Has anyone ever seen these yellow leaves on Four O'Clocks? They are not sick, just a different color. I am wondering if it is due to a soil problem or if these have just morphed this year to a more interesting leaf.
Odd color leaves
I get different color flowers every year, they cross and I get interesting color mixes. But this is the first time the leaves have changed. The changes are thru out the plant.
I was thinking it may be a nutritional deficiency but the surrounding roses have bloomed like crazy all summer and all the plants, including these are growing so well. In fact these I cut down regularly for I hate them and they spring right back.
This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 12:07 AM
Looks more like some type of a virus or other disease to me. Nutritional deficiencies *usually* show up with a more consistant yellowing. I noticed you have green leaves there with yellow tips and yellow leaves with green tips and the blotches are all over the place. Maybe you won't have to worry about pesky four o'clocks anymore. LOL
LOL Alice. I wish though these leaves are actually very attractive. I would love these plants but they are way too invasive. Totally take over, You need a field to grow them. And they get about 5 feet if I let them go unchecked. They smother every other thing out and no way can you ever get rid of them.
Looks like a magnesium deficiency.
Spread dolomite for a long term solution. K-mag will give a quick fix.
Magnesium deficiency would leave the midribs and veining green. Plus Magnesium is mobile, so the lower leaves would be the first to yellow up.
I'm going with virus.
Thanks for your adding your comments.
I added handfuls of oyster shell around there a couple of months ago. I wonder if I caused an imbalance with too much calcium?
The thing is that the plants look so healthy and are now flowering well. Usually when I see virused and nutrient deficient plants they look sick.
Just look at these.
http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/list.htm
Kell, some viruses can cause "variegated" foliage of ornamental plants without detriment to the organism.
Classic example is Abutilon 'Thompsonii', where the virus causes attractive mottling of the leaves.
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/pdb_stellapathic_2002-11-09_1036893171532.jpg
I purposely look for camellias with viruses; the variegated leaves are cool looking and it doesn't harm the plant.
I can't imagine an overabundance of calcium causing that but who knows - maybe that is it.
This is true about some vruses. I have an old rose bush that has yellow splotches on the leaves, some years much worse than others. Not very attractive but it doens't hurt the bush plant either.
Though when my brugs get a virus it is so ugly!
It would be so cool if this was a stable virus for the leaves really are quite attractive. I will have to see if they come up again like that. I am going to cut them down today. I have roses under all those and I can no longer see them at all.
Rose
