I guess it should help to mention that I water it every few days and it is an outdoor plant getting plenty of sunshine.

What kind of potting medium are you using? For such a small plant to be healthy in a very large container, the mix must be extremely fast draining and porous. A 'regular' potting medium will probably cause problems.

At least, that's the first thing that comes to mind.

You're in Florida...were you in the path of TS Fay? Too wet maybe? Not sure about the timing of your issue and the rainfall.

I've got a bit of experience with growing citrus in pots, as well as in the ground. If you're using black plastic landscape pots especially, it's my experience that citrus does poorly when their roots get hot with the sun baking the pot. If you can shade the pot, they'll do better.

I have three remaining citrus trees in pots for the purpose of winter protection (the rest are in the ground and I cover and heat). My Key lime lost all its leaves this spring as I was waiting for the danger of frost to pass before I set it in the ground. I suspect it was the sun heating the pot. During the year I use a "pot-within-a-pot" system, with an identically-sized pot buried in the ground with bricks in the bottom for drainage/airspace, so that the tree can be set in the ground and removed easily. The Key lime has since recovered 100%, although I have no fruit set this season.

I have a Budd Blood and a Moro, and they are my most vigorous citrus. Both are permanently in the ground. The main problem I see with your tree is allowing 3-4 fruits on a tree that's a foot tall. Absolutely a no-no! Also, under careful monitoring, a 16-gallon pot may be OK for a tree that size, but if rainfall is heavy, and/or drainage is not adequate, you'll experience issues like you describe.

-Bruce

gatorman, sorry to hear about your orange tree, hope it will recover...I would definitely do what was suggested and check if overwatering is the issue. I was on Fay's path and got over 7" of rain in less than 20 hours...Good luck!

Bruce,
"(the rest are in the ground and I cover and heat)."

May I Please ask what type of heat you use on your citrus during frost? I ask because I have a few young Mango/Lychee trees and I live in Central FL and we occasionally have a couple of nights of frost. I use Frost Cloth and Xmas lights and was wondering what you use? I am always looking for new ideas that may be better...Thanks!!

Thanks for the info Bruce . I am going to use the pot-in-pot system that you suggested for a Keffir Lime tree that a good friend gave me . SInce I have 24 other large citrus trees in the ground , I had no idea what to do with this Keffir lime that is so cold sensitive . You may have saved it's life !

Glad that my suggestion may help, gatormomx2. The "pot-within-a-pot" system has the added benefit of protecting the tree from blow-over damage in strong winds. Also, you can incorporate a tree into a garden area without it looking out-of-place. For my Key lime, I used those circular storage tubs you can get from WalMart for about $5-6 each, and they have heavy woven nylon rope handles. Cut a few drainage holes in the bottom, and they're good to go.

puglvr1 -- I use the large 10x12 frost blankets, and try to use them double-thickness when I can, although on the larger trees I have to spread them all the way out. As for heat, I, too, use Christmas lights on a couple of trees. But for my mango trees and citrus, I use a 140-foot heating cable I bought from Charley's. I planted six of my most sensitive trees (including three mangoes) near an outside outlet, so I can loop about 8-10 feet of cable around the base of each tree. The entire cable puts out 700 watts, so each foot is worth 5 watts...not much. As the trees get larger, I'm going to have to augment with Christmas lights (on a different circuit!) as well.

The winter temps up here are brutal! This past winter, even with the heat and frost blankets, killed my jakfruit and knocked my Mallika mango back to an inch of the graft. It's so frustrating to try to grow nice things, and so incredibly labor-intensive too. I must have rocks in my head...

-Bruce

Bruce, thank you so much for the great info...I will have to check the heating cable, I admit I have never heard of that before, I will be checking it out, Thanks!

I give you lots of credit for growing things that normally wouldn't grow in your zone. I truly understand how you feel, it is a LOT of very hard work. I am so lucky last year I only covered mine 2-3 times, and only once did it actually "freeze" down to 27-28 degrees. If I hadn't covered them and put the C-lights, they would be dead. I am over protetive of my young trees, so when I see the temps forecast to go below 34 degrees, I cover just in case...two degrees less and it can really do damage. Better safe than sorry, LOL!

How old are your mango trees?

I'm learning as I go with this "winter-protection" thing... I'm pretty sure the reason the Mallika got frosted really bad is because the branches spread so far from the trunk, making it difficult to heat all that airspace adequately with only 40-50 watts or so. My Nam Doc Mai is a more compact tree, and easier to contain (so far, anyway). I put these trees in the ground in 2006, as replacements for identical trees I lost in the move up here from Vero Beach. (The first winter I wasn't set up to winter protect at all, and lost half the plants I tried moving.) They were ordered from Pine Island nursery, so, I'm guessing now they're in the 6-7 year range.

Unfortunately, the way the Mallika died back is going to make it difficult for it the next few years, if it survives. The trunk is decaying, while there are branches trying to survive from the graft. I'm hopeful it will close off the wounds eventually, but it's going to be a sad-looking tree. :(

I also have three select seedlings perhaps 7-8 years old. I'm really having a time with these mango trees, as I have to keep them compact enough that I can protect the branch tips where they bloom, which mostly occurs during the time that frosts are occurring. Last January-February they bloomed profusely, but frost killed all the branch tips.

Maybe I'll get it right next season...

-Bruce

Bruce,I really wish you the best of luck!!I know what you mean with them flowering usually Jan/Feb which is usually our best threat for frost, our odds are against us. I do have a late variety "Keitt" that I'm hoping will flower for the first time next year, I'm really hoping it will not flower till late Feb. because it should have a better chance of surviving? Well I can at least hope so...Good luck!!