Greening Up Brown Italian Cypress with Ironite?

Q. Does Ironite help Italian cypress if they are turning brown?

A. No. Ironite may help if the problem is an iron deficiency or the plants can't take up enough iron. Iron problems on plants turn yellow first before they turn brown and die. If the cause of the browning was from poor irrigation management and the soil staying too wet because of poor drainage, then Ironite will not do any good. The same is true for browning due to spider mites.

            By the way, Ironite only works if the soil is not too alkaline (pH above 7.6). Most of our desert soils are closer to 8.0 or higher. Mixing in lots of compost and adding water helps lower the soil pH close to the mid 7’s. But if the soil has been covered in rock for a few years then soil pH (alkalinity) will be close to 8 or above.