Cauliflower Nutrient Deficiency: Signs, Causes and the Fertilizer That Fixes It
Cauliflower nutrient deficiency is one of the first things to check when the leaves of your koliplor (cauliflower) turn yellow, purple or burnt at the edges. On Philippine farms the usual ones are nitrogen, boron, molybdenum, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur. This guide shows where each one starts, how to be sure, and the fertilizer that fixes it.
Start with one question: did the change begin on the old leaves or on the young ones? Nitrogen, molybdenum, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium move inside the plant, so a shortage shows on the old, lower leaves first. But boron, calcium and sulfur stay where the plant first put them, so the young leaves and the growing tip show it first. After that, the color and the pattern narrow down which cauliflower nutrient deficiency you have, and a soil test confirms it. Each one below has its signs, its causes and its fix.
Cauliflower nutrient deficiency signs, old leaves and young leaves
Shows first on the old leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen | old, lower leaves, the whole plant | Older leaves yellow with red edges, and small button curds form too early. | Urea 46 0 0, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0 |
| Molybdenum | young leaves and the tip, leaf edges and tips | New leaves are narrow and strap like, sometimes only the midrib, and no proper curd forms. | Sodium molybdate, Ammonium molybdate |
| Potassium | old, lower leaves, leaf edges and tips | Older leaf edges turn yellow, then light to dark brown, and curl up. | Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50 |
| Phosphorus | old, lower leaves | Older leaves turn dull bluish green with purple color and red undersides. | Ammonium phosphate 16 20 0, Complete 14 14 14 |
| Magnesium | old, lower leaves, between the veins | Older leaves yellow from the edges toward the midrib while the veins stay green. | Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), Dolomite |
Shows first on the young leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boron | fruit, grain or tubers, young leaves and the tip | Brown or pink patches on the curd and a hollow, water soaked stem. | Borax, Solubor (sodium borate) |
| Calcium | young leaves and the tip, leaf edges and tips | Young leaves get dead, burnt tips and claw like curling. Curd segments turn brown and glassy. | Agricultural lime, Dolomite |
| Sulfur | young leaves and the tip, the whole plant | Young leaves turn evenly pale, stiff and reddish, with thin leaf stalks. | Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0, Gypsum |
Before you buy fertilizer for a cauliflower nutrient deficiency
So use the table to pick the likeliest cauliflower nutrient deficiency, then read its section below. Also keep in mind that dry soil, standing water, cold nights, a pest or a disease can look the same. That is why it pays to check the roots and the whole field first.
Nitrogen deficiency in cauliflower
Older leaves turn yellow and get red color starting at the edges, then die or drop. Growth is stunted and roots are weak. A shortage of nitrogen on young plants is one cause of buttoning, where tiny curds form early and the plant stops growing leaves. You see it most at this stage: from transplanting to curd formation.
Why nitrogen deficiency happens in koliplor
Sandy or light soils, heavy rain or irrigation, low organic matter, raw straw or manure. Too little nitrogen early in the season.
How to tell it apart
Phosphorus shortage also reddens leaves, but phosphorus leaves are dull bluish green while nitrogen leaves are light green. Buttoning also comes from overaged seedlings or heat. To be sure, soil test and leaf tissue test. Note whether the old leaves yellow first.
What to apply for nitrogen deficiency
Side dress urea or ammonium sulfate based on the soil test. For a quick green up, try a urea spray at 10 grams per liter of water (160 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) every 15 days. Side dress 1 to 2 bags of Urea 46 0 0 per hectare, about 5 grams a plant, two and four weeks after transplanting, and water it in.
- Urea 46 0 0
- Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0
- Complete 14 14 14
Sold here with nitrogen: Atlas Granular Urea (46 0 0) by Atlas Fertilizer, Crown Champion Ammonium Sulfate by Aqua Hydroponic Prime Ventures (21 0 0 with 24 percent sulfur), Agripower 46 0 0 (Locally Blended) Coated by Green Acres Agri Tech and Calcipro by Ramgo (15.5 0 0 with 18.8 percent calcium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to urea fertilizer, and the page on nitrogen deficiency in every crop. In anee.io, Anee, the smart farm technician, reads a photo of the leaf and tells you which nutrient is short.
To keep it away, give enough nitrogen and water for fast leaf growth in the first weeks after transplanting, and use young, healthy seedlings. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues. Split the nitrogen into two or three doses.
Boron deficiency in cauliflower
Once the curd has formed, wet looking patches show on the stem and the curd. The stem goes hollow, and the soggy tissue inside later darkens to brown or black. Brown or pink patches form on the curd surface (brown rot or browning), and the curd tastes bitter. Young leaves stay small, stiff and light green with reddish or brown margins, and a bad case kills the growing tip. You see it most at this stage: curd formation and development.
Why boron deficiency happens in koliplor
High soil pH and alkaline or overlimed soils, sandy soils where boron leaches, low organic matter, high nitrogen or calcium. Dry or cold wet spells. Cauliflower is the most sensitive of the cole crops.
How to tell it apart
Hollow stem from fast growth or too much nitrogen stays bright inside. Boron hollow stem browns. To be sure, cut stems to check for brown cavities. Soil test and leaf tissue test for boron. In a soil test, less than 0.5 ppm of boron is low.
What to apply for boron deficiency
Give borax at 10 to 15 kg per hectare on acid soils, and more on neutral or alkaline soils. Give a borax spray at 1 gram per liter of water (16 grams in a 16 liter sprayer). Before planting, give up to about 2 kg of boron per hectare. If none went in the soil, spray 1.1 to 1.7 kg of Solubor per hectare before heading. Do not mix borax with calcium or ammonium fertilizer.
- Borax
- Solubor (sodium borate)
Sold here with boron: Etifert 11 (Borax Decahydrate) by Zetryl Chem (11 percent boron), Fertibagra 15G by Unilox Far East Resources (14.6 percent boron), B17 (Boric Acid) by Newman Chemicals (17 percent boron) and Better Yield by Bacphil Planters Fertilizer (0 0 0.9 with 10 percent boron). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to foliar fertilizer, and the page on boron deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, add boron in the basal fertilizer for every cauliflower crop on light soils, and treat the nursery too. Test the soil every two or three years. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues.
Molybdenum deficiency in cauliflower
Young leaves yellow at the edges, and the leaf blade fails to grow, in bad cases leaving only the midrib (whiptail). Leaves are thick, distorted and cupped. The growing point is deformed, so the curd does not develop, or late shortage gives loose curds with small leaves pushing through. Affected plants often come in patches. You see it most at this stage: seedling and young plant stage, and at curd formation if it comes late.
Why molybdenum deficiency happens in koliplor
Acid soils, mostly below pH 5.5, where molybdenum is locked up. Low organic matter makes it worse.
How to tell it apart
Boron shortage also deforms young plants, so check both. Nitrogen shortage yellows old leaves but does not make strap leaves. To be sure, soil pH test and a leaf tissue test. A trial spray of sodium molybdate on a few plants should bring normal new growth.
What to apply for molybdenum deficiency
Mix about 50 grams of sodium molybdate in 100 liters of water. Spray it on the leaves, or pour 150 ml at the base of each plant. For the next crop, mix about 1 kg sodium molybdate per hectare with the fertilizer, or water the seedbed with 40 grams in 50 liters per 10 square meters one to two weeks before transplanting. Give a 1 gram per liter (16 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) foliar spray. Lime acid soils.
- Sodium molybdate
- Ammonium molybdate
- Agricultural lime
- Dolomite
Sold here with molybdenum: Tierramino Molybdenum by Unilox Far East Resources (16 percent molybdenum) and YaraVita Teprosyn Mo (0 15 0 with 15.3 percent molybdenum). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to foliar fertilizer, and the page on molybdenum deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, lime acid soils to about pH 6 well before planting, and add molybdenum to the nursery. Mix 50 grams sodium molybdate and 100 grams borax into each 100 square meters of cabbage nursery, a practice that suits cauliflower seedlings too. Test the soil every two or three years.
Calcium deficiency in cauliflower
Dead lesions form on the tips and edges of young leaves and spread inward with a yellow border (tip burn). The youngest leaves become claw shaped, cupped and brittle, and the leaf edges can look glassy. Curd segments can turn brown and glassy and parts of the curd die. You see it most at this stage: rapid leaf growth and curd development.
Why calcium deficiency happens in koliplor
Restricted calcium uptake rather than low soil calcium: water stress (dry or waterlogged), high ammonium, potassium, magnesium or sodium, and acid sandy soils. Low boron also limits calcium use.
How to tell it apart
Boron shortage also damages the growing point but gives hollow stems and brown curds. Downy mildew and black rot are diseases with spots or V shaped lesions. To be sure, soil test for calcium, pH and boron.
What to apply for calcium deficiency
Keep soil moisture even. On acid soil, try lime at about 250 kg per hectare when pH is 5.5 to 6, or about 840 kg per hectare in two doses when pH is 3.5 to 4.5. Gypsum on soil that is not acid. Check boron too. Lime 2 to 4 weeks before planting. Calcium sprays go on young fruit from fruit set.
- Agricultural lime
- Dolomite
- Gypsum
- Calcium nitrate
Sold here with calcium: Micronized Activated Calcite by CMCS Agricultural Products (37.6 percent calcium), Dolomite by A6 Agrisource (24 percent calcium and 11 percent magnesium), Titon Pro by Vast Agro (27.2 percent calcium, 6.1 percent silicon and 3.6 percent magnesium) and Calcipro by Ramgo (15.5 0 0 with 18.8 percent calcium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to fertilizer for tomatoes, and the page on calcium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, lime before planting, water evenly, and avoid heavy ammonium and potash. Test the soil every two or three years.
Potassium deficiency in cauliflower
Leaf edges turn yellow, then light brown and later dark brown, and curl upward. Leaves lose their waxy coating. The dead tissue spreads from the edges toward the middle, and stems become weak. You see it most at this stage: curd formation.
Why potassium deficiency happens in koliplor
Acid or sandy soils, heavy rain or irrigation, drought, low potassium reserves, and soils rich in magnesium.
How to tell it apart
Magnesium shortage yellows between the veins. Potassium shortage burns the edges first. To be sure, soil test for potassium and a leaf tissue test.
What to apply for potassium deficiency
Apply muriate of potash based on the soil test, in split doses. For an immediate remedy, try a morning spray of sulfate of potash at 10 grams per liter of water (160 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) with a sticker. Keep soil pH above 6. A usual dose is 1 to 2 bags of Muriate of potash 0 0 60 per hectare, split between transplanting and the first side dress.
- Muriate of potash 0 0 60
- Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
- Complete 14 14 14
Sold here with potassium: Atlas Muriate of Potash (MOP) by Atlas Fertilizer (0 0 60), Simplot Sulfate 0 0 50 by Nutranta, Potassium Nitrate by Parafield (13 0 46) and Qrop Mix Production 14 0 23 plus 13 Cao by Farmtech Agriland (14 0 23 with 9.3 percent calcium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to potash fertilizer, and the page on potassium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, include potash in the basal fertilizer and side dressing. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues.
Phosphorus deficiency in cauliflower
Older leaves turn a pale bluish green with purple color, especially along the veins, and the undersides often turn red. Plants are stunted with short, thin shoots, and vigour and yield drop. You see it most at this stage: seedling and early growth, in cold or wet soil.
Why phosphorus deficiency happens in koliplor
Soils that are acid, calcareous or rich in iron, little organic matter, cold or wet spells, and a weak root system.
How to tell it apart
Nitrogen shortage can also redden leaves, but those leaves stay light green, not bluish. To be sure, soil test for available phosphorus and pH.
What to apply for phosphorus deficiency
Apply phosphorus near the roots based on the soil test. Use single superphosphate for a quick correction and rock phosphate or bone meal for the long term. Uptake is best near pH 6.2 to 7.0. A usual basal dose is 4 to 6 bags of Complete 14 14 14 per hectare, about 10 grams a hill, mixed into the soil at transplanting.
- Ammonium phosphate 16 20 0
- Complete 14 14 14
- Single superphosphate
Sold here with phosphorus: Philphos 18 46 0 (Di Ammonium Phosphate), Atlas Super Gro (16 20 0) by Atlas Fertilizer, Amigo Planters Granular Single Super Phosphate by La Filipina (0 18 0 with 11 percent sulfur) and Triple Super Phosphate by Newman Chemicals (0 46 0). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to 16 20 0 fertilizer, and the page on phosphorus deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, use a phosphorus starter at transplanting.
Magnesium deficiency in cauliflower
Older leaves yellow between the veins, starting at the edges and moving toward the midrib, while the veins stay green. In severe cases dead spots form between the veins, and old leaves become stiff and drop early. You see it most at this stage: curd formation.
Why magnesium deficiency happens in koliplor
Sandy or acid soils, soils rich in potassium, heavy potash fertilizer, and cold wet periods. Cauliflower is one of the crucifers most prone to it.
How to tell it apart
Nitrogen shortage yellows the whole leaf, veins included. To be sure, soil test for magnesium and potassium, and a leaf tissue test.
What to apply for magnesium deficiency
Try magnesium sulfate in a band near the plants at about 80 kg per hectare. A foliar spray of magnesium sulfate gives faster relief. Do not apply magnesium and potassium together. For quick help, spray Magnesium sulfate at 1 to 2 percent (160 to 320 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) two or three times, 10 to 14 days apart.
- Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)
- Dolomite
Sold here with magnesium: Dolomite by A6 Agrisource (24 percent calcium and 11 percent magnesium), Agsmart Kieserite Granule (20 percent sulfur and 16.3 percent magnesium), DDDD Planter's Choice Magnesium Sulphate Monohydrate by Modern Time (15.1 percent magnesium) and Zetryl MAG 9 by Zetryl Chem (9 percent magnesium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to complete fertilizer, and the page on magnesium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, use dolomitic lime on acid soils. Test the soil every two or three years.
Sulfur deficiency in cauliflower
Yellowing starts in the young leaves and moves to older ones. The whole leaf goes an even light green or yellow and feels stiff, can show some red, and later curls inward. Often only thin leaf stalks form, and in severe cases seedlings die. You see it most at this stage: early growth.
Why sulfur deficiency happens in koliplor
Acid or sandy soils where sulfate leaches, low organic matter, waterlogged soils, and no sulfur in the fertilizer.
How to tell it apart
Nitrogen shortage starts on old leaves. To be sure, soil test for sulfate and a leaf tissue test. In a soil test, less than 10 ppm of sulfate sulfur is low.
What to apply for sulfur deficiency
Use ammonium sulfate as part of the nitrogen. Try sulfur dust at about 25 kg per hectare on sulfur deficient soil, and gypsum on alkaline soil. Give it at planting or with the first side dress.
- Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0
- Gypsum
- Elemental sulfur
Sold here with sulfur: Crown Champion Ammonium Sulfate by Aqua Hydroponic Prime Ventures (21 0 0 with 24 percent sulfur), Philphos Gypsum (22.2 percent calcium and 17.4 percent sulfur), Harvester Sulphate of Potash by Universal Harvester (0 0 50 with 17.5 percent sulfur) and Agsmart Kieserite Granule (20 percent sulfur and 16.3 percent magnesium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to ammonium sulfate fertilizer, and the page on sulfur deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, give some sulfur every crop. Test the soil every two or three years. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues.
A soil test is the surest check for any cauliflower nutrient deficiency. Before you buy, ask your Municipal Agriculture Office where to send a soil sample. The DA regional soil laboratories test soil, and the result says how much of each fertilizer your koliplor needs. That saves money, because extra fertilizer is money lost.
Open the Nutrient Deficiency Finder, pick koliplor, say where the leaves changed first and what you see, and get the fertilizers sold here that fix it.
- Anee, the smart farm technician, reads a photo of the leaf
- The cropping calendar dates every fertilizer application of your season
Cauliflower nutrient deficiency questions
Why are my koliplor leaves turning yellow?
What fertilizer fixes nitrogen deficiency in cauliflower?
What fertilizer fixes boron deficiency in cauliflower?
What fertilizer fixes molybdenum deficiency in cauliflower?
How do I know which nutrient my koliplor lacks?
- Yara UK: Nitrogen deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Boron deficiency in cauliflower
- NSW DPI Agfact AC.4: Molybdenum deficiency in plants
- Yara UK: Molybdenum deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Calcium deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Potassium deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Phosphorus deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Magnesium deficiency in cauliflower
- Yara UK: Sulfur deficiency in cauliflower
Find the missing nutrient and fix it
With Libre + Anee, read the whole guide: how to tell the deficiency from look alikes, how to be sure, what to apply, and the fertilizers sold here that supply it.
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