help me locate dwarf citrus
Randy Ritchie
16 years ago
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palmcityfl
16 years agoRandy Ritchie
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Help with 1st dwarf citrus in San Diego, CA
Comments (3)Erin, a few things right off the bat. Check the roots to see if you're dealing with rot rot. What potting soil do you have this little tree in? Secondly, 40 degrees is nothing for citrus, especially most mandarins (especially if it's a Satsuma variety, extremely cold tolerant). BUT, we did have temps below that recently, depending on where you are in relation to the coast. Where are you, exactly? I'm in Vista, about 6 miles inland, but up in the hills, so it's milder on my property, save for some cold pockets (my lot slopes downhill, north to south, so the south side of my lot is literally a hole that the cold air rolls down into and sinks - only 1 citrus tree down there and it's a variegated lemon that is holding its own, amazingly, right next to an avocado tree, also hanging in there!) I think you've probably got either a bad case of root rot, or some sort of extensive root damage. Can you not plant this poor little guy in the ground?? Here are the 3 main things that can cause catastrophic leaf drop (these come from the Univ. of Az Coop Extension, very helpful info and quite applicable to us in the San Diego area): 1. Over fertilization. Prevent by following fertilizer application instructions on the product. Treat by watering heavily to flush the fertilizer below the root zone. 2. Inappropriate watering strategy, too much, or not enough water: As a general rule citrus need a deep watering once a month in the winter and once a week in the summer (in ground suggestion, NOT for potted plants, it may be less frequently in the winter, unless we get Santa Anas, more frequently in the summer, especially if very hot. Use the "index finger" test to tell.) Apply water to the entire root zone, well out beyond the drip line. Apply enough water to wet the soil at least a foot below the surface. Check the depth of the irrigation with a long handled screw driver, you will only be able to push the screw driver as deep as the water has gone. 3. Citrus Mesophyll Collapse: Grapefruits are particularly susceptible but any citrus may be affected. It is not uncommon for grapefruit trees to be affected and other nearby citrus to be fine. Leaves and fruit of citrus trees dry up and drop. Stems and branches remain green and living. Rarely is the whole tree affected. Mesophyll collapse occurs when there are unseasonable weather changes. For example if it gets abnormally cold in October for several days and then heats back up above average temperature in November. This fluctuation stresses the trees as they kick into and out of and then back into their winter slow down. It is especially stressful after a dry summer. MANAGEMENT: Remove fallen fruit to prevent attracting fungal and bacterial diseases. Continue to water the tree on its normal cycle and it will leaf-out again in the spring. Do not prune out the defoliated branches until spring, and then only after the tree has completely leafed out. Adding this: Start fertilizing as SOON as you see any sign of leaf push. I had this happen to two of my in-ground grapefruit and was horrified. Was glad to know this was the cause. Happened last winter when we had all the cold, wet weather. Totally freaked out my lovely Rio Red grapefruit. And the owner. Patty S....See MoreNeed help asap! Growing Organic potted dwarf Citrus trees
Comments (5)Hello Claire, I can give you a littl e bit of advice as I am growing a dwarf keylime and a dwarf moro blood orange. I went to Walmart and bought Organic Miracle Gro potting soil but unfortunetly it is not available on there website to purchase directly. They will tell you to enter your address and they will give you stores in your area that carry it. Logees greenhouses sell organic citrus fertilizer in a box. There address is logeesgreenhouses.com I think. Just google Logees and they can help you. I have tried the three more pop. tropical fruit nurseries here and none of them have it. I bought my citrus last year and they are growing like crazy. I really think the soil works well. Most of the growers down south will tell you to stay away from the Miracle Grow but my trees have grown by leaps and bounds. My keylime has doubled in size and I have only had it for 7 months. The keylime has flowered twice now. No fruit but I want it to grow more. The moro blood orange is also growing fast also. I am very pleased with Oganic Miracle Grow potting soil. Andrew...See Morecan you help me find citrus?
Comments (11)Pebbles Your Meyer is good down to 24 degrees but I have heard of them going down to 17 with little damage maybe when they are 5 or 6 years old. Is your Satsuma grafted? It may be a seedling meaning not grafted and if it is tall and skinny it may need to be clipped to let it branch out. By that clip the top few inches of it off. Seedlings will take around 4 to 6 years to fruit and some are just stubborn, give it time. A friend of mine put in a tangerine that I think is a sunburst from Lowes it did not bear fruit for 6 years now at around 9 it produced 1,000 fruit it is over 20 feet tall. Limes will die if planted in the ground, just a matter of time. use a big pot or prepare to cover it when it gets below 32. If I remember right they come true from seed so you can find your favorite lime at the store and plant it. It will be a small bush but should fuel your Margarita machine in a few years. Also try to find fruit on flying dragon dwarfing rootstock or poncrius trifoliate semi dwarfing, more cold and disease tolerant. Good Luck...See MoreDwarf citrus leaf and fruit drop
Comments (13)Update! So my I scoured other postings and found Mike's advice for adding vinegar to water when watering citrus. Before doing so I tested my water and the differing variations (tap alone, filtered alone, filtered + fertilizer, filtered + fertilizer + vinegar) for pH and hardness. My normal tap is neutral at 7. Fileted through the dehumidifier it is slightly more acidic at 6ish. So I tried one watering of the vinegar and fertilizer, and yes it certainly made my healthy leaves a deeper green, it did not resolve the leaf curl. In fact it got worse. I determined that this was not due to a vitamin deficiency, as no color is leaving the leaves. The leaves start by curling on both sides inward, then hardening from the outside tip inward, until it falls off the tree, felling hard and lacking moisture. I've lost probably 8-10 leaves in the last 2 weeks. I haven't watered in those two weeks. So I dug deep into the gritty mix and found that it was still wet down there, not just moist, but WET! I don't get it, this is what I was trying to avoid by switching over to the gritty mix. I have 10 drainage holes in the bottom of the plastic pot and water drains freely when the tree is watered. I rolled my pot over and gently nudged my tree out to confirm my suspicions - yep some mild root rot!. GRRRR! Needless to say I am disappointed. I had gone from watering the tree once a week with the 9-3-6 fertilizer which gave my tree blossoms, new leaf growth, even tiny fruit production, to depressing leaf drop no better than if I had left the tree in MG potting soil. I have the Gritty mix laying out so it can dry a bit, but I am hesitant to put my tree back into it. Any suggestions from anyone who has been very successful with the gritty mix? Should I add more granite to it? I'm thinking adding more of the Fir bark fines will only hold more moisture in the medium. I'm also thinking about giving the tree's root ball a trimming, not completely bonsai, but to allow some air in between the roots that have grown very close together. I'll post pictures....See Moretony_k_orlando
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Randy RitchieOriginal Author