Citrus tree problems - fertilizer, pH, etc.

13 years ago

Hello all. I am new to the forum and new to growing citrus. My trees appear to be unhappy. I would appreciate any advice. Here are the facts on each tree:

Each tree is in a clay pot. The planting mix I used seems to drain well and is made up of Miracle Grow potting mix, perlite, pine bark chips and some sand. I don't know the exact measurements of each. I mixed up a huge batch and used it in all three pots. Today I did a soil test on them. I got the soil test kit at a hardware store. All were last watered on Wednesday - good drench - fast drainage. Potting mix is not soggy. Slightly damp a couple of inches down. Inserted dowel rod down to bottom - not too wet - damp. Lemon and Lime were repotted on Wednesday because I had them originally is just MG potting soil. The lime and lemon had nice white firm new roots. The orange tree had just been purchased that day and the roots looked good out of the store container. All are in full sun.

pH: 7

N: depleted

Phos: slight deficiency

Potash: adequate

Improved Meyer Lemon: purchased about 3 weeks ago. Leaves are yellowing - some from the tip, others are blotchy. There were some bugs on the underside of leaves and sooty mold. I washed each leaf and gently scrubbed with soft toothbrush - water with a few drops of dish soap. Leaves are not shiny. 11 lemons on tree and they seem to be doing OK. There is new growth and it has grown since I brought it home

Mexican Lime: purchased about 3 weeks ago. Some leaves on top were curly when I bought it. I honestly did not know what to look for when I bought it. Newer leaves are normal. 1 tiny lime that has doubled in size since purchased. There is new growth. I am not too worried about this guy but I would like to know what caused the curly leaves and how to fix/prevent that.

Satsuma Mandarin Orange: Purchased Wednesday. It looked perfect when I bought it- but it was nearly dark out so if there was any discoloration to the leaves I could not see it. In the last 24 hours 40 leaves have dropped off. The leaves are discolored-yellowing, some blotchy some veins are yellow

I would like to know:

What are your opinions as to problems with my trees?

What fertizer or additives or whatever should I buy to fix the deficiencies in my mix and how do I apply it?

Any advice for a newbie?

I don't know much about fertizers, what to look for, how to apply, etc.

Thank you so much for any input. I am going to try to load pictures now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my citrus trees

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Comments (8)

plant54
13 years ago
Yaa. it take about 3-4 weeks after re potting to see any Pos or Neg happenings.

In your case I suggest the soil mix is the problem, Athough I dont know the type of container used.
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
My goodness what a cute Dog!!! Oh, getting back to trees..

Is there a way you can take a close up of the soil in the pots and maybe a handful in your hand?

Most plants usually respond very well to a fresh transplanting after about a month or two....I would be patient and let the sun and a weak feeding of fertilizer do the job...It seems like your soil mix is ok for now, but after a short period of time, watch to see if it collapses and holds more water than it does now..Always think ahead...If it compacts and decomposes into even finer particles than you already have now by winter, you will be asking for problems...

I would of made the mix one part of that soil, and 5 parts bark, and one part perlite...This would hold its structure well beyond the winter and not invite "fungus gnats" which can be a pain all winter...

Your Ph should be around 6.5 to get the best out of your fertilizer...7.0 may be too high...Use a capful of vinegar in a gallon of water when you water..

I would use Foliage pro or any fertilizer that provides the right ratio and all the minors in it, especially Ma and Ca...

Don't be disappointed if some of your leaves reverse to green, since it looks like some are beyond that, but the new growth should be very rewarding too you...

Welcome newbie...

Mike
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Ann: Rather than focus on the Ph meter, which you may never be able to fine-tune to your satisfaction, why don't you tell us where you are located so we have some idea of what your native soil might be like, and exactly what you are using to amend your soil. Meanwhile, you can clean the probe of your Ph meter with the rough side of a kitchen sponge, which may or may not make the meter work to your satisfaction, but will remove any surface corrosion without damage to the instrument. First let's clear up the matter of trying to raise the Ph around hydrangeas, which was a mistake if you really did it. This plant takes the same low PH conditions as blueberries and rhododendrems. Did you apply lime around these plants, or what? The usual way to lower the Ph when planting the species in question is by mixing in lots of peat moss with the native soil. Addition of garden sulfur is helpful as a long-term acidifier in soils with a naturally high Ph. After that, you can make surface applications of iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate, or products like ironite or Hollytone, which is both a conditioner and acidifier. Soils with a high organic content tend to maintain a naturally lower Ph, so the use of compost at planting and as a mulch is a good technique. So tell us what you used, and when and how you used it, and someone will give you a readout of whether what you did was helpful or not. And don't forget to tell us where you are. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
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Ah, hex you want this to be so wrong. Sorry but you can look up the "no nutritional value" on hydroponics it's well documented. An yes your right the plants don't care what the source of those elements are. But we're not talking about the plants but what "feeds on them". But lets talk about something else. You mentioned a perpetual motion machine. Well, yes that's what life is. it's in the very air we breathe. The plants breathe in bacteria that has the nitrogen cycle living inside it. The plant nitrogen (waste) cycle is part of that too. Even in an anaerobic system that still goes on. I have apple and pear trees that are ten years old that have been flowering, fruiting as well. With no intervention from me other than water if I notice. That means no fertilizer either. The bucket design captures rainfall so that wasn't often. Oh, that's right there's another difference. Capturing the rain water is taboo for your form of hydroponics. I mean with all the measurements and such. Haven't needed to take a reading ph or other wise in more than 20yrs. As for growing something..a tomato. Really. Is that the hill you standing on. I'm showing Cashews, Macadamia nuts,, coffee, 3 kinds of Bio-Fuel. Apples, pears, Plums, peaches all growing happily in the system. I bring pictures of everything. There even Strawberries flowering this year that grow anaerobically. Let's just off the top of my head there are Norfolk pines, Fiddle leaf figs, Sago palms, cactus, White and Yellow Birds of Paradise, Orchids, Pony Tail palms, Citrus. All growing quite happily. Those pictures are already on here. As for water consumption on average each tight 5gal container holds about three an a half gallons. That water last between 45 and 60 days with out rain. If I get a good rain once a month I don't have to water at all.
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I have use' Miracid' many times in the past and it did nothing for my acidic plants except make them grow more leaves..Cut a heck of a lot of flowering rpoduction down..One year I got no flowers at all on my Rhododendrons and Azaleas..I stop using it. In fact, my Citrus Trees still turned yellow using that stuff...Until I found out about vinegar and foliage pro, I could not green up a citrus tree if you paid me, not even the local garden experts! I did find out that they consistently acidify their water though after asking them why they trees were always so much greener than mine...
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partyprincess
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks folks. Thank goodness my dog is thriving better than my new citrus! I did not know that those photos could be seen. He is a Bouvier des Flanders- in my lingo- he is awesome. I am trying to locate some Foliage Pro. I will try the vinegar too. I just don't want to lose the trees right off the bat. This is a great forum. Lots of good info. Thanks for being helpful. The fertilizer I find locally is not at all like what I have read about here so far. After I did the repotting on Wednesday I did more research and learned even more about the correct mix. I will repot in the spring with a lot less MG and much more pine bark chips. I am shocked that the nursery where I bought the lemon tree did not give me more info. They are staffed by horticulturists (sp?) and I told them I had no idea what I was doing. They just said any potting soil and 10-10-10 fert. I still would appreciate any additional advice. Thanks again for being so kind and sharing your experience with us newbies!
eric2
13 years ago
Your trees are showing symptoms of nitrogen deficiency. Your soil has no source of nitrogen, and the wood chips consume nitrogen as they decay. Unless you want to train your dog to start piddling on your trees, you'll need to add a source of nitrogen such as fertilizer, grass clippings, alfalfa hay, etc. If there is extra space in your pots, you could even plant a legume such as beans or peanuts to fix more nitrogen into the soil.
cdonaghe
13 years ago
If you can't find the foliage pro. You can use the regular Miracle-Gro. That is what I use and my trees are doing fine, all 11 of them. The miracle-gro does not have the Ca, but since I water with tap water and the tap water here is hard, The trees get the Ca from the water. YOu might also want to look into the Osmocote plus as a supplement also. Aslo about every month or so I add a 1/4 tsp of epson salts in a gallon of water for the Mg.
Just my thoughts,
Charles
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
I like Charles thoughts and everyonelses ideas...Although Eric, I never heard of adding alfafa hay or grass clippings into pots...The legume idea is quite interesting..

Can you share more with us or direct me to the site you found this oyt on..Quite interesting...Thanks
partyprincess
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks again for the great advice. After lots more reading on the forums I decided to follow the advice I have been given - especially since I have seen pictures of some awesome citrus trees on here (especially yours Mike). So, all trees are in 5:1:1 mix. I have been using a weak MG fertilizer with vinegar at each watering - Foliage Pro should be delivered next week. I am using a dowel to check the moisture in the pots before I even think about watering. I am going to pick up some fish emulsion next week. My lime tree has one grape sized lime, 3 tiny tiny limes, and today I found 5 blossoms! My trees don't look great yet, I have only been on the right track for a few weeks,but I expect improvement over time. They are certainly not getting worse. I have been bitten by the citrus bug - now I have 6. I have to stop or I will be in real trouble this winter when they have to come in. Does anyone know how to keep cats from getting in the plants when I bring them in for the winter? I need a plan in place.
Kim
malcolm_manners
13 years ago
Realize that legumes (and their associated bacteria) do not add significant amounts of N to their soil until/unless they drop leaves there, or die there, in which case, it is the composting legume tissue that actually releases the N for other plants' use. So if you're diligent about a "neat" looking plant, and you remove all the droppings, your legumes won't give anything to the other plants nearby.

Citrus tree problems - fertilizer, pH, etc.

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Citrus tree problems - fertilizer, pH, etc.

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plant54

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