Help with potted lemon & orange trees please

15 years ago

Three or four years ago I purchased a lemon tree and an orange tree from a local flower shop. I don't know exactly what variety they are as their tags simply say "Lemon" and "Orange". I put them outdoors in the summer where they thrive and bring them in the the winters where they sit in a sunny window. After bringing them in this year I've started having problems with them.

Both trees' leaves are turning yellow and dropping off. They're not dropping too many but just consistently yellowing and dropping them.

Also many of the leaves have holes in them (i.e. look like they've been chewed). I've sprayed them down with an insecticidal soap and picked off all the damaged leaves but sure enough new holes appear.

Recently some of the new leaves have come in deformed also.

I've also noticed that what look like spider web threads appear on the trees. I've searched and searched and can't see any bugs but today I noticed black specs on the undersides of some of the leaves of both trees.

I've repotted them twice since I got them but they are probably due for an upgrade soon. Currently they are in standard potting soil but I've read that I need something with better drainage... would cactus soil do or is that too much drainage?

Also, I've been periodically fertilizing them with a generic 10-10-10 fertilizer but I don't think they're getting adequate nutrients.

The trees have never produced blooms or fruit since I bought them but I've read that is normal for the first few years.

Here are a few photos of the trees and their problem areas:

Lemon Tree:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/KateDCF/citrus/LemonTree.jpg

Yellow leaves:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/KateDCF/citrus/Lemon-YellowingLeaves.jpg

Derformed and chewed leaves:

I've circled one of the spider web threads that appear in red. I think that the really shriveled leaf on the right side may have been pressed against the cold window, so I've backed the tree up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/KateDCF/citrus/Lemon-Deformed.jpg

Orange Tree:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/KateDCF/citrus/OrangeTree.jpg

Problems with leaves & black specs:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/KateDCF/citrus/OrangeLeaves.jpg

I'd greatly appreciate any advice you can offer me. I'm a complete amateur but would love to learn.

I live in Montreal, Canada (not a big citrus growing area!) and haven't found much in the way of help at local garden centers.

Thanks,

Kate

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Comments (3)

starloc
15 years ago
Theres a chance its spider mites, if so mix a spoon of oil, a tiny drop of dishwash liquid and a litre of water, spray the leaves and stems top and bottom (try not to get on the soil to prevent it getting too wet) , it should kill any spidermites, if there there they are so small you probably wont see them, like tiny specks of dust on the leaves normaly, you can usualy see red on a tissue if you wipe the bottom of the leaves, but not always
If you can get neem oil , use a spoon of that in the mix and then it will kill most pests as well.

The tips of the leaves look (where they are brown) possibly like a build up of salts from fertiliser or the water, if so you can sort this by a spoon of white vinegar in the next watering, its not a real problem though, bt worth doing

The fertiliser realy needs to be a citrus one, as they need a high level of nutrients, and unlike most plants they need a wide range of minor elements to keep them happy, fertilising over the winter if its not outdoors is a good idea (just les often due to less water use) , the fertiliser will be used to build the plant up to flower next year

I would have thought they should have flowered, this can be down to fertiliser, but more often due to lack of cold hours in the winter, they need a certain number of hours of winter to make them flower next year, about 600 to 800 for most citrus, you can do without this by shocking the plant by letting it dry out for a long time, but its best to let them have cold hours, below about 16 deg C, but not too cold to kill the plant!
katedcf
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your reply.

Re: the spray... "a spoon of oil, a tiny drop of dishwash liquid and a litre of water"

What kind of oil? A cooking oil like canola or olive?
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starloc
15 years ago
Ive used most oils, usualy ground nut oil as its what i have, canola oil is also good i often stick that in, i have never tried olive oil, but i cant see whay it wont work

put the oil in a bottle, add the dishwash liquid, a tinyest drop is needed, then ad some hot water, just a drop, shake it round, then make the water upto a litre with cold water, aim for just slightly warm so its not very cold to chill the plants

Help with potted lemon & orange trees please

Comments (3)

starloc

katedcf
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Help with potted lemon & orange trees please

Comments (3)

starloc

katedcfOriginal Author

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starloc

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katedcf
Original Author