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Oak seedlings in container discoloration #869715

Asked May 23, 2024, 7:24 AM EDT

Please see the photos of oak seedlings that I dug up from my yard about a month ago and planted in soilless substrate. What is causing the chlorosis (although it's more brown than yellow) and leaf curl? What should I do to correct the problem?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

This is an abiotic issue (one not caused by a living pest or pathogen) called scorch. It was likely caused by the transplant event that injured, broke, or stressed roots, or if the pots dried out too much after their move. Even very careful transplanting attempts tends to stress plant roots, and depending on whether the seedlings were moved from a shaded or semi-shaded area out into more sun, that can compound the stress on the plant as the leaves were not adapted to light levels that intense. While injured leaves cannot heal and any with heavy damage may be shed by the plant at some point, new growth should be in better shape if the plant's condition has stabilized. (Leaves form in response to the light level during their development. While shade-adapted leaves cannot alter their structure to handle full sun, leaves forming once a plant has been moved to full sun will be able to handle that brighter light.)

For now, there isn't anything you can do except to just keep monitoring the pots for watering needs since their small volume will lose moisture relatively quickly, especially as we heat up and since soilless substrate is designed to drain quickly to reduce the risk of overwatering. Depending on how long you intend to keep the seedlings in pots, they also might need a dose or two of fertilizer to make up for soil nutrients that are lacking in the mix, and because frequent watering leaches certain nutrients (like nitrogen) out of the mix faster than the roots will absorb them all.

Miri
Once again, thank you for explaining what's going on.

On Thu, May 23, 2024 at 3:32 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 23, 2024, 4:22 PM EDT

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