Buylady!! What did you do?

Don't panic just yet? It may not be your fault..

Where are they? Are they in the full sun? What kind of mix did you plant them into? Did you use the 5.1.1 mix and does it drain rapidly? Has it been really hot there? When did you put it into the full sun? How much MG did you use when you fertilized it?

If you are using the 5.1.1 mix or the gritty mix, you can use MG every time you water with only 1/4 teaspoon in a gallon...

Please tell me what you have been doing to your trees, ok..Take a picture if you can too..Don't fret, ok..If you have them in a lot of sun, they will get better, as long as the roots are not cooking..

Mike..:-)

More info is needed. How often do you water? Are the trees sitting in a drip pan which holds overflow water? That is a No-No! The top two inches of soil should dry before you water again? My citrus (Key lime, Ponderosa lemon, calamondin) sit outside in the hot sun everyday in 90-100 degree temperatures. The pots are 24 inches in diameter but I have to water every day. In the greenhouse during winter I may water only once a month. I do think fertilizing every time you water is too often. Fertilizing once a month should be enough unless your soil has a lot of perlite or vermiculite in it. P & V don't hold water well and fertilizers leaches out of the pot quickly as the water runs through so quickly.

oh my they are still in the old mix need to do the 5-1-1 on them next was goin to do monday but my helper didn't show up..they are still inside in my puter room windows facing west i think..lol maybe i should set them outside a few days???? i'll post pics of them morrow Mike thx

Fertilizing at every watering is ok in the mixes I use, in fact beneficial..

Fertilizing at every watering is not suggested in a very peaty mix, or one that stay moist for long periods of time as smith says..:-)

Buylady, why are the plants still indoors? A west window this time of year is not enough sun too..

Introduce your trees slowly to outside..Put in the shade for about a week, then under a tree that allows a little sun, or only in the late day or early morning sun for another week or two, then full sun ok..

Also, make sure your pots do not sit in saucers with left over water in them as stated above..

Tsmith, you suggested to wait until the mix is dry on the top 2 inches of the soil....What happens if the root ball or roots are still wet below that? That is the very advice that killed all my plants in the past...:-(

Mike

"Fertilizing at every watering is ok in the mixes I use, in fact beneficial.. "

At a fraction of the recomended use. ;) not full strength..:) Am I right Mike?

That's how I've been feeding my fruit trees and they are very happy. :)

JoJo

Yes Jojo...

Good point! I feed 1/4 strength at each watering if I can remember..lol

Mike..:-):-):-)

OH dear where to start..i never told this but i am handicap and can't carry plants outside,...yes they drip pans cause its either on a window sil or on my new lenolium (mispelled) lol that we purposely made it for my plants as the rest of puter room is carpet,...as for the feeding i never did before but after reading all the posts bout MG i was using it by the directions 1t to gal....which i will do like you from now on Mike 1/4t an thx for ALL your help Mike on how to upload pics to here...Ok pic #1 & 2 is my grapefruit top an botton of it an yes 5-1-1 mix...leaves are starting to curl on it

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pic 3 lemon not repotted just tried water w/MG an they are not that yellow the sun was shing in made them to light
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pic 4..is one in a window sil repotted new mix
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pic 5 is repotted lemon the one that was so bad before i repotted it now looks like what tender leaves that left are dying too pic 6 is same plant
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thx Mike an everyone thats helping me with precious plants can't wait to read posts on this

In photo No# 5, To the right side. This looks like a Coffea arabica, if so, it also appears to be under stress.

Tom

Hi buylady,
Is there anything between the pots and the drip pan to raise them a little so they are not sitting in the water?
Sitting in the water could be a problem.

Is there maybe a neighbor or someone that could help you move them outside? They would really benifit form sunshine and fresh air.

As for spelling.. Awwww.. dont worry about that! LOL! We get the idea. ;) Actually you have all the right letters, just have the e and i in the wrong place. ;)

Glad Mike was able to help you with photos, he was a big help for me too.

I'm sure him or someone else will be along shortly to help you more. ;)

Best wishes,
JoJo

Buylady,
When the plants are indoors I set them on a brick or 2, depending on pot size, which are set in galvanized feed pans. These pans are used for farm animals and so are relatively cheap and are large enough to allow adequate drainage from the pot and you can see if the water gets near the bottom of the pot. (Then either stop watering or siphon up some water. I have been known to use a turkey baster in a pinch.) Allowing the plants to sit in water is a certain death sentence. For now outdoors is best but as others have said introduce them to the sum gradually over a few weeks. This is especially important since they are already weakened.
Cath

If nothing has changed, as far as treatment, I would expect them to be steadily declining.
I'm not sure they can be revived if they're kept indoors, in old soil, with insufficient light.

Josh

Hi ALL, no not really i live on a 186 acre farm they say its in the boonies LOL.closest neighbor is 2 miles...but i love it... plant 5 by the thereometer you mean?? one in the middles is evening primose an herb.....I didn't no that the water could go back up in the pot?? theres no wick in them but i better find some bricks asap i guess an try that...whats with the curled leaves any one no????

Hi buylady.
I wish I could come over there and put them outside for you..

Looks like in the last picture, your tree wants to put out new growth as soon as possible..You see the little green nubs on the trunk?Is there any way you can put them outside as soon as possible. maybe you can call a relative or a neighbor? Those little nubs would grow if they had more sunlight.

I am afraid they will not make it with the lighting you are giving them most of all..Even if you had them in a drip pan, you'd still have a better chance with them absorbing light, all day.This gives them time to rebuild their roots and grow, and prepares them for when you have to bring them in come the fall. The roots will have a reason to drink, and the mix will dry out faster. even if you planted them in the best mix possible, they still needs lot's of light to survive..I am afraid this may not be the type plants you can have if you can not..:-(. They demand A LOT of light, food, and well draining soil to grow healthy and stay alive..

Please listen to all the friends here. It seems they are all in agreement with the same thing. take out the saucers that catch all your water, use a wick as Al suggested which in your case might have to be done because of your cultural habits, and get them outside as soon as possible..

The leaves are curled up because the roots are to weak to take up water and hydrate them. Or it could be too that they have buggies, since they are to weak to fight any of them off..

i hope you can do these things..

Also as My friend Jojo says, never worry about the spelling or asking for help. who cares? I sure don't..:-)

Mike

Citrus are definitely not house plants like peace lily or sansevieria. They don't like wet feet so sitting in a pan of water is not good. They prefer bright, direct sunshine and not indirect light from windows. My citrus sit in full sunshine either in the greenhouse from November through March or outside April through October. If you are unable to care for citrus, perhaps you can give them to someone who can and grow indoor plants more suited to the environment where you can care for them. I'm 62 y/o. I have some pots which are huge. In a few years, I know I'll no longer be able to handle them. When I reach that time, I'll regretfully give up my huge plants and move on to things I can handle.

Buylady,

Can you do me a favor? Can you take a close up picture a couple of leaves on the top picture. Take a picture for me of the very shiny leaves.. I see quite a few of them.

I just want to make sure that is not dewy substance from a sucking insect, such as scale or mealy bugs.

Thank you..:-)

OMG Mike your sooo tender hearted & such kind sole i had to fight back the tears when i read your post:-):-)...my helper will be here morrow we can do it then ok so can i just leave them out or will that hurt them too!!!! or how long can i leave them out once i get 'em out gonna be hard to get back in she only comes on mondays LOL..so i'm D if i do an D if don't laffing thx every one for all your concerns its much apprec. so much....o does any one you MG soil in the mix?..i used 5 parts pine bark,one part lime,one part peat,one part vermiulite LOL, i also use small amt of hi yield for acid growing plants bout 2 cups.....is this the right mix you use Mike?-----I hate this back to back thing won't let me post til several more do...oh dah ME i forgot some told me to RE: LOL then it would go....oh my give up my BABIES?? YOUR right again Mike they are sticky...so do what??1 pic not showing up
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Hi buylady..If my eyes are correct, I think I see scale on the branches...;-(.You see those little brown bumps on your branches and some leaves? Scrape with your fingernail and tell me if they come off, and if they are juicy when you scrape them.
Do you have any alchohol at home? Q-tips? Murphies oil soap? Kneem oil?

If scale, rub them off with Q-tips soaked in alchohol and then wash all the leaves off with a soapy water..Then rinse the entire plant with water. I hope you can do this. If not, ask the person who helps you to do it before you put them outside, ok..

You are sweet and no one wants you to feel bad about asking for help..:-)

You can leave it outside until the temps start to drop into the low 40'a at night. I guess that would put it till about October?

The mix I use is 5 parts pine bark, one part peatmoss, one part perlite and only one TABLESPOON of lime per gallon of mix..

Mike..:-)

Good Morning!

Mike, it reads above that she already made the mix with the lime. Am I correct Buylady?
If so, how would it be corrected?

Buylady,
It's good to hear you will have a helper to get them moved out. :)

What did you mean by..
""does any one you MG soil in the mix""
Did you mean potting mix or fertilizer?

And yes,
Mike is a sweetheart. ;)

And he's right.. Never feel bad about asking for help!!! :)

JoJo

Hey, Buylady, Mike, and JoJo!

Buylady, put your trees into a partially shaded location for about a week.
You need to gradually introduce them to sun...otherwise the leaves will burn.

If you want to double-post, all you have to do is change the Subject of Posting.
I'll demonstrate.

Josh

Viola!

Josh

Viola! :)

Good to see you Josh!

Any suggestions for her if she has too much lime?

Good point about the shade!

JoJo

Mike i have ALL of what you asked if i had...yesterday i did make a batch but i sure GOOFED i put the rest of the box of lime in one batch did i ruin it? OK thats what i used i thot you had told me that before but wanted to make sure...can i spray that on and whats the recommened to put on that tree with all you mentioned?

Buylady,
Because you put excess lime in your soil you should repot. From what you have said you live on a farm in Illinois. If you are on well water, you probably do not need to add lime for the calcium because your well water has enough lime in it already. The lime becomes dissolved in the water as it percolates through the limestone subsoil. Also since citrus like a slightly acid soil, excess lime can make the soil too alkaline (basic) which may cause the leaves to yellow and the plant to decline. Many places in the US do not have this situation and so need to add the lime
Cath

hi Cathy, no i have GODS water no well here..i only potted one plant what can i do to mix now to delute mix cause of the lime it was Mikes 5-1-1 thx

Buylady, do you have more bark to add?
I would make a big batch of 5-1-1, re-pot, and then put the extra in trash bags or other containers for storage.

You can remove the potting mix and flush it with water.

Josh

hi yes i do i bought 5 bags other day so your saying don't use it or just add a little of it to nother batch as i make them??

Perfect.
Add this lime-rich mix to another batch, yes.

Josh

Ok gr8 i can do that wow thx so much all...whhheewwww thot i'd really mess it up thxxxxxxxxxx

Just a thought buylady, you might think about. I'm 62 and getting to where it is getting harder to move the trees around. They make what is called plant dollies. Basically they are a platform with 4 wheels on them. You can sit the pot on them and roll the container where you want to. Something like that may help you.

Charles

Give up your babies when you can no longer move them? How sad! Surely not!!!!

Isn't there some sort of personal sized automatic forklift/dolly type thing to help people move heavy smaller objects in situations like this? If not, there should be.

Maybe drip pans with good rubber wheels and a handle for steering? Hmmmm...any inventors out there?

Good luck buylady, I hope your babies pull through now it sounds like you are on the right path.
Nikki

Charles, great minds think alike! We must have hit "submit" at the same time ;-)

LOL! They are time stamped at the same time. :)

Actually places like wal mart sell something similar. It's a platform with wheels for plants in the garden center near pots. at least they do here.

JoJo

Charles,
I'll be 69 this year and have citrus in heavy 22" clay pots. I also have figs in half whiskey barrels. Been rethinking that one. Anyway my husband and I move them with a 2 wheeled cart (dolly). I think that I could move the clay pots by myself if I had to - probably not the half whiskey barrels. The leverage is all wrong. If worst comes to worst, I'll top and root prune the plants to fit them in smaller pots, sort of bonsai them over time. I suppose when I get very old I may not be able to grow the plants that I like but I intend to fight it.
Buylady,
We move the citrus out in the Spring about mid-April and back in in the Fall about October 7th. The timing is based on frost dates here. Because the moves are only twice a year, it may be easier to coordinate it with your helper than this year.
Cath

Hi Charles,
I do have some of them every time i see one at an auction i buy it, but this was an older house an gutted it an remodeled the whole downstairs so each room door has like lip up to the next room the dollies do help a lot, the doors to the deck have big lip that doors slide in have ummp them over that, when my helper an i redo the rest of my plants to the new mix i'm goin to have her put them on the front porch its shaded an concrete for a while then have her take them to the deck which is not shaded NO roof on it..
Nikki,
hahahah if you find one of them send it my way, that would sure solve my problem..LOL thank YOU all for all kind words and help w/my babies...

Buylady,
We've been more than happy to help and I'm happy to see things are comming together for you!

JoJo

thx JoJo,
ok now some one? Mike i think that stickness on that plant is white flies possible??we washed it off an its on the deck an we had 2 tenths rain last nite not sure yet but does look a little better will post a pic of it in a few days..now the flies are attacking my tender plants like epazote, currly leaf parsley what or is there any thing i can do rid these buggers for good?? yep Cath we're goin to do that in the next week or so..thx