Yikes. Hard to give you advice when we don't know what you sprayed on your little tree, nor what you've sprinkled on the soil. If you can remove the fertilizer manually as much as possible, as well as try to wash off the leaves with some soapy water, rinsing well that's a start. Next, I would drench the soil several times to try to leach out the granules of the fertilizer product. Sounds like a bad case of chemical burn to me, and it may be more than topical, if what you've placed in the soil is also harming your tree. You can also consider re-potting with new soil as well to try to save your little tree. Then, I would make sure you know what you're applying to your tree, and make sure you've got the right proportions, any caveats (like don't spray the bug product and leave in the sun), or any other directions that perhaps need to be followed? Those are my best guesses and suggestions without seeing your tree, nor knowing what was applied. So sorry, I know this can be very upsetting, especially when you have a tree that was previously doing well, and all you were trying to do was help it along.

Patty S.

Yikes is the right word, Patty. Sounds like her friends gave her chemicals without caveats. What would boost a mature citrus in the ground, can sometimes kill a young potted citrus overnight. I will say a prayer for the little tangerine and maybe, with your advice there is a chance for recovery.

Hi guys, and thank you for your support.

I have taken a couple of close-up pictures of its current state plus I have a pic of the tree before this problem.

Firstly my partner suggested the leaves may have burned due to hot days plus bug spray. As we're no gardening experts and we love our tree, we are desperate for ideas. However, I now don't think it's the spray at all. After returning from Spain I took my time (for about a week) before I added the fertilizer. I was however already spraying the leaves and no such effect appeared. The day following fertilizing it all started. Obviously as soon as I noticed the change in colour and shape, I removed as much of the fertilizer as possible (as it was only sprinkled around the tree base on the top of the soil). Unfortunately the tree kept going browner and unhappier day by day. Like I said, we gave it a good wash as well.

I now think Johnmerr may be right, what boosts a big tree might kill a tiny one. Which makes me so angry, because the tree was SO HAPPY when we returned from Spain, blooming with little white buds and new leaves. I feel it's my fault I added the stuff which it didn't really need, only following our relatives advice about fertilizing.

I don't feel comfortable repotting or replacing soil at this stage because I fear touching it - leaves drop (green ones)! Help :-(

Here's my little thing in full bloom beforehand:

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This is a side shot of some branches that still seem healthy however leaves tend to drop anyway:

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And here are some shots of the damage:

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Help me save my little thing!
Amber

Okay, based on the photo, it appears that whatever you sprayed on the leaves has severely burned the leaves. I would definitely wash the leaves off with soapy water, and then rinse very, very well (soapy water left on the leaves can also burn the leaves in the sun if your temps are high enough). I would remove any of the fertilizer you applied as well. Stick to a good water soluble citrus fertilizer like Dyna-Pro Foliage Pro. Wait to fertilize for a bit. Keep this little guy watered. Protect from hot afternoon sun if possible. Let's see if it sends out a new flush of leaves. Sorry you had to go through this!

Patty S.

OMG!! You have a mountain of fruit on such a little tree; and since it appears ripe, I would cut it now. Citrus are amazingly resilient; and I will pray to the citrus god for your recovery.

Hello

Have you checked out the root system?

That is exactly what happened to mine wth a combination of root rot and over fertilizing with the hot sun in the mix.

Dead branches indicates to me a severe root issue possibly caused by just one time of under watering and then water not able to hydrate the leaves from disabled dead fine roots. It also looks like salt burn/damage to the roots.

If your roots are not functioning properly and the hot sun is on your tree, it will burn, leaves will discolor, drop off dead green ones and cause twig die back along with branhes.

I hope these wonderful people have helped you.

I would do a complete change out of that mix, check out the roots system, cut back oall dead material, and provide a much more porous one for many reasons asap.

I would leave it in dabbled sun for weeks until the leaves perk up.

Mike

Or is the potting mix dry?

I thought of that Jean, but I thought that too obvious..lol

Mike;-)

Hi guys,

Thank you for your tips. If you don't mind, could you explain in a bit more detail what you mean by "change out of that mix" and "check out the roots system"? Given I am no gardener, I am unsure what this means. Did you suggest I change the soil entirely? What about the root system?
PS: I said I'd rather not take as drastic measures as repotting because I am scared to touch it - everything drops!

OH AND P.S:

The suggested fertilizer products, Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro - seem to be available only in the US, other than Amazon, but then an order of a total of 55usd costs 200usd to ship to europe!! Any EU alternatives would be good to know.

We mean that you may need to change out your potting soil if it is contaminated with whatever fertilizer product you used. Hard to know for sure if the damage was simply topical from the spray (which is what I suspect), or if you're going to instill further damage from whatever you sprinkled on the soil. You want a well-draining potting mix that will prevent water from accumulating around the roots. I don't think you have a current root problem - your tree to me looks to be severely burned - but I still think repotting is a good idea, since you don't know what you put on the soil. The roots should be nice and white, and the soil should smell earthy and good, not rancid or rotten (a sign of poor drainage, and anaerobic bacterial growth). And what will drop will drop. You can't make it "stick". Those leaves are already gone, they just haven't fallen off your tree. Citrus are amazingly resilient. Get it repotted. I would try purchasing a potting mix formulated for cactus or succulents. Carefully remove the upper soil. You can try to keep the rest of the rootball intact, carefully rinsing off most of the soil around the roots. Put the potting mix in your pot with enough in the pot to reach the bottom of the roots. Spread them out, then carefully add the potting mix around the roots. Don't cover the trunk any further with soil than the previous soil line. Water thoroughly. You'll probably need to water about every 2 or 3 days - test the soil with your finger all the way down into the soil. If it's still moist, don't water. If it starts to feel dry, water. Wait about a month then fertilize with a good water soluble fertilizer formulated for citrus, or with a similiar ratio as the Foliage Pro. It also must contain micronutrients as well as the 3 macronutrients (NPK). The leaves will drop. maybe all of them, but watch for a new flush of leaves pushing out. Be patient, it might take a bit.

Patty S.

Patty:

Well said, now we wait to see if Miss Amber uses some of these suggestions and if she gets remarkable improvement!

Hope you are well Patty! Another day of pain but coming along:-)

Mike

you went to Spain for two weeks in this heat wave, did you have a neighbor or friend come over and water your tree?

i've read that when citrus suffer from drought stress, they will drop their leaves when watered.

Hi guys,

Thank you for your in-depth explanations. Today is the big day - i will follow your instructions and cut the ripe fruit plus repot the thing with a full root wash :-)
If you are still interested, I can let you know later on how it's getting on, either better or worse. xox

PS: houstontexas123: Yes we had someone to look after the tree while we were away. Also it wasn't a particularly hot couple of weeks then with rain and such.

Amber

Amber:

If you are very gentile while rinsing the mix off the roots, they should be just fine. Citrus even do well with a bit of rough handling too as when I repot mine.

I wish you the best and if done right, your tree WILL make a full recovery. Remember to put your citrus under a tree where it will get dabbled light or in very early am or late day pm sunshine.

Yes, please keep us updated and have a great day.

Mike