Do your plants have PNDS?

The lack of a certain nutrient can cause all kinds of malformations, discolourations, and bad performance issues in your plants. When not fed enough iron, us humans can get a bit pale, leading to anemia, especially for us gals. And so it is with plants. Here is a handy list of symptoms followed by the nutrient they might be missing.

LEAVES
Smaller-than-normal leaves - NITROGEN
Thin and weak leaves - NITROGEN (could also be too shaded)
Uniform yellowing of all leaves - NITROGEN (non-uniform could be a virus, unless we are talking about camellias, in which case they most likely need IRON)
Uniform yellowing of new and young foliage - SULPHUR
Yellowing of foliage all over the plant - MANGANESE
Leaves are bronze and/or red and it's not fall yet - PHOSPHORUS (some plants get tinged red during cold weather)
Leaves seem bluish-green, and they're not supposed to - MOLYBDENUM
Edges of leaves turn yellow - POTASSIUM
Leaves turn yellow but only between the veins - MAGNESIUM
Leaves turn brown and die beginning from between the veins - MAGNESIUM
Leaves turn yellow between the veins, only on young foliage, and it gets paler and paler until it's white - IRON
Edges of leaves die - POTASSIUM (could also be drought or maybe the air is too dry or hot)
Leaves do not fully expand - MOLYBDENUM
Leaves get white spots, then die - COPPER
Some yellow spots on foliage - BORON, but if there is a pattern, it could be a virus
Leaves distorted, tips hooking backwards - CALCIUM - but also check for aphids and mites)
Small, linear, distorted leaves - COPPER
Leaves are small and narrow, and grow in a rosettelike whorl - ZINC
Leaves are dull, not glossy - PHOSPHORUS (might also just need cleaning - Pieris often get dirty)
Older leaves falling off - NITROGEN (could also be drought, but if not, try nitrogen)

NEW GROWTH
New growth is short and thin - PHOSPHORUS
Death of the new bud - CALCIUM
New growth is distorted or thick, or both - BORON
Terminal bud dies and this forces side-growth ie: plants are stunted but bushy - BORON
New Shoots die back - COPPER

ROOTS
Death of root tips - CALCIUM

FLOWERS
Lack of flowers - PHOSPHORUS and POTASSIUM

FRUIT
No fruit despite pollenizers and fertility - BORON can be one cause

Because some of these cause similar effects, recognising these deficiencies can be difficult. Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the most commonly deficient. These three are used in the highest quantity. This is why most commercial fertiliser mixes contain all three, and have a numbering system to tell you how much of each one is in the bag or box. IE: 15-30-15 contains a ration of 15:30:15 of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.

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