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Calamondin size and dropping leaves question

17 years ago

Hello everyone,

I bought a calamondin tree back in June and was doing quite well in it's 3 gal nursery pot. I recently transplanted it in the ground, (SouthWest side of the house). I did this in August and he looked pretty happy in whole of Sept. But now, he is dropping leaves and the leaves are turning yellowy-green. What's wrong? Too much water?

Second question, how big does Calamondin get in Dallas TX? Is it possible to keep pruning this tree to a desired height? This is planted in front of a kitchen window and I don't want it to get no more than 5 ft. tall. How big does the trunk get?

Thanks a lot.

Msjam

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Comments (6)

birdsnblooms
17 years ago
MsJam..It's possible you overwatered your tree this this..I heard TX was quite hot so I'm sure you were out there w/the hose often..right?
It's normal for some leaves to drop w/the chage of season, but not all.
I can't say how big your tree will grow in TX, but pruning can be a problem..sometimes when pruning you ruin chances of flowering/fruiting. Toni
msjam2
Original Author
17 years ago
It's been quite hot this summer, although this is our first summer here in Dallas :). I've been watering my roses a lot and the calamondin is planted closeby so it got watered a lot too.

I want lots and lots of calamondin, so if that's the case, I won't prune it. I'd rather have it in the pot. How fast does it grow anyway? Maybe it can stay where it is for a while then move it later on? It's about 2 ft tall right now.
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Moving them to a 6 inch ceramic and using the soil you bought will probably be alright. The problem with that soil is that in larger pots, it becomes compacted and leads to root rot. You still have to be careful about over watering. Water well immediately after repotting. Do not fertilize for a week or two. Keep them in the shade for a couple of weeks, then partial shade for a week, then full sun. You might consider putting it into a better soil mix used by many on this forum. If you decide to use another mix, you will need to remove all of the old soil from the roots by dunking the root ball in and out of water. You may have to use a garden hose to gently force the old soil off. Or, use something like a screwdriver: stick it into the root ball and pull down to loosen the soil. Dunk and repeat. Many people on this forum use either the gritty or 5-1-1 mix, both of which are fast draining and do not retain too much water.. The ingredients for 5-1-1 are easier to find. This is what I use: My version of Al Tapla's 5-1-1 Mix · 5 parts pine bark mulch (remove ½” pieces through 1/2 inch screen) (Some people use Repti Bark instead of mulch. They do not screen it.) Be sure to soak the bark overnight. · 1 part sphagnum peat · 1 part perlite (coarse, if you can get it) · 1 Tb garden lime /gal 5-1-1 mix (measure the 5-1-1 mix) · Osmocote plus (follow manufacturer’s instructions). This is optional. · Moisten well and wait at least 2 days before using
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Ah! That gives me hope; there isn't much other growth to mature right now, at least for subcalva and brevialata. They are both in more of a waiting stage. Subcalva has one leaf that is not quite full size and is that weird color between bronze and green. The new leaves on subcalva are quite interesting, going from deep burgundy to almost hot pink, mottled with gold and green before it settles down to a mature green. I added more potting mix to subcalva and the new growth from the last node on decided to ditch me. It's ok, though, because that bit was in standstill ever since the winter started, and was pretty much bare anyway. So the only bit left to mature is that one leaf. Brevialata is still thinking about liking me again. It got dry a couple times while I was overwhelmed schedule wise, and it dropped leaves. But I have it where I can easily see it now, and all the leaves are so firm they feel like they're fake. There is nothing on that one that isn't full grown, so it's just waiting to go again. It does look like it's starting the tiniest nubs of something at a couple of the leaf scars, so we'll see. Buotii has never stopped growing, and could pretty much fill in the bare spots just by growing, so that I can keep wrapping it around the trellis and hide the bare spots. It also is starting a couple of somethings in between two sets of leaves. While I would love to think they are peduncles, I think it is just branching. Which is also happy news. I love buotii.
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You can repot when ever you want now.. 5.1.1 or something comprable is perfect... Nothing on the bottom since it only takes up real estate for roots to grow Temps above 50 will encourage growth while weather below 50 at night is just fine but slows growth and nutrient uptake. If you have juts done a repot, fertilize in a couple of weeks.. If you are using a well draining mix and the plant is established, fertilize weekly every time you water. If using a mix so so, fertilize weekly..Use full strentgh when growth is best. Foliage Pro is great. You plant has gone through an environmental change and leaf drop is common, even slow down of water intake..Watch your soil carefully to make sure the plants really needs water as needed until it start actively growing again. As Lime says, it is a beauty.
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It will not hurt to keep them on the heat mat and may benefit them. The problem may be Winter Leaf Drop (WLD) caused by cold roots not being able to provide the tree with nutrients and water in amounts that the tree needs because it is actively photosynthesizing. To minimize WLD: · Irrigate with warm (77 – 90F) water · Decrease amount of light · Maintain root temps at 59 – 64 F If WLD continues, increase root temp to about 70F The above information from: http://www.steffenreichel.homepage.t-online.de/Citrus/lime2.pdf http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=13332.0
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bencelest
17 years ago
You'll have to move your calamondin away from your roses.
Citrus need to have their soil dry first before watering again. Wait till the top inch of your soil dry first otherwise it may be in danger of foot rot.
Citrus don't like their feet wet all the time.
msjam2
Original Author
17 years ago
Oh dear, and I thought I found a perfect spot for it. I think I'll just re-pot it then.

Thanks a lot.
Msjam
birdsnblooms
17 years ago
Ben, do you keep your roses soaked at all times? Oh, will roses thrive in CA? Sorry, I know this is a stupid question, but I've never seen a picture where roses are growing in CA now that I think about it..

Msjam, do you not have another area in the garden where you can plant your citrus? Somewhere that gets good light? This summer I've talked to a few ppl who live in TX and they said, because of the heat they were outside hosing down their citrus daily, otherwise the poor plants would have died.
You know, underwatering can cause leaf drop. Is it possible they're dropping because they need acclimating?? Toni
msjam2
Original Author
17 years ago
I planted the calamondin in the SouthWest side of my house, which gets afternoon sun from 12 to 6 pm, longer in the summer.

It is possible that it is just acclimating, I see a lot of fruits coming up, I can't wait for them to become full size calamondins.

I'm going to keep an eye on this tree as I use the fruit in many things that I eat.

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