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Re:Eusteralis Stellata & iron
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>From: jphealy at sysconn_com (Justin P. Healy)
>Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 17:27:33 -0400 (EDT)
>
>I have some Eusteralis Stellata which I got in Denmark. It is showing signs
>of iron deficiency (pale, yellow leaves) and I am about to try an
>experiment unless one of you tells me it is not a good idea. I have taken
>an ounce or so of Zeolite and soaked it in a chelated iron solution. The
>solution has just about dried up now, leaving what I hope are
>chelated-iron-soaked zeolite pebbles. My thought is to take 2 or 3 of these
>pebbles and push them into the substrate at the base of the plants where I
>am hoping they would slowly release iron to the plant's roots. Is this a
>good, bad or indifferent idea? TIA
I don't think it is any particular advantage to try to get chelated iron in
the gravel, and I have doubts that a concentrated supply near the roots
would be good. It may be too concentrated. I have seen a lot of iron
deficiency, and my plants always seem to recover nicely when I add chelated
iron to the water. If you are going to add some iron to the gravel, just
adding some soil does a good job. You can mix some soil with water until
you get a mixture like thick soup. Then filter through window screening,
pour it in a pan and let it dry. You can break off pieces of this dried
mud and shove them under the gravel.
Paul Krombholz Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS 39174
In cool Mississippi, where we had light frost last night in Jackson.