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Yellow leaves can mean lack of nutrientsKansas Where soil pH is high, the soil's alkaline nature can cut off tree roots' access to iron and other nutrients. The result is leaf chlorosis (yellowing), because plants need iron to make green chlorophyll. Such problems are rare in the Northeast, but not that unusual in High Plains states. In severe cases, affected leaves may change from yellow to white to brown. And, if the chlorosis remains uncorrected, twigs and eventually branches may die, perhaps leading to the death of the tree. Yellow leaves also can result, however, due to the lack of enough light. Herbicide drift in the spring can bring yellow leaves in summer. And, excess rain can make the plants unable to take up the nutrients they need to maintain a healthy green color. The solutions for the latter problems are fairly self-evident--relocation and/or time. To correct iron chlorosis, however, may require a foliar application, soil treatment, trunk injection or trunk implantation--depending on the situation. More information about deciding which step to take is available at any county or district K-State Research and Extension office or through a Web search for "iron chlorosis" at www.oznet.ksu.edu/. An everyday soil test will reveal pH. Soils are alkaline when their pH value is above 7. They are acidic if their pH is below 7. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, but almost no soils fall in the extremes. Even so, a half or single point's difference is a bigger change than many gardeners realize. And, pH can vary that much within a community or sometimes a single yard. Up or down the scale, each one-unit measure represents a 10-fold difference in acidity or alkalinity. A pH of 8 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH 7. A pH of 9 is 100 times more alkaline than a pH 7. 7/30/07
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