Rewton
1291943117
ForeverFigs
1351425467
Posted 1372338349
Reply with quote #2
Steve...same problem here in central N.J(zone 6b)....not all varieties, but certain ones are starting to do the same thing...had trouble with a Col de Dame Noir earlier in the season bottom two leaves yellowed and eventually fell off, but has since recovered(I put it in the shade for about 2 weeks)...but now I see others following suit...way too much rain...even with good drainage, pots are saturated...hoping for the best...good luck with yours.
Dieseler
1215735852
Posted 1372341535
Reply with quote #3
As posted in another thread never had good results with the 5.1.1 mix .
americanfiglover
1236649731
Posted 1372342391
Reply with quote #4
We need to make a sticky regarding nutrient deficiency or symptoms of yellow, curled, black n brown, spotted, etc leaves. Something like this for example. We can just modify it to show under watering and over watering, root bound, etc
Dieseler
1215735852
Posted 1372343213
Reply with quote #5
As a note what i have observed over the years fig plants starved of water start to yellow on upper part of plant, fig plants that start to get feet that stay wet start towards lower part and work its way up.
snaglpus
1244258188
Posted 1372343846
Reply with quote #6
This might sound crazy but what's the surface and bottom root temperature? The tree is getting overheated. Low humidity, excessive water and high heat (and very hot water) can cause that. I got 2 trees going through that now. Those yellow leaves is not a bad thing. It's just a cry for help. New leaves will appear in a few days. I would shade (meaning complete cool shade) the tree and give it some liquid root horemone and see what happens in a week. I use Fertilome Root Stimulator. It comes in a white bottle; 4 tablespoons per 1 gallon of water. Good luck!
Rewton
1291943117
Posted 1372346576
Reply with quote #7
Thanks for all your comments. The good thing from what I'm hearing is that this is reversible. Dennis I think you are on to something with the heat - it could be a combination of water stress and heat stress. This tree is close to the south face of a brick wall on the house which is going to radiate heat. This is good for winter protection but not so good for fig varieties that are sensitive to a lot of heat/sun. It is also in a black container which will absorb heat. The Hardy Chicago is in a beige container. As many have observed, my VdB didn't like this warm, very sunny location very much (had droopy leaves in the afternoon) so I moved it to a different spot a few days ago. Martin, it does seem that the lower leaves are tending to turn yellow faster than the upper leaves. Anyway, I think I will move the RdB to a cooler spot, put a row cover skirt around the black container and see what happens.
ascpete
1336096379
Posted 1372360815
Reply with quote #8
Steve,
I can't relate because my potted figs and in ground plants are one month ahead of where they were last year, due to the warmer than normal daytime temperatures and all the rain (we are forecasted for 2 inches over the next 24 hours).Inline image I've posted on another current Topic about leaf Yellowing . The same answer applies here. Fertilizer, whether water soluble or time released will wash out of the mix if there is a lot of rain. The 5-1-1 is sterile for the most part with few nutrients. If the nutrients are not replaced, the plants will do poorly. The time release products are encapsulated and it takes time for the capsules to break down. So although you may have time release fertilizer in the mix, you may not have any released fertilizer. I use a balanced fertilizer with micronutrient and mycorrhizae (Espoma), In addition to weekly feedings of Miracle Grow.
Rewton
1291943117
Posted 1372362522
Reply with quote #9
Pete, I hadn't considered the fertilizer (Osmocote) to be a problem but I guess this gets to the issue of whether it is time release (not sure how that works) or water release. I had assumed that more water would cause more fertilizer release but maybe you are correct. This seems to be a case where organic fertilizer would be better. I'll look into top dressing with some aged compost.
Dieseler
1215735852
Posted 1372365056
Reply with quote #10
Hmm although read about folks vdb etc drooping and too much heat to root system having ill effects its not the case here as my plants sit in there pots on landscape rocks and on cement patio in full sun and do fine no yellowing of leaves as that happens here in fall.
Attached Images Ronde_de_Bordeaux_3.jpg.jpg (76.70 KB, 63 views)Noire_de_Barbentane_3.jpg.jpg (72.90 KB, 64 views)
FiggyFrank
1347560723
Posted 1372366395
Reply with quote #11
I think you're doing something right, Martin. ;)
bullet08
1284496248
Posted 1372382530
Reply with quote #12
VdB.. check the root. if the root ball is too small, and not getting enough whatever from the soil to support the top, or if the roots are full and using all the water it will droop.
Rewton
1291943117
Posted 1372385116
Reply with quote #13
Martin, maybe I need to do an internship in container culture at your house! This is my first year with the 5-1-1 mix in large containers. I guess I need to work how to get the fertilizer and nutrients right with the constant rain.
Rewton
1291943117
Posted 1372386126
Reply with quote #14
Pete, my VdB has looked a little raggedy all year but it hasn't shown any yellow leaves. It shows a fair amount of FMV though and has kind of a rusty look to the green areas of the stems. It looked pretty good last year in a 10 gallon container partially buried. To get the container out I had to prune the roots off and then it immediately started drooping. A couple weeks after that I bare-rooted it to get it into 5-1-1 mix and transferred to a 25 gallon container. I would think that the rootball still has quite a bit of growing room in that container. Anyway, it continued to look sad and then went into dormancy. This spring it was the last fig to bud out after the weather warmed up but has put on some growth (and kept several brebas) even with the raggedy appearance. My original goal was to try out several figs in containers, cull down the number and then put the best ones in the ground. But I'm starting to feel like choosing some proven winners and put them in the ground now. My in-ground KB (which came from you) looks great though, true to form, it has not shown any tiny main crop figs yet.
Rewton
1291943117
Posted 1372599403
Reply with quote #15
Pete S. - you said you were using 5-1-1 mix (+1, fuller earth). What is the "fuller earth"? Also in another thread you said you use Espoma garden tone. I researched this on the internet a bit and Espoma makes another product (Espoma plant tone) that looks like it could be slightly more appropriate for figs. Is there a specific reason you chose one over the other? You said you fertilize every month - at what point during the growing season would you stop fertilizing using your regimen? There's so many variations on fertilizer regimens that it gets overwhelming. Thanks!
ascpete
1336096379
Posted 1372602682
Reply with quote #16
Steve,micro-nutrients and mycorrhizae to the mix, in addition to other insoluble nutrients. The Dolemite Limestone adds Calcium and Magnesium, which are introduced over time as it breaks down (with the other insoluble nutrients) with all the microbial action in the soil from the fungal and bacterial cultures (mycorrhizae). Note that the ProMix BX and other expensive pre-mixed potting mixes have these same ingredients (Limestone and mycorrhizae) .Quote:
5 - parts Pine Bark Mulch
Fertilizing Schedule for Rooted Cuttings: I will be looking for 2-3 feet of growth at the fruiting branches yearly. I have not reached this stage as yet.
Attached Images VDBel_6-30-13.jpg (206.70 KB, 68 views)
hoosierbanana
1287901146
Posted 1372661377
Reply with quote #17
Just to throw my hat in, I love using a half cup of alfalfa pellets spread on top of a container. It provides several months of fertilizer and will form a mat that reduces weeds. The down side is that roots tend to grow up into the top of the container more, similar to using compost as a top dressing. here , but alas, I was too busy, maybe there is still time this year though.
hoosierbanana
1287901146
Posted 1372662004
Reply with quote #18
p.s. I did not use alfalfa last year, so can't really say if it will be strong enough to work with fresh 5-1-1 mix. This year I am using 2-2-1-1, PB-compost-promix-NAPA#8822
