I've just been told that the curled under leaves on my italian prune trees are caused by magnesiom deficiency and I should apply a few pounds of epson salts under each tree.
Is the diagnosis likely to be accurate? Location is Seattle.
What kind of store wound I go to for a good price on 50 or 100 lb bags of epson salt?
I don't know about leaves curling, I thought magnesium deficiency cause leaf yellowing especially in older leaves. Can you provide a photo?
A few pounds per tree seems quite excessive to me, this is a trace element not a major nutrient. If you over-do it you won't have a problem with curling leaves 'cause you wont have any leaves at all. Another problem is that epson salts is very soluble and unless it binds to humus or clay colloids it will leach out quickly.
Here is another method that may be work if it is Mg deficiency. Treat some (or all) trees with a foliar spray of epson salts, possibly repeated in a week, if it is Mg deficiency they will recover quite quickly, that is within weeks. For the longer term treat with dolomite which will slow release Mg over time.
Another possibility is that the soil is very acid which tends to lock up some minerals like Mg so liming or adding dolomite will raise the pH and release Mg. A dye-indicator to test pH is cheap and sufficiently accurate for gardening and can be used in many situations.
David
Your search might be easier if you looked for it using the correct name which is 'Epsom salts'. It is named after the town of Epsom in the UK.
I would be extremely suspicious of taking any advice to use that amount of Epsom salts under any tree.
For bulk epsom salt you will pay between $1-$1.50/pound... my local Walmart has 1 pound containers for $1. Amazon.com sells 20 pound containers for $20 but then there's shipping. The San Fransico Salt Company sells bulk at wholesale but you need to phone them for rates.
Good to see you back :O)
Don't do it!
There are so many misdiagnosed problems associated w/ Mg, especially here in the PNW. These guys are there to help, use em: WSU Master Gardener Program, Seattle,
The internet can get you sources for 25-50 lb bags if you still feel the need.
I got a login screen and I don't have an account.
D
Just change the privacy settings for the photo.
with what it is.
D
Thank you Billy. We're still jet lagged and we both suffered from altitude sickness, but the trip exceeded all expectations. Luckily for me, the weather here wasn't hot and we got lots of rain so my garden is weedy but alive and not so out of hand as to strangle us in our beds. My poor rooster is sick though and I am rather concerned about his survival.
LOL. Spreading a couple of pounds of the black goo in Epson cartridges under a tree could prove interesting :-))
about magnesium deficiency - it doesnt' look like the descriptions given for that. It's not a stunningly healthy look, but then I wouldn't be overly worried about it either.
How long ago were the pics taken? You'd be just about to go into Autumn leaf loss soonish wouldn't you? If so, I'd not do anything to it until next Spring and then if it looks as sad as it does in the pics, I'd try the usual things - check the moisture level, give it a feed with pelleted chook poo, give it a watering with a 2 gall can to which a teaspoon of trace elements have been added, give it some seaweed/fish emulsion, mulch it. (Not altogether mind you, try one thing at a time and keep an evil eye on it's progress).
HTH.
One further thought; have you done a search for fungal diseases of prunus trees as it could be a fungal. There is a nasty called 'silver leaf' but I've not seen it in the flesh.
\ Don't know, who diagnosed? Doesn't sound likely, may be mag unavailable due to pH, get a second opinion.
Around here any nursery/garden supply would have 1-10 lb bags and could probably get larger sizes. But if it turns out you need larger sizes try a farm supply place for best price.
I agree that a you would need less than a pound (454 g) to adjust any magnesium deficiency you may have. I've found that your local pharmacy/apothecary will have the best prices.
Doesn't appear to be a Mg problem. Looks more like verticillium wilt but that is a " looks like", not any confirmation. Again don't go dumping a bunch of Epsom salts until you can accurately diagnose the problem Hopefully its not silver leaf as mentioned. You can prune a small branch to see If a brown core is running through it... if so, you got silver leaf and a whole set of new problems. If not, you are in the clear.
Don't know about false silver leaf, that is an environmental problem and could be an issue. Yet again, I recommend you talk to your local Master Gardener or go directly to WSU's diagnosis lab to get an assessment on your own:
good luck
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