If you hold off on the watering for a few days I bet things will change.

Take them out of the hot direct sun for a couple of days, and I will bet they will persk right back up..

The soil is moist right?

Mike

Yes, the soil is moist. I watered them with plain water recently, because I was fertilizing them at every watering.

Well, normally I don't stay too long at home, where these Calamondins are located, but now that I am, I can totally see why this is happening! Right now it's +35C(+95F) in the room perpetually! Good God! Can you imagine what's going on on a south facing window during these heat waves? I immediately removed the trees away from the windowsill, a few feet away from direct sunlight. Hopefully the shadow helps.

And if the shadow does help, how do I get them back on the windowsill when it cools down a little bit? Do I do it gradually, by, say, putting them each day a half hour longer than the previous day on the windowsill?

I have a calamondin on my balcony in the hot summer sun during the afternoon, when temperatures go above 90F almost every day during the afternoon in July, as the balcony is located over a hot asphalt parking lot. I have never noticed older, established foliage drooping, but have seen new foliage droop a little but recover once the temps cool down... Curious about the room where you have your calamondins. Is this an enclosed patio or sunroom? Don't know how anyone could tolerate being in 95F. Still the room will be ideal for your calamondins in the winter.

Jerry

It doesn't usually get to 95F, but right now we're having a heatwave. This is a simple apartment building room.

The leaves would be probably fine in this heat and intense sunlight if my sister hadn't been shutting the blinds of this window for a few days straight during the brightest sun and completely messing the trees' schedule of getting exposed to sunlight.

A little update. Here's how the trees look today, after they've been in a shadow for some time:
{{gwi:602780}}
Comparing to the last pictures of both trees I posted I can see pretty good improvement on the tree that is standing on the right. The left one is still a mess .
As you can see I removed all of the fruit from the left tree, because they were old and very soft, and I was hoping it would help the tree a little.
To me both tree leaves look healthy, dark green, shiny, don't show iron chlorosis, any deficiences, but the leaves on the left tree feel pretty thin, compared to the older leaves, that the tree grew while it was still in the nursery. It's like comparing cardboard to toilet paper... Maybe it's because they've started growing only like a month ago and will get thicker? The leaves on the other tree seem thicker, but also not as thick as the nursery grown leaves.
Despite the improvement of the right tree, I'd still love my Calamondins' leaves growing in such manner:
{{gwi:602781}}
But I guess you get such leaf growth under full sun outside, huh?
Also the old leaves keep on getting yellow and dropping.

Any more advice?

I see drip pans under the pots. Throw them away. Never allow your citrus to sit in water. They don't like wet feet. Full sun won't hurt them, even up to 100* to 105* as long as they are watered. During the summer I water daily but I allow the water to drain through.

I never ever leave water in the drip pans...

And yes, obviously full sun isn't bad for Calamondins, it's actually good for citruses. But as I said my sister kept shutting the blinds during the hottest, brightest sun on the window where the Calamondins stood, for a few days. Then after when I didn't close the blinds the trees were already used to shadow and when in sun they got stressed. At least that's my theory.

They're indoors? That's the problem right there...

Do you at least have a fan blowing on them for a few hours a day?

Josh

These trees are specially grown to be INDOOR PLANTS.

Okay, but there's really no such thing as an "indoor plant."

Do you at least have a fan blowing on these trees for a few hours a day?

Josh

These plants need to go outdoors during the warm growing season. Moving air, full sun and humidity is good for them. These are outdoor plants and they don't adapt to the indoors, we have to adapt the indoors for them. Put the pot outside until the threat of first frost. I'll bet you find it improves. First, I would gradually acclimatize it to the sun. Direct sun will burn the leaves if it has been indoors.

No, I don't have a fan blowing at them.
I don't have how to get them outside, I live in an apartment.
I also wouldn't bring my citruses outside even if I had the ability, due to day and night temperature differences, because you're not supposed to bring them out if the temperatures between day and night vary more than 10C and they definitely do. And also you're not supposed to if the air temperature falls below 10C, and believe me sometimes it does here. Plus I can't imagine what vegetative growth could happen at 11C.

Well, then don't expect them to improve.

Josh

I will. Maybe not on this growth flush, but maybe the next one.

And please stop trying to convince me as if citrus plants can't be grown as containerized indoor plants.

I never aimed to convince you of anything.
For those who understand, no explanation is necessary.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

I am sorry that I could not provide the answer for which you were looking.

Josh

Evaldas,

Please, take no offense...Everyone is just ruing to help..:-)

I don't think Josh was trying to convince you can not grow them indoors...

What he and I and others are trying to tell you is that you can avoid all the problems as you have been experiencing with growing yours by growing them outside..

You have a problem that can probably be fixed by setting it in a window, that gets full sun, but you HAVE to provided moving air for it along with the hot temps..To be frank, if you try training it to be indoors, it is NOT going to be happy and show you in ways that you have described..It is "possible", that you keep a happy citrus indoors, but a "citrus"?, the likelihood is nill to impossible, unless all ingredients come together. Even the local nursery growers throw them outdoors for the summer.:-)

Good luck..:-)

Mike

Everyone is just "TRYING"...lol

Corrected my spelling...Sorry

Maybe it's root rot?
I'm just hoping that one more cycle of root growth followed by new leaf growth occurs in this summer.

Here is the perfect example of plants wilting with hot sun with no breeze..Plenty of moisture in the container, in fact, watered thoroughly early this am to prepare for the hot sun..The roots don't take up moisture fast enough to hydrate the leaves and keep the from dehydrating..

{{gwi:602782}}

{{gwi:602783}}

{{gwi:602785}}

I took the tree and placed it in the shade and within one hour, they are hydrating again...

Mike..:-)

Mike, those pics are a great example.
My Blood Orange responds to morning sun/heat likewise.
As soon as the sun slips above the oaks, the trees become turgid again.

Josh

So what should I do with the trees? Put them back on the windowsill? Put them in shadow?

I decided today to put the tree that is standing on the left in the picture back in the sun. I took a picture right before and after some time it being in the sun I noticed the leaves curling again.

Also, is this harmful to the trees? Or is it just plain aesthetics?

How about using something to shield the direct hot sun but still give your tree lot's of sunlight?

Maybe hanging a shear curtain....? Maybe stapling a piece of plastic, the kind that you use in the paint department on rolls, the kind that only let's you see shadows behind it..I forget what it is called, but it is not clear plastic...Looks kind of foggy trying to look through it...

You plants will still get bright sunlight light, which is plenty, like the kind of light plants get in greenhouses, all the while protecting it from direct intense sun..

My plants have not died from leaf wilt from the sun like that, as long as the plant has access to moisture...

Mike..:-)

One tree seems OK (not great), but the other is NOT.
It got me thinking: can this be because I transplated the tree that is doing worse, when the new braches HAD ALREADY BEEN starting? They were about 1,5 cm in size when transplanted. Can it be that the tree only reacted to this only after 2-3 weeks after the transplant?

Evaldas, you don't even acknowledge what I am saying here.

You have just overlooked my suggestions again with a question that does no relate to the last question you asked..Sorry

Mike

Mike, thanks for posting the pictures of your citrus with wilting leaves. I have also experienced the same wilting with citrus in the hot sun. But notice it is only the new top tender growth that wilts; the older mature foliage does not. As the young leaves mature and thicken, they too will not wilt.

I agree that citrus love to be outside during the summer months. And frankly, I love to get them out of my townhome for a few months too. But I am fortunate to have a balcony and front porch that get plenty of sun during the summer. Unfortunately, Evaldas doesn't have any outdoor space available for his calomondins, even if he wanted to move them outside...

Jerry

Hi Jerry...How are you:-)

I hear you on that about wilting..The unfortunate thing for Evaldas is that the leaves to the plants will never toughen up, needed to withstand the HOT sun that hits them during the peak of summer. Most leaves on my trees seem to toughen up once put outdoors, take on a different appearance, characteristics, grow stronger when outdoors..
The weaker and thinner leaves that have held on since winter, change as time goes by outdoors to take on the harsh heat and elements from the outdoor environment needed for protection..

That is why I suggested that Evaldas finds a way to shield the plants from wilting the persistent healthy, but paper thin leaves that grow just as weak as new growth, allowing it to never take the hot sun or abusive enviroment..But of course, there is always a away around it. Away that Evaldas asked for, and missed entirely...

Thank goodness you and I can use the environment outside to toughen up our plants..

Good to see you..

Mike

Yes, Mike I read what you said about your trees' leaves also wilting in the hot sun, but you also said that later when out of sun they went back to normal. Mine didn't go back to normal when out of sun on the tree that is standing in the left in the pictures I posted, the one that I repotted while the new branches had already started. So that's why I thought mine and your trees don't have the same thing.
At least on the tree that is doing better (on the right) the leaves are mature, on the sicker tree the leaves are about 3/4 mature and they've stopped growing.

The trees look like this right now:
{{gwi:602786}}

It is weird...

It looks as if they have been frozen and now in the thaw stage...

Have you checked for spider mites or other pest's with a magnifying glass?

Can you reiterate your cultural practices again? What you feed them, how much, and how often? What kind of mix you have them in? How often you water and so on? I hope it is not the air quality inside your apartment...

No tree should be react so badly after a replant, unless you have provided direct sun right after. weird is that all the leaves are green and wilted from the bottom to top...There is something definitely wrong, and suspect the story may be told in the roots since they are not doing their job..

Mike

I don't see any pests. No webbing at all.
I'm pulling that left tree out of it's container on Monday to see what's up. I'll post a picture of that.
I was feeding them before at every watering 300 ppm Nitrogen, with a 6+4+6 citrus fert. I watered only when the container felt light and the top inch of soil was dry (I would put my finger in to check).
They're growing in 1:1 pine bark/peat moss medium, since that's in what they'd been grown in the nursery, and my rule is to always repot into the exact same material.
It's happening only to the new leaves, almost all of the old ones have fallen, that's why it seems like it's all of the leaves..
How long should I wait after repotting to put them back in sun?

Do the leaves firm up by days end?

If you can take a picture of the mix up close..
Take a picture of the roots when you transplant.

Now that you have told us it is only the new ones that flop like that, it may shed some light for someone...I am still thinking the leaves are not able to handle the full sun at this time of year because of the reason I explained in my above post. I could be wrong though...Something is stopping those leaves from toughing up..

When you transplant, it would be a good idea to wait at least a week before you let the full hot afternoon sun hit it. Early or very late morning sun, or none at all is fine for a few days..

Mike..:-)

No, the leaves are always like this.
Here's a picture of the mix:
{{gwi:602787}}
But as I said my theory for this is that this is happening due to my sister being on vacation and shutting the blinds during the hottest sun. Before that the new growth was fine even in the days with none clouds at all at temperatures almost of 95F. After three days of sitting with closed blinds and then afterwards being exposed to hot sun made them stressed. But as I said that's just my theory, next time I won't allow this to be repeated.

By this time next year, I'll bet all this will just be a faded memory...:-)

I wish you luck and please let us know how they are in a month or so..

Mike..:-)

Hey Mike,
I have the same problem with my "ressurected" Oro Blanco. It has been acting funny ever since it started turning around. I think that stuff I bought from Autozone that is the turface messed up my mix. Instead of trying to fix it, I am just going to go buy a citrus mix that a nursery uses. They make it themselves and they sell it. I trust them and I am hoping that it will solve my problem. I will let you know how well it works. Strange how I had my new growth react the same but the leaves look chlorotic so I am going to change the soil and hope for the best. I made my mix with orchid bark, which is smaller than evaldas bark, and I also added perlite. It was too hard for me to find all the stuff locally. I will report any changes.
Andrew

Hi Andrew.....:-)!

Listen, when you get the mix at the nursery, please read me the ingredients in the bag..It will be quite interesting to see how well it is made..

Talk to later for sure;;(-0)

Mike

Well, no root rot apparently, it's actually the opposite - the rootball has dried out a bit.
{{gwi:602788}} {{gwi:602789}}
I'll know to water it more in the center of the pot in the future.

@evaldas.. One thought I have is when the tree is on the window sill on a 95F day, what would the internal temp be within the root zone. If the internal temp get over 105F-110F the roots will begin to bake.

Overheated root zones is a common problem for container grown citrus during the summer months.

Although there is a number of ways to overcome this problem I like the double potting method.

Another concern would be the location of the air conditioner in relation to the trees location.

Things are looking up. A major improvement! Just compare:
July 31st:
{{gwi:602790}}
August 2nd:
{{gwi:602791}}

Now I'm not sure of what to do with the other tree; to also transplant it into a bigger container or leave it in the smaller...

I really don't get it. After repoting I moved the tree for a week from direct sunlight. The second day after the repot the top leaves were pretty much standing vertically, then few days later horizontally, and stayed that way. Then yesterday I moved it back in its sunny location and the leaves wilted almost immediately. In the evening the leaves were horizontal again, today the sun hit the tree a little and the leaves are wilting again. Is this tree not a sun liker???

I repoted the other tree yesterday also, it's standing in shade right now, the leaves pointed upwards as well (but not completely vertical).

Is there any way to force a new growth flush? Maybe Epsom salt?

Are you using a fan to circulate air while they are sunning?

Josh

I am with Josh..Try a fan, will ya..lol

Even mine do the same thing, well, the new growth in hot sun with no wind or breeze..

Mike..:-)