Why is my parsley turning yellow?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by sammiiz, Apr 20, 2007.

  1. sammiiz

    sammiiz Junior Member

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    I must just like to wave my 'ignoramous flag' really high, by asking lots of stupid questions...

    ...but here i go again.. :?

    One of my parsley plants, has started turning yellow...?!
    This particular plant is in a large pot, its not old, but well established, it gets plenty of water but does not have wet feet.
    It started to droop too, like all the stems are dropping over the sides of the pot...
    When i picked a few sprigs off for last nights dinner, i pulled off all the yellow ones as well, and it turned out i thinned the plant by like 50 % :shock:

    So my question is, what am i doing wrong?

    Help is appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
  2. caldera

    caldera Junior Member

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    pee/urine/wee

    diluted 1:20 with water

    :wink:

    (yellow is normally an indication of nitrogen lack)
     
  3. sammiiz

    sammiiz Junior Member

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    hmmm, thanks for that caldera :lol:

    tell me, would it work also perhaps digging a bit of chook poo in? am i right in recalling thats reasonably high in nitro...?

    i am sure my feathered ladies would happily donate some for the cause of a jaundised parsley :wink:
     
  4. caldera

    caldera Junior Member

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    yes make sure it is well broken down .. don't over do it (you'll know when do ... your parsley will turn purple .. and then orange :wink: )

    but i really think you should try the "wee" ...

    that is true recycling in action ... i don't get why we flush all our "waste" out into the ocean .. its high in minerals that should be put back into the earth

    we've become linear

    nature works in cycles ...
     
  5. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    Its roots may well have hit the pot bottom Sammiz (obviously I can only guess what a 'large pot' is). :)

    Parsley can grow a fair size tap root...the only trouble I've ever had with it is when it doesn't have adequate root room to kick on past 18-24 months or so.

    At that point, the yellowing starts in my experience.

    The other possibility is that it really does lack for nutrients as Caldera and Bill have suggested - which is pretty common to pots.

    I'd keep an open mind to both possibilities depending on how big that pot is...I've seen parsley (I've mostly grown 'Giant of Italy') put down a tap root a good 60-70cm in a year or so under good conditions.
     
  6. sammiiz

    sammiiz Junior Member

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    I was thinking it may need a bigger pot...

    (my apologies for the terribly ambiguous "large pot" comment :? :rolleyes: the pot is about 25 to 30 cms in depth and diameter)

    but i didn't want to be disturbing the roots, if the plant already wasn't "feeling well" :oops:
    I didn't realise they could grow that big that fast, so i will definitely give it some leg room, and see how that goes.
    And i'll give it a 'wee drink' when i repot too... best of both worlds.

    :D

    Thanks guys.
     
  7. spritegal

    spritegal Junior Member

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    At this time of year parsley often goes a bit yellow. Parsley actually needs quite a bit of feeding and its not overly keen on residing in a pot for years on end. I never had much luck with keeping parsley in pots.

    If it can't be transferred to the garden I'd re-pot it with a good natural organic manure mixed in (not fresh chook poo, maybe some mushroom compost), make sure it is free draining, and yes, wee on it occasionally.

    Parsley is a funny herb, its either feast or famine with parsley, depending on the time of year. :)
     
  8. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    sammiiz, it might also be too much alkalinity in the soil, and urine will make it more so. Some acidity should help. If you've got coffee grounds spread those over the top and water well, or save a cup of orange juice or cranberry juice, dilute it about 4 times and water well.
     
  9. gg

    gg Junior Member

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    I have kept parsley plants in my window box for 3 1/2 years now. They periodically goes yellow in places and die out a bit. I remove the dead and dying (usually about 30-50% of each plant, and water as usual and they come right back with lots of new fresh leaves.

    They need a rest like anything else i guess and although they are considered bienniel, it just keeps recycling itself over and over.

    I have never applied any fertilizer to it either except well broken down compost to top it off once a year. It's a natural cycle I assume.
     
  10. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    If you live temperate then 'yellow' leaves are a sign to snip said parsley and dry it to save some for the colder months.

    Plants, especially bi-ennials dont live forever, they are genetically predisposed to dying. If you see that then harvest the parsley and save it for later on.

    floot
     

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