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Chloride

One piece of the salt. Chloride-sensitive crops ask this cell on its own.

Also called: Cl-, water-soluble chloride

Speed
  1. Chloride is one piece of the salt.
  2. Sensitive crops ask this cell alone.
  3. Scorched margins: split salt from potassium.
  4. Don’t feed KCl when Cl is already high.

How it appears on the sheet

The sheet says chloride or Cl-, often mg/kg.

A sketch. Do not fertilise from the picture alone.

Common units

Chloride often mg/kg or cmol/kg. Read with total salt and EC.

Soil:water ratio · Read with EC and total salt. High Cl: do not feed KCl.

How to read the number

High chloride is a salt clue, not an order to add potassium.

Rates live in the saline or potassium guides — split salt from K first.

Thresholds only, not a prescription. Rates live in the field guide. This page does not hand you a bag count.

Low / mid / high (sketch)
CellLowMidHigh
Chloride (sketch)Most crops don’t mindAsk if the crop hates chlorideA salt clue; stop KCl on sensitive crops

Regional classes differ. This table is a comparison, not a prescription.

What it looks like in the field

Scorched margins: ask if the soil is white, and whether a chloride fertiliser went on.

Don’t do this

  • Don’t treat Cl as a K gap.
  • Don’t use KCl on chloride-sensitive crops.
  • Don’t flood-wash at the first scorched edge.