White spots on new Kaffir Lime Tree (pics)

9 years ago

This past Saturday I got a new Kaffir lime tree. It was placed in front of a window until early Monday evening when we transplanted it into a larger pot, put it outside, and gave it a good watering. I used a 50/50 mix of homemade compost and an organic potting soil mix when transplanting. The tree is pretty scrawny, but for the most part seems pretty healthy. Having said that, there are a couple things that concern me.

First, several of the leaves have white spots on them. The spots were there when the tree arrived, but they seem to be appearing on more leaves

My other concern is the new growth at the top of the plant. The branch and all of the leaves are much paler than the rest of the plant

My first thought is a nitrogen deficiency, but I don't have much experience (this will be one of the first plants I've ever tried to grow).

Aside from a good watering after transplanting and a light watering the following day, there have been some scattered thunderstorms. I've also been misting with a spray bottle every hour or so in the hottest part of the day and every couple of hours the rest of the day, but I have not used any fertilizer.

I don't live in an ideal citrus growing zone, and I would like to give this tree the best start that I can, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

P.S. Is there a way to upload more than one pic to a message?

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Comments (2)

mrsparkle
Original Author
9 years ago
Here is the growth tip I mentioned. I have more pics of both the spots and branch if people want to see different angles.
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Okay, the "white spot" is really a damaged area, most likely due to some sort of rasping bug, like a slug or snail. And, your new growth appears to be affected with Citrus Leafminer, a very common and annoying pest. You should treat your citrus with either a Spinosad + hort oil spray (leave off the hort oil if your outdoor temps exceed 85 degrees, as the oil can damage the leaves if it is too hot), or, you can do a soil drench with Imidicloprid (Bayer Fruit & Vegetable Insect Control). You can search this forum for "CLM" or "Citrus Leafminer" and find quite a few threads on this topic. If you opt for a soil drench, you need to apply at least 2 weeks prior to CLM appearing in your area, to allow it time to get up to the youngest leaves. Controlling CLM is all about getting the treatment on or in the tree PRIOR to the little moth laying their eggs on the underside of the leaf, and then the hatching larvae burying into the leaves, and tunneling through the leaf, to eventually emerge and fly off as a teeny tiny moth.

Stop misting your tree. Citrus do not need to be misted, I am not sure how this idea gets circulated. They do just fine in very dry climates, such as mine, in the ground. Your potting medium is much too heavy, and will retain way too much water. Search this forum for "511" mix for a great homemade recipe for container citrus. Re-pot. Rain water, especially during a thunderstorm is great for citrus, as the rainwater during a thunderstorm is full of Nitrogen.

Fertilize with every watering. Most container citrus folks on this forum prefer to use DynaGro's Foliage Pro. It's a great liquid fertilizer with the perfect NPK ratio, and all the micronutrients that a citrus tree needs. We also supplement with a slow release product such as Osmocote Plus (also formulated appropriately and with a full compliment of micros).

And, to post multiple photos in one message, simply upload your photos to a photo sharing site such as photobucket.com. Copy the HTML code (ignore all the other possible code strings, just copy the HTML code), and paste that code string right into your message. You can do this as many times as you like. When you click "Preview Message", you should see your photos embedded right into your message. If you do NOT see the photos, but a code string, you've copied the wrong code string.

Patty S.
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I just purchased a little kaffir lime tree (about a foot right now), and put it outside, still in its original pot (haven't had time to move it yet). Now it has some white spots on the leaves. It looks like discoloration of the leaves. Nothing fuzzy. Too much water? Too much sun? New environment? Here's a picture. https://picasaweb.google.com/116514935500245580958/KaffirLimeTree?authkey=Gv1sRgCKTguJzFruffjwE&feat=directlink Thanks!
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True, most grow it for it's leaves. I've used my Kaffir leaves a few times in some recipes, they're delicious. So I guess if you're just using the leaves it's fine if it's a seedling that never gives you fruit. I have heard most don't use the fruit, but I guess I'm the odd one as I love the fruit. You can't use it as a direct substitute for limes, because it has a bitter finish to the taste, and a lot of folks don't like that. But I swear they make a really great Gin Gimlet! The slightly bitter/sour tasting juice goes great with gin! And, for me at least, it's a really easy tree to grow, never fusses and just keeps chugging along putting out tons of the delicious leaves and bumpy fruit.
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Something makes me think you may be in the UK. So I'll convert Patty's excellent advice to English English. First wash off that old soil. Swish it around in a bucket of not too cold water. Several times in fresh water if necessary. Re-pot in a much smaller pot than the one in your photos. Use something really free-draining. For a gritty mix, I use a mixture of equal parts Tesco low-dust cat litter, horticultural grit, and mini bark chips. (Not any cat litter - this one is special. And the best bark chips are sold for orchids, or as reptile bedding!) Add a teaspoonful of slow-release fertiliser to the mix. Don't plant too deep - those top roots should be at the surface. Use sharp secateurs to prune off the lowest green shoot. It is below the graft line, and therefore from the rootstock variety and not your lime. Cut off all the brown shoots at the point they turn brown or just above a green node. And cut back those little stubs closer to the main trunk. Water with a weak soluble balanced feed. The new gritty mix needs to be thoroughly watered, allowed to drain, and no water in the saucer. Keep warm. Now - if you think praying helps - pray! If the plant recovers, it will need more frequent watering than before but allow the surface to become dry.
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White spots on new Kaffir Lime Tree (pics)

Comments (2)

mrsparkle
Original Author

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA

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White spots on new Kaffir Lime Tree (pics)

Comments (2)

mrsparkleOriginal Author

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA

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mrsparkle
Original Author