PLANT HEALTH CARE drought , herbicide injury , soil compaction , various pathogens , high or low pH , poor root system establishment , deep planting and water-saturated soils . The use of non-tried-and-true species for the area can also result in a predominance of yellow leaves . If various maladies are commonly seen on a certain plant in two or three out of 10 years , then lack of winter hardiness , high humidity , appropriate elevation , fluctuating winter temperatures and the like commonly also lead to the development of yellow foliage . Determining which of these influences ( or which combination ) are causing the leaf symptoms is an important first step .
This type of diagnosis is not simple . It often requires years of experience and / or consultation with an ISA Certified Arborist or an experienced horticulturist . Training programs put on by ISA or various land grant universities are well worth the time and money to gain the investigative capacity to deal with confusing plant symptoms .
R = REPAIR With the realization that many influences or causal agents can create yellow leaf symptoms , a four-step practical approach to repairing or correcting nutrient deficiency symptoms is reasonable .
1 . ELIMINATE INSECT OR DISEASE PESTS AS A POSSIBLE CAUSE . If it is determined that an aphid , fungal pathogen or virus is responsible for the symptoms , then it ’ s wise to deal with that determined influence directly . If not , moving on to approach number 2 is the next course of action .
Iron chlorosis is a common cause of yellow leaves . Photos by John C . Fech
2 . IMPROVE ROOT PERFORMANCE . Roots are the unseen but essential functional structures that absorb nutrients and water and support the structural stability of the plant . First , examine and possibly enhance the mulch layer over the roots . It ’ s best to replicate Mother Nature , which commonly places two to three inches of an organic wood
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