I would not feed mine till spring. As it just the odd yellow leaf I think all is ok?

OK Denise, I'll wait then. Not too many yellow leaves, plants look relatively healthy and lots of flowers. Wondered if Spring feeding applied to winter flowering, evergreen, shrubs.

Not an ideal time to feed anything in the western hemisphere... plants are going dormant. Wait until next spring and then feed...

Hi Moon Grower, you've endorsed what Drc has said, thank you, I'll feed in Spring.

Glad you asked this,Dawn..mine has some yellow leaves too..only a new one early this year..just this afternoon,I gave it a mulch with ericaceous compost..Should I have done?

The mulch will protect it Bloomer and not do any harm.

phew..thank goodness for that,Denise..that was my intention,as I was on a roll today..had a good 'mulching' afternoon,on most of my plants.Compost bin almost empty ! :o)

I love it when my compost is ready such a nice job. I find most plants benefit from an autumn mulch such as Heucheras so if they heave in the frosts the new roots have something to grow into in the spring and Verbena bonariensis to protect the crown from frost. Shrubs always seem to like a good spring and autumn mulch.

Bloomer, if you used new ericaceous compost, the plant will be okay, but it would have been better not to have applied it - the compost comes complete with feed which lasts up to six weeks, and you don't want to feed the plants now, as already said.
If you have yellowing leaves, that might be because the soil is slightly too alkaline - Sequestrene Iron tonic can be applied now because it provides just iron and no other nutrients like nitrogen, etc.

I've been emptying my compost bins too - piled on the veg plot at the moment, amazing how it works, love it. Looks like I need to get mulching.

Thanks all for the advice, I'll try and get some Sequestrene Iron Tonic Bamboo, thank you.

Bamboo, for the acid lovers, what do you suggest they are fed in the Spring .... a mulch of ericaceous compost plus Vitax?

See, you already know...

Really, wow :-)))))) Am I learning, at last. You've made my day Bamboo.

;-)

Iron sulphate seems to work just as well as sequestrene and it is a lot cheaper. I have been using it for several years now(after getting the tip from someone else who was buying at the same time). I use it on pieris, skimmia and azalea & it greens up yellowing leaves very quickly.

Thank you Stera for that. I did price up Sequestrene Iron tonic after Bamboo suggested and it is quite expensive. Going to price Iron Sulphate now.

The difference between the two is that Sequestrene is chelated - iron sulphate is not. The latter needs to be applied much less often, but take up may be inhibited because of its non chelated form. Sequestrene take up is better in the spring than in autumn, and if applied in spring, does not need repeating till the following year. But don't forget, Skimmia leaves do go yellow before they fall, so some leaf loss is perfectly normal and may not indicate a shortage of iron anyway.

Very interesting Bamboo, thank you. I've checked the yellow leaves and they do drop when touched, so probably just natural fall. Think I'll wait until Spring to feed then.
It is good to know of products available to meet certin needs though. Thank you.

I looked up chelated in an encyclopedia but wasn't much wiser, chemistry not being one of my strong points. (Understatement of the year).

There's a difference between the anaemic yellowing and the leaf drop yellowing though isn't there. Iron sulphate needs applying twice most years - do you think this is because the take up is being inhibited? But its still effective.

Yes, there is a difference Steragram - general yellowing, mottling and paleness indicate iron shortage. The table of use for iron supplements I looked at was aimed at crop growers - their suggestion was, I think 25g per square metre of iron sulphate every 2 years, but take up is dependent on the soil structure and climate where its applied. Generally, chelated means its been treated in such a way as to make absorption easier, usually by being partially broken down. Same applies to mineral supplements for humans - chelated forms are always more expensive than ordinary minerals and are more easily absorbed by the body.

Every two years? Goodness, mine will be getting fat with overeating!

Well, only if its actually absorbing all of it!

Steragram, you should read Bamboo's blog: On Bonemeal, it's brilliant, I love all this knowledge on feeding. Bamboo, you'll be pleased to hear I've bought 25kg of Fish, Blood and Bone, ready for next Spring.

Blimey, talk about preparing early... by the way, I just heard the Christmas lights are being switched on tonight in Oxford Street - what the hell's that about, surely its at least 3 weeks early, isn't it?

Yep, saw that on the 6pm news too, what's going on, we dont want Christmas lights, we still have plant flowering in the garden, lol. Re the FBB, cheaper to buy in bulk as you will know, worked out at something like 95p per kg and in B&Q it was £2.33 per kg.

Good deal then.

Christmas lights... way too soon in my opinion.

Definitely, the best time for Christmas lights is when its time to take them down ...... Bah humbug.

I like the lights, etc., but really, its much better if they wait till December - by the time Christmas arrives this year, the lights will just seem to be a permanent feature rather than something special.

I agree Bamboo turning them on in early December makes it all special

I will ignore them and read Bamboo's blog instead.

Ha ha, Steragram, hope you enjoy it, although it was a serious blog really. By the way, I appreciated your comment on Spartan's thread about that youngster being surprised how much his parents had learnt in such a short time... didn't feel I could acknowledge it there, as we hijacked it in the first place;-))

I'm looking forward to your further blogs Bamboo .... Rose feeding/care or maybe general shrub pruning, hint, hint

I'm sure others have already written blogs on those subjects, Dawnsaunt, though I don't know for sure... as for general shrub pruning, I'd argue there isn't such a thing, lol!

Haha, well you should know, a good reason for a blog.

Lol, Bamboo.

Just been on catch up on this,as we have been away..interesting comments..and helpful.My yellow leaves have now dropped off,so it is obviously a natural thing..which I wasn't aware of,as I haven't had a Skimmia before..so like Dawn,I am grateful for all your info.I have some Sequestrine,so will feed it in spring as suggested..The Ericaceous mulch was mainly for protection,as I never gave it a thought, about the feeding aspect..anyway,it looks healthy,and looking forward to the new buds coming into flower....thank you all for your constructive comments...:o)

I agree Bloomer, great info.