Rasperries with Lime Induced Chlorosis

[peanut]

My Raspberries are showing signs of Lime Induced Chlorosis.

I have ordered some flowers of suplhate to treat the ground. My question is, is it easy to treat and is this a permanent solution?

Thanks in advance

[rustylady]

You really need to increase the acidity of the ground where your raspberries are growing if it is in fact chlorosis - seems a very definite diagnosis (what led you to this conclusion?). What sort of soil do you garden on? It's always a good idea to add as much organic material as you possibly can, whether you have sandy or clay soil. This will help in the long term.

[Snadger]

Rapberries are usually happier with a bit of lime than most other stuff They prefer a neutral soil (ph 7) whilst other veggies (apart from brassicas) prefer around about 6.5ph (erring on the acid side)
Just wondered why you think they have lime induced chlorosis? Have you got very alkaline soil Peanut?

I would have thought that if the foliage is looking a bit yellow and veined a light sprinkling of Sulphate of Ammonia will not only green them up but help to acidify the soil.

[SimonCole]

Sulphate is great at turning things acidic, but it is very very hard to put on.

Naturally soil contains clay minerals, to which magnesium, phosphorous, nitrogen, and calcium ions are bound (amongst others). To get at these essential plant nutrients, plant roots actively pump hydrogen ions into the surrounding soil. When a hydrogen ions comes into contact with the natural minerals, they break the bond to the clay, freeing magnesium etc, to be taken up by the plant. Because the hydrogen ion has a higher afinity for the clay, it can stay there for a long time. The problem comes when you try to introduce hydrogen ions: they release all the nutrients locked in the soil at once. This is grand for a couple of months, but after which, all the valuable plant nutrients in the soil get washed down into the water table. This leaves the plant even more starved!

The way to do it is to mulch with organic matter, to gradually acidify the soil by natural nitrification. Don't get me wrong, you can achieve the right results with sulphur, but you need to analyse the soil first to calclate the right dose. Getting it a gram wrong could blow things out!

[peanut]

My soil is very Alkaline and some of the the leaves are showing clear signs of Chlorosis, hence the question!

[Two_Sheds]

Have you been putting mushroom compost on your Rasps?
As far as treatment is concerned try adding an acid fertiliser containing ferrous sulphate or aluminium sulphate to the soil, to restore the nutrients the raspberries are missing.
You could also try using fertilisers which include chelated iron which are often recommended for rhododendrons, heathers and azaleas. BBC - Beds, Herts and Bucks Why Don't You? - Gardening - Disease of the Week