Hey! Does anyone know what might be wrong with my splendid? The top leaves are doing great, but these two have this weird discoloration. According to ChatGPT, it might be lacking calcium/magnesium. I’ve been feeding it Foliage Focus at one-third of the advised dose almost every watering, so I’m thinking about adding CalMag at the next watering. I’ve checked for pests but can’t find any. I also don’t see any spots, so I think I’m safe in that department knocks on wood. 😅
by Automatic_Variety898
2 Comments
Could also be coming from root rot. Had to learn the hard way that the Melanochrysum likes its soil a little bit dry in between waterings.
Never use ChatGPT or any LLM to diagnose nutrient deficiencies. Ca deficiency is rare and often only occurs when there’s excessive boron. That’s not magnesium deficiency, either, so there’s no reason to use CalMag nitrate. Also, if using CalMag nitrate, molybdenum needs to be supplied or the excess nitrate will induce a molybdenum deficiency which can result in chlorosis of mature growth, as well as puckering of new growth.
If it’s not due to root rot, that pattern of chlorosis is likely a micronutrient deficiency.
Are you using tap water? Does it run through copper pipes?
Looking at the nutrient analysis of Foliage Focus, nitrate is the primary N source, and there isn’t sufficient Mo. This may be the reason for the chlorosis.