Question

You notice that your neighbor never adds any organic matter to their yard, but always seems to fertilize and water every time the plants turn yellow. a. Is this a good practice? Explain (What are the implications?) b. What practice(s) would you recommend

Answer 1

Dear Student,

Yellowing of plant can occur because of the following reasons:

• Moisture Stress(Overwatering or Underwatering)
• Low light
• Extreme temperatures
• Nutrition problem(too much or too less nutrients in the soil)

In your question, you've mentioned that your neighbor never adds any organic matter to their yard,which is a very wrong practice. It is very essential to add natural organic matter to the soil as it helps to replenish the soil.

Now, coming to the yellowing of your neighbors's plant, to which they add fertilizer and water every time. This is also a wrong practice. As I have mentioned above, plants can turn yellow due to several reasons, but your neighbors are adding fertilizers and water without bothering about the cause of yellowing of plant. Excessive fertilizer and water can even worsen the situation.

Here's what should be done in case of plants turning yellow:

• Watering: Check the soil. If its too wet, reduce the frequency of watering the plant and if its too dry, water the plant more often. This will reduce the moisture stress and prevent the plants from turning yellow.
• Light check: Make sure your plants get adequate sunlight to execute photosynthesis. Generally, plants kept in limited light, tend to turn yellow because of lack of photosynthesis.
• Temperature: Extreme temperatures are bad for plants. Too hot or too cold temperature can lead to yellowing of plant. If plants are grown indoor, make sure they are kept in a suitable temperature condition. Plants kept too close to the air conditioner turn yellow at times,due to the cold.
• Nutrients: Over-fertilizing and under-fertilizing is also very harmful for plants. Too much chemical fertilizers creates a toxic environment for the plant. So make sure to use just the right amount of fertilizers in your fields.

Thank you!

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