Drought or salt: how to tell a wilt from a scorched edge

What you see in the field

Drought is dry soil; salt often has white crust. A sketch — don’t fertilise from the picture alone.Sort dry or wet, white or not, first. A sketch — don’t fertilise from the picture alone.

Tap to enlarge. The caption says what to photograph. Missing field photos are marked as to-be-added.

Why it looks like this

The field looks like this because the root cannot take water or nutrients the usual way. Fix the soil condition first — drainage, salt, acidity, compaction or a salt of fertiliser — then a thin feed. Rates live in the range on this page; confirm with a local station and the label.

Easy to mix up

• Looks like “Potassium shortage”

  Potassium-scorched margins do not always show white crust.

• Looks like “Disease wilt”

  Disease is patches; drought and salt often follow the landform and the watering.

Do this / don’t do that

1. 1Compare the worst plants with a neighbour ridge. Photograph whole plant, close-up and soil surface before you add fertiliser.
2. 2Match roots, leaves and the soil surface to this guide. If they do not line up, do not copy a bag count.
3. 3Use the rate range on this page only as a range. Confirm with a local station and the product label.

Rate range

These are ranges. Confirm with your local extension station and the product label.

When you see One side wilts with no frost and dry soil; the other has frost plus scorch and soil that may still be moist. Dry versus wet, test. If the leaf and the soil disagree, test before you pour.

Lesson video