and so does the flower bushes in the front of my house that gets watered by the sprinklers (well water). I guess my well water is causing issues.  Does anyone have personal experience with this product?

http://www.fertilome.com/product.aspx?pid=7331edf0-5af1-4914-817b-675a55c28b28

It contains chelated iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc. 

http://www.fertilome.com/ProductFiles/10635%20Chelated%20Liquid%20Iron%20Approved%2004-06-10.pdf

Thanks for your help,

[SWRancher]

You can also put down epsom salt to treat for magnesium deficency. 

[Tropicalgrower89]

You can also put down epsom salt to treat for magnesium deficency.

Doesn't sound like a bad idea.  I've just read that epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur and will also lower soil pH. I definitely have some magnesium defiency problems in my yard. Some of the older leaves look yellowish with burnt tips on my glenn mango, even though the new growth doesn't look bad.  I'm going to have to buy epsom salt this weekend.

[adiel]

Alexi, it could not have been said any better than SWRancher stated.  Just a quick recap of 4 items to improve your mamey:

1. 8-3-9 or similar fertilizer
2. Foliar spray of micro-nutrients
3. Iron Chelate (soil drench)
4. Magnesium supplement

Magnesium Supplement:
2 or 3 times a year after the cold weather has passed, apply magnesium.  Epson salt is a very easy way to apply.  The product comes under labels such as EpsoGrow:




Or EpsoTop:




It can be purchased at fertilizer distributors.   It will be interesting to see the progress of your mamey once you start adding Magnesium.  Please keep us posted on the progress.

Thanks,

[Tropicalgrower89]

Alexi, it could not have been said any better than SWRancher stated.  Just a quick recap of 4 items to improve your mamey:

1. 8-3-9 or similar fertilizer
2. Foliar spray of micro-nutrients
3. Iron Chelate (soil drench)
4. Magnesium supplement

Magnesium Supplement:
2 or 3 times a year after the cold weather has passed, apply magnesium.  Epson salt is a very easy way to apply.  The product comes under labels such as EpsoGrow:




Or EpsoTop:




It can be purchased at fertilizer distributors.   It will be interesting to see the progress of your mamey once you start adding Magnesium.  Please keep us posted on the progress.

Thanks,

Thanks adiel. 

[adiel]

Your welcome Alexi.    Please keep us posted...

[Tropicalgrower89]

Your welcome Alexi.    Please keep us posted...

Will do.

[JF]

Put a handfull of rusty nails around the trunk and water them, that's what Cangrejo use to do to his young Mamey.

JF

[Tropicalgrower89]

Put a handfull of rusty nails around the trunk and water them, that's what Cangrejo use to do to his young Mamey.

JF

Seriously? That's pretty cool. 
I just bought this : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Epsom-Salt-Magnesium-sulfate-Organic-amendment-10-LB?item=320891959785&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7979773672903705050

[Guanabanus]

Even if you are sure that the main deficiency is of Magnesium, you will usually find it beneficial to also add Manganese and Zinc.  It is quite usual for tropical trees to require more of these than most temperate zone trees do. 

Of the 17 proven essential elements, deficiencies of over half of them cause yellowing.  One of these is Calcium.  If you are growing on deep sand without a lot of shell, Calcium deficiency is likely.   Most of the sandy soils in the southeastern US are notoriously deficient in Zinc.

[JF]

Put a handfull of rusty nails around the trunk and water them, that's what Cangrejo use to do to his young Mamey.

JF

Seriously? That's pretty cool. 
I just bought this : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Epsom-Salt-Magnesium-sulfate-Organic-amendment-10-LB?item=320891959785&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7979773672903705050

serious as a heart attack! Cangrejo was from the land of Mamey Oriente Cuba.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Even if you are sure that the main deficiency is of Magnesium, you will usually find it beneficial to also add Manganese and Zinc.  It is quite usual for tropical trees to require more of these than most temperate zone trees do. 

Of the 17 proven essential elements, deficiencies of over half of them cause yellowing.  One of these is Calcium.  If you are growing on deep sand without a lot of shell, Calcium deficiency is likely.   Most of the sandy soils in the southeastern US are notoriously deficient in Zinc.

Thanks Har. It's deep sand. Grey/black stained sand near the surface then white sand below that. No shells unless I'm very close to the foundation of the house. I live in eastern pembroke pines just east of douglas rd, between pines blvd and sheridan st. I'm definately going to look for chelated zinc like you've suggested.

[bsbullie]

Even if you are sure that the main deficiency is of Magnesium, you will usually find it beneficial to also add Manganese and Zinc.  It is quite usual for tropical trees to require more of these than most temperate zone trees do. 

Of the 17 proven essential elements, deficiencies of over half of them cause yellowing.  One of these is Calcium.  If you are growing on deep sand without a lot of shell, Calcium deficiency is likely.  Most of the sandy soils in the southeastern US are notoriously deficient in Zinc.

As well as many other elements 

[Tropicalgrower89]

Even if you are sure that the main deficiency is of Magnesium, you will usually find it beneficial to also add Manganese and Zinc.  It is quite usual for tropical trees to require more of these than most temperate zone trees do. 

Of the 17 proven essential elements, deficiencies of over half of them cause yellowing.  One of these is Calcium.  If you are growing on deep sand without a lot of shell, Calcium deficiency is likely.  Most of the sandy soils in the southeastern US are notoriously deficient in Zinc.

As well as many other elements 

And I thought sandy soil was a blessing.  Oh well.  I'll look for iron, zinc, and maganese chelate.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Put a handfull of rusty nails around the trunk and water them, that's what Cangrejo use to do to his young Mamey.

JF

Seriously? That's pretty cool. 
I just bought this : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Epsom-Salt-Magnesium-sulfate-Organic-amendment-10-LB?item=320891959785&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7979773672903705050

serious as a heart attack! Cangrejo was from the land of Mamey Oriente Cuba.

I guess that's pretty serious. lol Yeah, the main soil of oriente (brown soil) isn't as fertile as the red soils of pinar del rio, havana area and I think as far south and east as mantanzas. Basically, the hilly/mountaineous areas of western Cuba are more fertile than the hilly/mountaineous areas of oriente. I've read that the red soils of that region are one of the most fertile soils in the world. I'm going to save some $$$ on the side when I become an optometrist and hopefully Cuba will become a free country again in my life time so I can buy the farm where my mom was born, just west of Jaruco. The house that my grandfather built is still there. Unfortunately, some POS communist family lived there after my mom and her parents arrived here.  Now they are old and about to croak.. That place would probably be abandoned by the time I get to it. The back faces a mountain ridge where the escaleras de jaruco is located. My grandmother explained that some parts of the farm, or most of it, have red soil while some parts have black soil.

[Tropicalgrower89]

I think I found an answer to all of my problems... 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenall-Chelated-iron-zinc-copper-manganese-2-0-0-/190551874592#vi-content

This also contains all.

http://www.fertilome.com/ProductFiles/10635%20Chelated%20Liquid%20Iron%20Approved%2004-06-10.pdf

[adiel]

Alexi, check out this thread for more info on Zinc:

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=1082.0

[zands]

serious as a heart attack! Cangrejo was from the land of Mamey Oriente Cuba.

I guess that's pretty serious. lol Yeah, the main soil of oriente (brown soil) isn't as fertile as the red soils of pinar del rio, havana area and I think as far south and east as mantanzas. Basically, the hilly/mountaineous areas of western Cuba are more fertile than the hilly/mountaineous areas of oriente. I've read that the red soils of that region are one of the most fertile soils in the world. I'm going to save some $$$ on the side when I become an optometrist and hopefully Cuba will become a free country again in my life time so I can buy the farm where my mom was born, just west of Jaruco. The house that my grandfather built is still there. Unfortunately, some POS communist family lived there after my mom and her parents arrived here.  Now they are old and about to croak.. That place would probably be abandoned by the time I get to it. The back faces a mountain ridge where the escaleras de jaruco is located. My grandmother explained that some parts of the farm, or most of it, have red soil while some parts have black soil.

Hope that all comes true for you and your father and your family. The Castro brothers cannot die soon enough. Cuba has that superior volcanic soil and clay soil that S Florida does not. I visited Cuba a few indeterminate decades ago.

Check out these Cuban banana rats. People trap and eat them in Cuba and I would do the same.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/21890511@N06/5297819406/#

[cuban007]

JF, instead of rusty nails, try sticking a nice piece of rebar close to the feeder roots. It works wonders and you don't have to worry about iron deficiency for years. In Cuba, they used to stick nails in the trunk of the mameys to get them to fruit earlier. I stick rebars by  most of my plant, specially by the citrus trees and  believe me, it works.

[zands]

JF, instead of rusty nails, try sticking a nice piece of rebar close to the feeder roots. It works wonders and you don't have to worry about iron deficiency for years. In Cuba, they used to stick nails in the trunk of the mameys to get them to fruit earlier. I stick rebars by  most of my plant, specially by the citrus trees and  believe me, it works.

I have some rebar and will be doing this even though it may not work on my coral rock alkaline soil. Going to put it to the test. Going to try some nails in trunks too. Your advice and Cuba nail anecdote is greatly appreciated

[FloridaGreenMan]

The only Iron supplements that work in SFLA are Chelated ones like Sequestrene138 or Millers. They are expensive but anything else and you are wasting your money. My Pantin mamey has never had any problems but I used a Seq 138 drench for a few years anyway. It's more of a problem in Dade County.     


 

[JF]

I use iron supplements and Agi-Fos. I don't think we have the soil issues like SoFL we just have to deal with root rot in our wet cool winters.

[zands]

The only Iron supplements that work in SFLA are Chelated ones like Sequestrene138 or Millers. They are expensive but anything else and you are wasting your money. My Pantin mamey has never had any problems but I used a Seq 138 drench for a few years anyway. It's more of a problem in Dade County.     

Oh, I have the black powder chelated iron (ferri-plus) and Southern Ag Nutritional spray. I just walked outside to spray a tangerine that is yellowing. To spray it with both of those. But too much rain on the leaves, will do it tomorrow. But I am still going to try the rebar and maybe a nail or two in the tree trunk....both for iron of course

I also think that it is possible magnesium can solve iron deficiency problems and iron can solve magnesium deficiency. Don't ask me the how and why. Do they have nails made out of magnesium? Heh

[Tropicalgrower89]

The only Iron supplements that work in SFLA are Chelated ones like Sequestrene138 or Millers. They are expensive but anything else and you are wasting your money. My Pantin mamey has never had any problems but I used a Seq 138 drench for a few years anyway. It's more of a problem in Dade County.     

^Are you using well or city water? 

I'm growing my trees in sandy soil like you. So maybe the well water is what is causing the problems? Maybe I should get one of those inline hose filters.  I used epsom salt it seems to be helping alot, but the older pace mamey still has weirdish growth in the older branches and the new branches/shoots look perfect, except for some that were chewed up by caterpillars  . The soil has lots of red millipedes and black w/ yellow stripe centipedes. Soil looks healthy and drains quickly. Might just be a root stock issue also. The pace mamey I bought from Jeff looks much more vigorous than the mamey I bought from Spykes and they are both Pace.

[FloridaGreenMan]

The only Iron supplements that work in SFLA are Chelated ones like Sequestrene138 or Millers. They are expensive but anything else and you are wasting your money. My Pantin mamey has never had any problems but I used a Seq 138 drench for a few years anyway. It's more of a problem in Dade County.     

^Are you using well or city water? 

I'm growing my trees in sandy soil like you. So maybe the well water is what is causing the problems? Maybe I should get one of those inline hose filters.

I use canal water for my yard. Better than city water for sure!