Lanzones Nutrient Deficiency: Signs, Causes and the Fertilizer That Fixes It
Lanzones nutrient deficiency is one of the first things to check when the leaves of your lansones (lanzones) turn yellow, purple or burnt at the edges. On Philippine farms the usual ones are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and boron. 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, potassium and phosphorus move inside the plant, so a shortage shows on the old, lower leaves first. But zinc and boron 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 lanzones nutrient deficiency you have, and a soil test confirms it. Each one below has its signs, its causes and its fix.
Lanzones 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 | Pale yellow green trees with few, small new leaves, and the older leaves yellow and drop. | Urea 46 0 0, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0 |
| Potassium | old, lower leaves, leaf edges and tips | Older leaflets scorch brown at the tips and edges. Bunches carry small, sour fruits. | Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50 |
| Phosphorus | old, lower leaves | Slow, stunted trees with dull older leaves tinged purple or bronze underneath, and poor flowering. | Superphosphate 0 20 0, 16 20 0 |
Shows first on the young leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc | young leaves and the tip, between the veins | New leaflets come out small, narrow and bunched, yellow between the veins. | Zinc sulfate |
| Boron | young leaves and the tip, fruit, grain or tubers | Shoot tips stunt and die back, flowers and young fruits drop, and some fruits crack or come out misshapen. | Borax, Solubor |
Before you buy fertilizer for a lanzones nutrient deficiency
So use the table to pick the likeliest lanzones 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 lanzones
The whole tree turns light green, then the older leaves yellow evenly and fall, and the yellowing moves up the tree. Young trees put out few new leaves, and the leaflets stay small. Bearing trees flower and fruit poorly. You see it most at this stage: young trees under coconut or banana shade, and old trees after a heavy crop.
Why nitrogen deficiency happens in lansones
Trees that get little or no fertilizer show it most. After a heavy fruiting year, leaf nitrogen of bearing trees drops below normal, because the fruit draws so much away. Sandy, eroded soils and competing intercrops make it worse.
How to tell it apart
Heavy shade also gives thin, pale trees. Check how much light the tree gets. To be sure, leaf test using the third leaf from the top of a tertiary branch. Give about 2.7 percent nitrogen as the normal level for bearing lanzones. A soil test helps set the rate.
What to apply for nitrogen deficiency
Feed young trees two doses of 25 to 100 grams of nitrogen per tree (about 55 to 220 grams of Urea 46 0 0). Fed this way, they put out more and bigger leaves. Each year, give bearing trees a 14 5 20 fertilizer that carries chlorine, sulfur and boron, plus organic fertilizer or coconut husks. Apply in a ring under the canopy after weeding, 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, Amigo Planters Ammonium Chloride by La Filipina (25 0 0), 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, fertilize every year, with an extra dose after a heavy crop. Keep litter and husks as mulch to build soil organic matter. Let a soil test and the crop's color set the season's nitrogen.
Potassium deficiency in lanzones
The tips and edges of older leaflets yellow and then dry brown, and the scorch moves inward. Fruit set and fruit quality drop, so bunches carry fewer, smaller fruits. You see it most at this stage: bearing trees, most of all during and right after fruit growth.
Why potassium deficiency happens in lansones
Fruit carries a lot of potash away. In a heavy fruiting year, leaf potash falls below normal as the growing fruit pulls it out of the leaves. Leached, acid soils under heavy rain lose potash fast.
How to tell it apart
Dry wind and drought also brown leaf edges, mostly on the exposed side of the tree. Fertilizer burn from a heavy dose close to the trunk shows soon after application. To be sure, leaf test of the third leaf from the top of a tertiary branch. Give about 2 percent potassium as normal for bearing lanzones. A soil test for exchangeable potassium.
What to apply for potassium deficiency
Give potash every year, following the soil test. Use a 14 5 20 fertilizer. In some years add 80 grams Muriate of potash 0 0 60 and 400 grams rock phosphate per tree, split between June and October. Some growers give 17 0 17 and Muriate of potash 0 0 60 at about 1 kg for every 10 kg of fruit they expect. Give the last dose at least two months before ripening.
- 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, add potash after each harvest and again before flowering, and keep a mulch ring of leaf litter.
Phosphorus deficiency in lanzones
Growth is slow and the tree stays stunted. Older leaves turn dull with a purple or bronze tint, most of all on the underside. Short trees flower and bear less than trees with enough phosphorus in their leaves. You see it most at this stage: young trees, and bearing trees on very acid soils before flowering.
Why phosphorus deficiency happens in lansones
Very acid soils that hold phosphorus tightly. Lanzones soils here often run from about pH 4.1 to 5.8. Heavy inorganic fertilizer made it more acid.
How to tell it apart
Cold, drought and root damage also slow growth and tint leaves, so check the roots and soil moisture. Nitrogen deficiency makes old leaves pale yellow, not purple. To be sure, soil test for available phosphorus and pH, and a leaf test. Give about 0.2 percent phosphorus as normal for bearing lanzones.
What to apply for phosphorus deficiency
Apply a phosphorus fertilizer in the ring under the canopy, following the soil test. In some years add 400 grams of rock phosphate per tree in split doses, along with a complete fertilizer and organic matter. Lime very acid soils so phosphorus stays available.
- Superphosphate 0 20 0
- 16 20 0
- Complete 14 14 14
- Rock phosphate
- Agricultural lime
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, mix compost and phosphorus into the planting hole. Keep adding organic matter every year. Over 15 years it raises the phosphorus the roots can use.
Zinc deficiency in lanzones
New leaves come out small and narrow, yellow between the veins. Bunch together at the shoot tip because the shoot fails to lengthen. Flowering and fruit size suffer. You see it most at this stage: new flushes on bearing trees, especially after a heavy crop.
Why zinc deficiency happens in lansones
Leaf zinc of lanzones drops below normal in fruiting years. Langsat grows poorly and turns chlorotic on limestone and other alkaline soils. Heavy phosphate fertilizer can also bring on zinc shortage.
How to tell it apart
Iron or manganese deficiency also yellow young leaves between the veins, but leaves keep their normal size. Mites and thrips can stunt and curl new leaves. To be sure, leaf test of the third leaf from the top of a tertiary branch. Give about 32 ppm zinc as normal for bearing lanzones. Spray a few branches with zinc and watch the next flush.
What to apply for zinc deficiency
On young trees, 50 grams of Zinc sulfate per tree put on the soil fails to lift leaf zinc. So a foliar spray is the surer route. Spray Zinc sulfate on new flushes, following the label. Sprays for other fruit trees use 3 to 5 grams Zinc sulfate per liter.
- Zinc sulfate
Sold here with zinc: Harvester Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate by Universal Harvester (22 percent zinc), Tierramino ZN by Unilox Far East Resources (7 0 0 with 10 percent zinc), Liquid Chelate Zinc with Sulfur by Sagrex (10 percent zinc and 5 percent sulfur) and Nemes Foliar by SCL Filipinas (4.8 0 0 with 10 percent zinc, 4.9 percent boron and 4.8 percent magnesium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to fertilizer with zinc, and the page on zinc deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, avoid very heavy phosphate, keep organic matter up, and check leaf zinc every few years in bearing orchards. Test the soil every two or three years.
Boron deficiency in lanzones
Boron moves little in the tree, so the shoot tips, young leaves and young fruit show it first. Growing tips stunt and can die, young leaves are small and brittle, flowers and fruitlets drop. Fruits may crack or grow out of shape. You see it most at this stage: flowering and early fruit set, and after a heavy crop.
Why boron deficiency happens in lansones
Leaf boron drops below normal after a heavy fruiting year. Sandy or leached soils low in organic matter, long dry spells and heavy liming bring it on.
How to tell it apart
Fruit drop also comes from drought at flowering, bark borer damage and poor care. Watering during flower bud emergence in dry months improves fruiting. To be sure, leaf test of the third leaf from the top of a tertiary branch. Give about 54 ppm boron as normal for bearing lanzones. A soil test helps, since boron is easy to overdo.
What to apply for boron deficiency
Use a fertilizer that carries a little boron, such as a 14 5 20 blend, or spray Solubor or Borax on the leaves before flowering, following the label. Do not repeat high doses without a test, because too much boron is toxic. Give 25 to 50 grams of Borax a young tree and 50 to 100 grams a bearing tree a year, spread evenly under the canopy. A spray of Borax or Solubor at 0.1 to 0.2 percent (16 to 32 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) before flowering also works. Use the soil dose or the spray, not both.
- Borax
- Solubor
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, keep organic matter up, water during flowering in dry months, and test leaf boron every few years. Test the soil every two or three years.
A soil test is the surest check for any lanzones 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 lansones needs. That saves money, because extra fertilizer is money lost.
Open the Nutrient Deficiency Finder, pick lansones, 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
Lanzones nutrient deficiency questions
Why are my lansones leaves turning yellow?
What fertilizer fixes nitrogen deficiency in lanzones?
What fertilizer fixes potassium deficiency in lanzones?
What fertilizer fixes phosphorus deficiency in lanzones?
How do I know which nutrient my lansones lacks?
Find the missing nutrient and fix it
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