Go to fertiliser

In most soils it's quite difficult to change the pH very much or for any length of time.
If I use BFB I tend to work it well into the soil or it goes in the bottom of the planting hole.
If not the badgers pay attention to that area and try to dig it up.

 

I never use chemical/artificial fertilisers tho I do have some Epsom salts on standby for a camellia that's looking a bit chlorotic.

I feed my citrus plants, in pots in the polytunnel for winter, as they are fruiting now and I also want healthy foliage and more flower buds for the continuing crop. I feed houseplants too by watering them with a solution made from soaking OH's breakfast banana skins in about a litre of water along with the peel from one orange. Houseplants and citrus all very happy.

Everything else gets fed with pelleted chicken manure scatterd generously in spring and, when I can get it, horse manure for the roses.

Veggies get some too plus soil conditioner form our own compost heaps and home made nettle tea for the leafy veg.

 

Not using artificial fertiliser is a good goal to have in my opinion. (Though I do make an exception myself in relation to potted plants, where I use the slow release stuff). A lot of people use Epsom Salts, but when I looked it up online, most sources were saying that unless a plant has a magnesium deficiency, it doesn't really do much.

 

Epsom salts is not a fertiliser its used as a trace element, as you say, magnesium.

 

Yes, I know, but it's not organic in the sense of coming from plants or animals. In theory, the soil in that part pf the garden is neutral to acid but this one camellia is a bit yellow. We've had unusually high levels of rain these last two winters so, once the rain eases up I'll give it a good drink of Epsom salts to help it along.

 

Thank you for the comment @Obelix-Vendée, because it made me realise that I may have misdiagnosed a plant as being iron deficient due to pH being high, when actually it does look quite a bit like the plant in this link, so it could be magnesium deficiency instead. Maybe I should give it some epsom salts.

Magnesium deficiency

 

Magnesium deficiency mostly shows up as yellowing between the veins of the leaves.
Just a general yellowing is mostly due to iron deficiency.
At least that's what I have always gone by.

 

In September Morrisons were selling off their fertilizer for better than half price, so I loaded up with Boost and Miracle Grow, then a couple of weeks later Robert Dyers were selling off for half price some big containers of chicken pellets, so nabbed a couple of those too.

So with one of the Chicken Pellets water has got in, it stinks plenty, but is it still use

 

Commonly used is Sequestrene /Sequestered Iron which supplies iron, magnesium and manganese in appropriate proportions

 

Thanks @pete

That's exactly what I got from that article, which made me think that it's a magnesium deficiency

 

Caution,
if using chicken manure, especially if is damp , because the 'smell' is mainly ammonia, which will destroy soft tissue (plant and nasal !) but it is still useable so long as
it does not touch plants. Its best applied to ground 14 days or so before planting, lightly worked in and lightly worked again as a preplanting first move.If top dressing, water in to remove from leaf
If ithe damp tub has solidified , remove any standing water and allow to air dry. When dry, tip it into a plastic sack, such as a compost bag, and crush by walking/stamping to break down into a dust/pellet size then use (sparingly) as usual.

 

I'd not be too hasty, often the first leaves of the new year are very light green, so maybe leave it a month or so before taking any action, if it still looks the same then maybe some action maybe needed.
The new leaves sprout usually before the root system gets going and the leaves are really only growing on reserves from last year.

If you cut a branch from a deciduous tree or shrub and bring it indoors, its very likely to grow leaves for a short while even without roots.

 

I wonder where @fairygirl is? I haven't seen her since she posted on this thread. She is a source of gardening knowledge.

 

I have been thinking the same thing, that I haven't seen any of her thoroughly informative posts recently. I hope that everything is OK with her and she is just taking a little break from the forum.

 

I don't think she has posted since storm Eowyn hit. Ominous but I hope she's well.