Plant guide:ð Grapes
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Nutrients
Iron Chlorosis in Alkaline Soil
Commonly affects: Vitis vinifera, V. labrusca (Grape)
New leaves turn yellow with distinctly green veins, an interveinal chlorosis pattern most pronounced in vines grown in alkaline or heavily limed soil.
Potential Causes
- 1Alkaline soil (high pH) locking up iron even when present in adequate amounts
- 2Overwatering reducing root function and iron uptake
- 3Naturally calcareous or heavily limed soil in some regions
Solution Steps
- 1Apply a chelated iron supplement as a foliar spray or soil drench for the fastest results
- 2Lower soil pH gradually with sulphur amendments if alkalinity is the underlying cause
- 3Choose rootstock varieties bred for tolerance to high-pH, calcareous soils in affected regions
- 4Improve drainage if overwatering is compounding the problem
Prevention Tip
In regions with naturally alkaline soil, choosing lime-tolerant rootstock from the start avoids a chronic chlorosis problem that ongoing iron supplementation only partially manages.



