Orange tree dropping healthy leaves

12 years ago

My indoor Calamondon Orange is dropping its shiney, healthy leaves. One branch at a time is affected, beginning at the tip and working down towards the trunk. Both large mature leaves and young new leaves look like they have been snipped off at the base of the leaf itself, leaving the stem that attaches the leaf to the branch. I had some tiny white bugs in the soil, but I see nothing up in the tree. Has anyone else had this experience?

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Comments (4)

ronalawn82
12 years ago
carmellia, I am not sure that I understand just how the leaves are falling off. Here is a picture of the base of a Calamondin leaf. Are you saying that a portion of it remains attached to the stalk of the plant? If the leaves are green and healthy when they fall, the plant is telling you that it is upset over something that you did to it recently - probably over watered.
carmellia
Original Author
12 years ago
Yes,the little stem that attaches the leaf to the main stem remains. It appears that the leaf is snipped from its little stem. It happens only on particular stems. It starts at the tip and works its way leaf by leaf down toward the main branches. Six stems are currently affected. The rest of the plant has lost no leaves. That is what makes me think it is bugs concentrated on certain stems.
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I do think the tree definitely shows signs of having a problem. There are two symptoms that causes concern. It is correct that a healthy tree will normally drop older leaves about the time of a major blooming, or a major growth flush. However, normal leaf drop is only the older yellow aged leaves. The leaves that have dropped from this tree are quite green and are still healthy. A second, and greater CONCERN is, as far as I can assertain from the pictures, is that the leaves have not fallen in the normal abscission process. Normally the abscission of a leaf takes place where the petiole (stem) is attached to the branch. When a leaf falls because of normal abscission the entire leaf with the stem STILL attached to the leaf blade falls as a complete unit. "But under certain types of STRESS, separation occurs at the junction between the petiole and the leaf blade" (fm. Biology of Citrus) leaving the stem still attached to the branch and only the leaf blade falls. With out actually seeing the tree in person it is very difficult to be certain what is going on. As you live in California, it is possible that the tree can have some sort of a leaf disease, as I see two leaves with a browish cast. If it were my tree I would flush the soil with at least an amount of water equal to four times the volume of the container. Actually, the leaves do not show all that many symptoms of damage due to a high soluble salt content. Usually there is much more leaf burn and especially leaf TIP BURN when soluble salt symptoms show up. However, a good flush certainly will never hurt and can give a definite possibility of doing a lot of good. Keep an eye on the tree after you flush the container, if it is a leaf blight or leaf diease of some sort it should show up better in the next week or so. However, I think the problem is with the soil. You also might take the temperature of the soil and tell us what it is. Let us know how the tree does. Take care - Millet
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Not so sure this is a nutrient deficiency, since just a few leaves appear to be affected. If it were a micronutrient deficiency, you would see a much more pervasive chlorotic appearance. Cali, are these affected leaves more in the interior of this very dense tree? If so, it could be some fungal infection, that may not be so much an issue. I would try to open up the canopy to get better air flow. Remove any crossing branches inside the canopy. And, I would make sure if you're getting hard freezes in your area, you might want to consider not applying any more fertilizer at this point, but instead, apply a micronutrient foliar spray, instead. If you give your tree a big shot of nitrogen, you're going to have tender new flush coming out in a month or two that may not survive your next frost. I would be more inclined to fertilize in February, April and July/early August. I'm thinking Labor Day may just be too late for your area, for your last application if you're getting these kinds of freezes. Just a thought. Patty S.
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ronalawn82
12 years ago
carmellia, Well!!! I found out that I do not know how and where the Calamondin leaf increases in size and maintains the proportion of its (3) sections. What follows is pure conjecture.
I'd say that we can rule out insect or disease. I can think of no good reason why an insect or pathogen would target a particular tissue on the leaves of a single stem.
Then it must be internal; and "hormone effect" immediately comes to mind. Hormone imbalance can explain abscission of (all) leaves, starting in the apical zone and working downward on a stem. But such separation should take place at the juncture of leaf-stalk and main stem, shouldn't it?
Maybe there is another abscission layer at the base of the leaf blade (similar to the dewlap on a grass leaf). This would cause the leaf-blade to fall away and leave (no pun intended) the petiole attached to the main stem.
That is the best story I can come up with; (OMG 2 prepositions!!) and I am sticking to it until someone comes up with better one. Maybe we should post this on the Botany forum.
"Izz a Puzzlement!"; and I wish to thank you very much for it.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
w/o a picture.. its hard to go very far with this ...

how long have you had it ... have you had it thru a winter already????

in the great white north.. at this time of year.. it is dark outside [declination of the sun and all] ... and unless you have it under supplemental light.. i would suggest it might simply be losing excess leafage ... and having it only by a window that cuts UV rays does not help ... [and i hope its not sitting on the window sill]

also ... citrus is a near tropical plant ... and if you have it near a window for the light.. and your furnace kicks the heat way down at night.. it might simply be getting too cold ... not so cold as to kill it.. but to harm some leaves ... like all that news from FL when they get a chill and it harms the orange crop ...

then.. in your z4.. there is the whole lack of ambient humidity in a heated house .... and watering issues.. etc ...

how we figure out which variable is the culprit.. is beyond me ...

BTW.. if the leaf fell off.. the leaf was not healthy ... even if it looked OK ...

good luck

ken

Orange tree dropping healthy leaves

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ronalawn82

carmellia
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Orange tree dropping healthy leaves

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ronalawn82

carmelliaOriginal Author

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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carmellia
Original Author