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Satsuma Acting Strange

sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)

18 years ago

Last fall I got a 3 yr old dwarf owari satsuma. It was planted in a container with large holes in potting soil mixed with perlite and cedar chips as well as all the other 17 citrus I have potted.

It was doing fine until this last week I noticed all the marble sized fruit it had turned yellow with some browning and dropped off. What is worse is that I noticed that some of the new branches, seem a little floppy/soft.

They are all green with no dieback. The leaves all look okay except a few are a little twisted looking. I also noticed there is a lot of new growth (leaves and branches). The actual tree stem above the graft seems a little softer to me than it should, however below the graft is very hard/normal feeling. It does seem to be a little top heavy due to all the new growth so I staked it above the graft but now am wondering..is it really due to being top heavy or is the stem actually losing its sturdiness?

I ue a water meter and it seems to be staying too wet (around 4 on the meter) so I checked the roots for rot and they all look and smell normal! I am conservative about watering but it has rained alot all last week. Not sure what the problem is but I also didnt see any insects.

What else should I do/ or be looking for? Does anyone know what causes this? Help!

~SJN

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Comments (3)

birdsnblooms
18 years ago
SJN, it's been a while since you've posted..I was wondering how your Satsuma is doing since..Any improvement?
Staking was a good idea. How are the stems feeling now? Are they soft? How do leaves look? Do you have any leaf drop?
When you say the parts above the graft line feel soft, do you mean mushy or flexible..flexable is good, mushy isn't.
AS long as your soil is well-draining, the rain shouldn't bother your plant.
Is your meter saying 4 since the rain, or have u noticed this before the rains came? That's a bit much. Do u have a back up guage in case there's something wrong w/the first one?
Did u try sticking your finger or lifting plant to check for wet soil? That's the best way to determine if soil is staying wet. I only water when pot feels light. This way I know it's dried out for sure..not that I lift each and every pot, but after growing plants for yrs, one gets a feel for it. So, let us know how your citrus is doing..Toni
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi hopeful author,
Thanks for your reply. I think the problem has resolved itself now. I just went ahead and repotted and trimmed off the extra growth on the one side that was making it really lean over. After initial watering I let it dry good for a week (kept out of the rain.) It seems to be getting better and is no longer so flexible. It is a shame that it lost all the fruits but I am just thankful that the tree is healthy :) Thanks again.
~SJN
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birdsnblooms
17 years ago
Sjn, by chance, were any of the fruit mature? Or were they still youngins'? (s)
That's right as long as the tree is healthy is all that matters. Now that you've got your Satsuma out of the rain, perhaps it'll show its apprecation and send out more flowers. Good luck, Toni

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