Nitrogen deficiency

Community Community General Gardening Sowing and Growing Nitrogen deficiency

This topic contains 5 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by  Hawfinch 8 years, 9 months ago.

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  • #31299

    Hawfinch
    Participant

    Hello all,
    I haven´t dug my garden for several years now, last autumn I spread chicken manure pellets under a layer of composted cow/horse manure and a thick layer of compost. This year most of my veg looks like it is suffering from nitrogen deficiency. Pale or yellow leaves with dark veins. It doesn´t matter whether it´s the raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes or most other things. Some plants don´t look pale, but aren´t growing terribly well either. The potato plants look lush and green but the spuds themselves are small or there are just a few on each plant. We have had an awful lot of rain in May, some people have mentioned they thought it might have caused a deficiency. Does anybody here have any ideas and advice about how I can remedy the situation? I do use a tomato feed on them and the fruit, but don´t use anything else.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    #31300

    charles
    Moderator

    Sorry to hear this Hawfinch, I don’t think its nitrogen if the veins are dark, more like manganese deficiency perhaps. That would be apparent on other plots/gardens in your area, have a look around. How much rain did you have in May? Perhaps if your underlying soil is sandy, that may be a factor as sandy soils seem to hold nutrients less well, although your compost should counter that.
    Without more info its hard to be sure but I hope these pointers help.

    #31301

    Hawfinch
    Participant

    Thanks Charles, I´ll try to take a couple of photos to better illustrate what I mean. I garden on heavy clay, so there shouldn´t be a problem with nutrients disappearing so easily. When you suggest that I look at neighbours´ gardens is it because manganese deficiency would tend to be in a general area and not only in one specific garden?

    #31302

    charles
    Moderator

    Yes exactly, see if any neighbours have a similar thing happening with their plants.
    In 2012 when we had a huge amount of summer rain in Somerset, I did not experience any nutrient deficiencies.

    #31303

    Pete Budd
    Participant

    Hi Hawfinch,

    With the wide range of plants affected I`d be looking at the compost/manure you have applied, as a source of the problems you are experiencing.

    Pete

    #31308

    Hawfinch
    Participant

    Hi Charles and Pete,

    my neighbour’s plants, he also does not dig and uses a lot of compost and ground up hooves, it’s a common source of nitrogen here, look fine apart from the raspberries which look as sorry as mine.
    Pete, I had that thought myself. I just wouldn’t know what to do differently. I compost almost everything from the garden and kitchen waste, and use composted horse manure. If I don’t have enough compost of my own, I get community compost and use that as the top layer.

    I wanted to post some photos, but as my photos don’t have a url I’m not sure how to do it? Any tips?

    Helle

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