Last month I noticed a few of my guava leaves are turning purple. Those who are good at gardening might already know that due to sudden colds or dips in temperature (especially when we are entering the colder months/winter) guava leaves turn purple. This is a natural process.
Sudden cold can turn your guava leaves purple or reddish.
It's not about how cold it is. Once your guava plant senses a sudden decrease in temperature, the leaves might turn purple within a week (Not all the leaves)
Don't worry if that is the reason, it will not affect your guava tree for the long run as in the next supper or growing season ( or when temp. rises ) the new leaves will be fine and healthy.
A simple single-line answer.
So why am I writing a long article about this?
It's for the rest of the gardeners like me who witness the color changing of guava leaves even without being hit by cold air or a temperature dip.
I am growing this in a warmer region and the guava trees are meant to grow well in tropical warm climates. Still, I got the issue. (Not only me, many of us are facing the same issue)
Besides sudden cold what might be the reason?
Nutrient deficiency. Yes! due to the lack of nutrients in the soil, guava trees will show symptoms and purple leaf is one of those.
Not only the guava tree, but a lot of other fruit trees show this symptom when the soil is unfertilized ( or not enough organic matter in the soil ).
Let's come to the solution
Spray 2.5% of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) directly on the guava leaves.
Why spray on the leaves and not in the soil?
It's called foliar spray. It helps the plants to absorb nutrients especially nitrogen or phosphorus through the leaves.
You can also apply it in the soil but it will take a longer time to show improvement of your guava tree. Mainly those who are growing fruit trees for commercial purposes, use this method.
Now if you are wondering what is 2.5% of DAP, it's just 25 gm of DAP in 1 liter of water.
If you can't find DAP in the local stores you can also apply fruit fertilizer that contains nitrogen and phosphorus.
Note: Excessive amount of chemicals on plants can turn the leaves brown or even kill them. Read the instructions before applying.
Spraying twice a month will be enough.
