Tree Chlorosis Symptoms, Prevention and Removal, Part 2
In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basic symptoms and risks associated with chlorosis, or iron deficiency, in trees. There are several species that may be prone to chlorosis, and this condition can be significant and even lead to tree fatality if it’s not properly prevented and treated.
At Affordable Tree Care, we’re happy to offer several tree spraying and disease control services to address numerous potential threats, including chlorosis in certain species. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll look at how serious chlorosis can be in your trees, plus methods for preventing it or removing it if it’s already present on your trees.
Iron Deficiency and Fatality
There are certain diseases in trees that only risk damage or other concerns, while others can actually lead to the death of the tree. Which is the case for iron deficiency?
As we noted above, the answer is that chlorosis can and will kill trees if it’s not properly prevented or treated. Trees need iron to create the chlorophyll that keeps them alive – if they do not have it, they can’t produce the proper energy and will begin to decline over time. Once a tree is in decline, it becomes far more prone to risks like insects and other diseases taking hold.
Prevention Methods
Wherever possible, it’s better to prevent chlorosis than to be forced to remove it once it shows up. Here are some general tips:
- Tolerance: Your first step here should be to select trees and plants that tolerate high soil pH and will be less impacted by low iron levels, which will make such trees less susceptible to chlorosis.
- Soil conditions: Avoid saturated soil by reducing watering or ensuring you have proper drainage, especially with species at risk of chlorosis. Also be sure to aerate compacted areas around the base of these trees.
- Mulching: Mulching is great, but avoid using plastic sheeting as a material – this restricts oxygen and may worsen chlorosis in trees at risk of it. Also, do not mulch further than two inches deep and do not pile it up against the tree trunk.
- Watering: Do not overwater, which may actually cause chlorosis.
- Fertilization: Excess nitrogen or phosphate might cause a tree to become chlorotic, so keep lawn fertilizers away from trees.
Treatment Formats
Now, there may be some cases where chlorosis formation cannot be avoided. There are a few treatment methods available:
- Soil additives: Various amendments are possible to your soil, including elemental sulfur. In many cases, these applications will not show results until the following season.
- Foliar treatments: Producing a faster, but sometimes incomplete, response to chlorosis, depending on the soil conditions and species.
For more on iron chlorosis in trees, or to learn about any of our tree disease prevention or tree trimming, removal and other services, speak to the staff at Affordable Tree Care today.