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Citrus plants not doing well

11 years ago

I have tried to grow chinese oranges plant in my garden 3 times but the plants shrivelled and died within about 10 months to an year. The soil ph is between 6 to 7 and I use only organic manure. On the other hand the plant of the same species is flourishing like anything in the neighbour's adjoining garden despite the fact that they do not care for the plant except watering it.
It is the same story about the five lemon plants which I have. I give them lots of organic, nitrogen rich, manure and yet with the start of winter each one starts shrivelling and falling of leaves and in most cases the onset of spring does not bring back foliage and most plants eventually die. If the loss of foliage is due to winter cold, how is it that the same plants in my neighbour's garden keep flourihsing even during the peak of winter ? We receive reduced hours of sunlight during winter but my neighbour's garden receives NO sunlight during winter.

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Comments (5)

meyermike_1micha
11 years ago
Nirmal, welcome..

I am not well versed in ground citrus. but let me try to use common sense:-)

Have you given it any thought that you might have a pest problem?
Maybe too much organic material which could clog your soil and suffocate your roots?
Maybe the way you water?
Maybe over fertilizin?
Is the compost fresh or composted?
Might you be killing the roots by burning them?

I am thinking that maybe you should find out what your neighbor is doing and if you don't talk, then at least try to carbon copy what they do.

Are they adding the materials to the the soil like you are?

I would ask if I could take a close look at the soil and what if anything they do to it for their trees.
I would inspect closely for pests since one yard could have them and then the next, nothing.
I would also inspect for mildew, mold, and or fungus.

Can you take a picture?
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mgk65
11 years ago
It is likely that you are using the manure too soon. It has to be composted at least a season. You'll know when it is done, because it will smell like dirt instead of manure!
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Aphids for sure, the curling of the leaves are a classic feature. Aphids are VERY easy to treat without resorting to pesticides. Use insecticdal soap spray and a hard spray to knock them off. Their little probiscus' will break off when you knock them off, and then they can feed and starve. Also, you need to control ants, as they will farm the aphids and help them to propagate, as they harvest the sticky substance the aphids excrete from feeding on your citrus (gross, but yes, the ants are eating aphid poop). Control the ants, hose them off with a very hard spray of water, then spray the undersides of your new growth with insecticidal soap. Patty S.
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hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
11 years ago
Well, you may, indeed, be burning your trees with raw manure, so make sure your manure gets composted, first. Or, yo can try fertilizing with a fertilizer especially formulated for citrus, with the proper NPK ratio along with the right amount of micronutrients for your soils. Also, how low are your temps in the winter? Your neighbor's tree may be more mature, and can handle low temps better than a new citrus tree. If you can post photos of the trees, that would be very helpful. Also, make sure your tree is in well draining soil, having your tree's roots staying very wet for prolonged periods of time will eventually suffocate the roots and kill the tree.

Patty S.
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jojosplants
11 years ago
Manure should be composted at least a year before using.

JoJo
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johnmerr
11 years ago
The manure is not the problem, especially if it is cow manure; it is possibly the most perfect fertilizer for citrus, and can be applied "straight from the cow".

The problem here... without any photos, without any info about soils, water, etc. is likely macrobiotic... maybe this person has salt problems with the soil, maybe there are drainage problems, maybe they "forget" to water the trees at times. Who knows! Without more details, fotos, information about soils, water, etc. Not even a citrus guru can answer this question. Doesn't India have some sort of agricultural assistance program for home gardeners??? Silly question... of course they don't.
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