Michael: Late season regrowth is often deficent in Fe, N, or both. I won't worry about it if your early growth looks good. You might try some zinc sulfate but your problem looks like Fe to me. I've had good response to chelated Fe. Haven't tried FeSO4 on apples, really haven't needed any. I pruned one apple this yr in August and didn't get any regrowth despite lots of rain. Made cuts up to 4 inches diameter on that tree. I think if you have more regrowth next spring, there will be less Fe deficiency. The Fruitnut

I would not use Ironite. It is a mined waste product which contains significant amounts of lead and arsenic and other heavy metals. The company argues that the arsenic and lead are in very insoluble forms but they ignore such things as: 1) The lead and arsenic can become soluble if you make the soil acidic and 2) Who would really want them in one's soil in any case? Iron deficiency in roses often appears in Spring when the plants are growing rapidly. If your soil is alkaline, lowering the soil pH may help, but this is a slow process and usually has to be repeated on a regular basis. It's just as easy to feed soluble forms of iron on a regular basis, just as you would any other fertilizer nutrient. Some things that have worked for me include a sort of natural chelate made from mixing a cup of ferrous sulfate with a 5 gallon pail of equal parts peat moss and garden soil. I spread a few cups of this mix in a ring around the plant. Here is a link that might be useful: Ironite Law Suit

Sherry, have you tried shredded redwood bark? It's often sold in garden shops under the name 'gorilla hair bark'. Redwood bark is slightly acidic, and I use it to mulch my flower beds that contain roses. My mother used redwood bark in her rose garden, and I remember the distinctive smell of the redwood. Today if you go to a garden center they have plenty of bark chips, usually small to medium chunks, and some of it is red *colored* but it isn't redwood, and is sometimes even dyed red. Don't know what the ph would be on wood of unspecified variety. I bought Reines des Violettes in February of this year from Greenmantle (northern California nursery) and planted it in my garden. Heard warnings that it gets chlorosis. But so far no signs of it at all in my garden, and I haven't added any sulfur, iron, or acidifying plantfood. But I did mulch it, along with my other roses in redwood bark. Perhaps the water percolating through the redwood is acidic enough for this rose. Don't know. But I went out yesterday and snapped a few pictures of the leaves of my Reines des Violettes. She seems to be doing just fine. Would be doing even better if the tree trimmers (who removed 3 huge trees for me!) hadn't dropped a big log on her bigger half and smashed it off. However, she's recovered nicely. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Leaves of Reines des Violettes

Of course, it is always possible. It is just like a sick child, you can have a cold and a fever at the same time. But if I were you I would check first the pH of your soil. But then if you want to take a 'chance' just add ironite and fert that are high in nitrogen. Make sure you get the one high in ammoniacal nitrogen so it is readily available to your plant. But do so in half dose. You don't want it to overdose. But do it twice as many times as it said on the label. Here's an excerp from my notes: "Soil pH affects the amount of nutrients that are soluble in soil water and, therefore, the amount of nutrient available to plants. Some nutrients are more available under acid conditions while others are more available under alkaline conditions. However, most mineral nutrients are readily available to plants when soil pH is near neutral. The development of strongly acidic soils (pH less than 5.5) can result in poor plant growth as a result of one or more of the following factors: low pH, aluminium toxicity, manganese toxicity, calcium deficiency, magnesium deficiency, and low levels of essential plant nutrients such as phosphorus and molybdenum. " Benny