I use a chelated citrus spray. I think foliar spraying may be the key to absorbtion of the minor elements.

My Fairchild tree was showing signs of Zinc deficiency, and it took a few months of spraying every two weeks to see a result...

The other poster I mentioned above also applied the product as a soil drench, so I don't think spraying vs drenching is the issue.

How do you know spraying vs. drenching is not the issue? You do not know the soil conditions of sun worshiper as compared to you or if her problem is the exact same as your own. Foliar spray tends to be a more efficient method of nutrient absorption in trees than through the roots. I think you should consider listening to Sleep.

No need to take my reply to sleep so personally.
My comment is based on my conversation with Jim at Pine Island Nursery, who told me they treat iron and minors deficiencies in their mango trees with drenches rather than sprays because they have proven more effective.
But if you know better, please do tell.

I didn't take it personally. I guess it can be difficult to tell someones tone through text.
All I was simply trying to say was that you should consider what sleep is saying. Foliar sprays are very efficient. You asked a question he offered help and before you tried it you dismissed it. Now I do not know who Jim is but he may have just made up that conclusion that drenches have been proven to be more effective. Dr. Ian Bally, the principal research horticulturalist for Queensland Australia, who is a world known mango expert said in the Mango Botany production and uses book that:
"Iron is readily absorbed through leaves, which is a useful method for management of Fe when soil conditions are not conductive to uptake."
Even with a drench, iron uptake can be limited if the soil pH is too high.
I hope my tone was to your liking in this reply.

Let me see if I can follow your reasoning. . .
Grower A drenches a mango tree and after one application observes an immediate improvement in her tree.
Grower B sprays his tree every two weeks for many months before seeing any improvement in his tree.
Therefore, spraying is the more effective method.
Admittedly, I do not understand this conclusion but if it works for you I say stick with it.
And do you honestly think the folks at Pine Island Nursery are making up information about growing trees??

You guys have this all wrong... It doesnt matter whether you drench or spray nutrients.. Its how you mix the solution that really matters. If you are mixing a 1TBS to 1 Gallon mix you have to do it in quarters. In other words you add 1/4 G of water to 1/4 TBS of mix IN THAT ORDER. Then in separate containers you mix the other three solutions. Then once thats done you add mix solution one to three first then two to four second, and finally add the odd and even solutions.. Oops! I forgot! You add the even to the odd!

Hehe. YOU'RE odd, pj. ;-)

Overall, foliar feeding is much less efficient than root feeding.

If you *do* notice an immediate improvement in your plant from the trace nutrients delivered,
it means that the plant was so deficient that even an inefficient delivery method was enough
to provide it a boost. This is an indicator that the plant needs an actual feeding, via the roots,
which remain the best vehicle for delivery of both major and minor nutrients.

Josh

If pouring it on the roots did not work, why not spray it?

If I remember correctly, Sun Worshiper lives somewhere in Central Florida. The soil conditions in that area are much different than S.Florida. Thus the results of the same micronutrient drench will differ.

Not sure of your location, but I was assuming you were located in S.Fla

Repeated application is the trick, especially when you already have severe symptoms. Foliar application has worked very well for me.

Jeff

but does it revert yellow leaves back to green or just stop the yellowing from spreading?

Carbos,
I never said it was more effective. I said it was more efficient. Meaning less product used for the same effect.You brought up Jim and effectiveness.

Since you didn't get the immediate results you wanted from the drenching, foliar spraying was recommended to you as an alternative that has worked for many others. You know the nutrients are hitting all the leaves with the foliar spray, plus you don't have to worry about anything being tied up in the soil due to pH. Nutrients applied to the soil can also be lost due to volatilization, leaching, and insolubility. Chelates work very well but you probably have to use a lot more as a soil drench than you would with a foliar spray. Due to the amount of the macronutrients required, they are better applied through the soil but the same is not necessary for the micros.

Foliar application is working well for me. I have some two year old rootstock in pots and they were showing signs of minor element deficiencies. I sprayed them three days ago and by today they are looking 75% greener and happier.

Heres a link to a terrific foliar spray that gives immediate results!

Here is a link that might be useful: Foliar Spray

DAMM YOU pj1881....You got me to click on the link.
At least I'll admit it.

I love it! I will give that a try next!

Wow, looks like I started a discussion frenzy then left on vacation - lol=)

Anyhow, to muddy things further - I do both. I have been spraying my mangos with Keyplex (has minors) and Seaweed mixed together and applied as a foliar spray. And I have also given them the chelated iron as a soil drench. I have been alternating the treatments. I have not seen much direct impact from the foliar sprays. No harm, but no immediate results. That isn't to say it isn't working, just not an immediate thing. The soil drench on the other hand was apparent within a week. All the leaves displaying yellowing returned to a nice healthy green. I could see the difference within about 4 days, and by two weeks after the treatment they were back to normal color.

Also, I have a atemoya that is very prone to nutrient deficiency. I have tried giving it a foliar spraying, and it hated it. Something to do with the fuzzy leaves - did damage to many leaves. So I did that only once last year. But this year, I give it soil drenches only and it likes those a lot. It won't green up any yellow leaves, but new growth starts coming out a healthy color again.

So from the combined experiences, it seems that for me the soil drench is most effective. And it is certainly easier to apply.

But it is worth noting that I'm in central FL, where the soil is very sandy (neutral ph). As you saw in my previous thread, I was debating which chelated iron to buy. I opted for the cheaper one that I could get locally because my soil is neutral ph. If you have limestone soil, you might need to seek out the Sequestrene 138, since it is one of the few chelated iron products that works on very alkaline soil.

What's your soil like carbos? I would think that if you haven't seen any improvement at all in 2 weeks, that you might need to try something else. In particular, if your soil is alkaline, seek out a chelated iron drench appropriate to your soil.

sun worshiper, my soil here in south FL is very alkaline, 7.6
The repeated soil drenches have, so far at least, not produced any visible results. Have done so once a week for the past month and see neither improvement nor harm.
Color me perplexed.

Carbos, I think that the product you are using is not going to be effective for you. There are a couple things, first, your ph is very high. Even Sequestrine 138 is only rated for soils up to 7.5. I think that one is going to be your best bet though if you can find it. Also, looking at the product sheet for the Southern Ag, I noticed that it only has .7% iron, which is very little. By comparison, the one I'm using has 3.5% iron. I'd suggest that you seek out the Sequestrine - it is just iron, and formulated as closely as possible for your soil ph.

I think you're right in that the PH is so high it is preventing iron absorption. Southern Ag has a Chelated Liquid Iron which contains 5% iron. If that doesn't do the trick I may have to go back to growing weeds.