Have both figs and blueberry showing similar symptoms. The leaves look good early in the yr but gradually the symptoms start on the oldest leaves. Any thoughts?
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It looks like a manganese or magnesium deficiency to me.
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I think you may well be right. I’ll look up symptoms for Mn.
I don’t know what this link will go to but it does look a lot like Mn. That would make more sense to me than Mg given what I know about our soils.
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Often when we see symptoms on our plants we tend to think ‘deficiency of something’ ergo, what do I need to add. But in some cases the problems may be created by ‘an excess of something’… maybe like potassium?
Just sayin’
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Fruitnut,
This document helps with diagnosis of some deficiencies http://www.entomology.oregonstate.edu/system/files/u1473/pnw0121e.pdf. I’ve seen zinc problems look like that but in this area those are rare in my experience. I’ve had a boron problem this year for the first time in 20 years. This spring blossom blast showed up for the first time followed by twisted leaves, a few fruit deformities, cracked fruits etc. . My trees had every symptom on the list http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/cpg/Boron. Hard to believe a trace mineral could cause so many problems. In my case the symptoms were text book and the treatment with 20 mule team or similar borox mixtures brought immediate results. This was the post on the boron deficiency Boron deficiency / Blossom Blast?. I should have known my pears would be using the soils boron because they are a good source of boron like calcium is to apples. This is what Dr Mercola said about them “The hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acid content in pears is linked with stomach and lung cancer prevention. Boron, another ingredient, is needed to not only bolster the calcium in our bodies, but also to help prevent osteoporosis. Flavonols such as quercetin, and carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, together provide additional health benefits like lowered cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease risks.” at this link http://foodfacts.mercola.com/pears.html. I would look for a similar cause of the nutrient being depleted from your ground. Anyone who has seen how many pears I harvest each year would ask how I did not have a boron problem sooner so i’m not sure why I did not put two and two together until after I saw symptoms.
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Thanks Clark. I’m thinking I need to do a soil test before applying anything. It could also be a toxicity esp on the blueberries but I also have strange looking new growth on figs.
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Sounds like a great idea to do the soil test. Manganese makes sense because blueberries are very high in manganese Blueberries. Let us know what you find out.
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i agree, and figs are high in manganese too(as well as magnesium)
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