The sticky sap like substance you see if the honeydew of insects. Inspect your plants carefully and you will find them. You can use a mixture of 1 tsp ivory dish liquid to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. This is an effective pesticide that will not harm your plants, pets, or self. IF you find that you have scale insects you will see raised "bumps" on the stems/branches and at the base of the leaves. These can be removed by hand and squished. You can use a q-tip dipped in alcohol to help loosen the "glue" that keeps them attached. You can use a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water to kill any immature scale insects before the have a chance to attach. The honeydew is not exactly a problem except that it acts as a host for sooty mold. This is a black mold like substance that begins to cover the leaf surface. While not a danger in small amounts, larger amounts block the production of chlorophyll by blocking the light reaching the leaves. This can be washed off with a mild soap and water solution. Andi

Not being technical, John. Just being accurate. Calomondins were also called Golden Lime, but they aren't limes, either. It is native to the Phillipines and falls within the Citron grouping of citrus (and not the Orange grouping). I think it's good to know about your citrus, and that's what our forum is for - to help pass on information about citrus as we can. And, I didn't refer to the flowers as blossoms. I called them flowers. It's perfectly acceptable to call a citrus flower a flower. The UC Davis Citrus Industry Vol. 2 refers to the flower as a "flower". Good enough for me. And, thinking your comment is pretty technical to me. Sort of like calling the pot calling the kettle black ;-) To the issue for the poster, I would stop pruning, and I would feel very comfortable leaving your Calamondin outside day and night until your temps are consistently below 32. In the ground, the Calamondin can tolerate lower temps as John has mentioned. In a pot, though, is a different situation, as the roots are not protected as they would be in the ground. So, safer to bring your little Calamondin in if temps threaten to drop below 32 degrees. Patty S.

Thanks for the insight. Water runs out of the rock basin just a few minutes after watering is done. Good point regarding the root area...the right half of the roots get watered by the sprinklers every other day, too, outside of the rock basin. There haven't been any strong winds recently, and the left side, which is losing leaves, is actually close to the side of the house and the side gate. I'm wondering if the sun hits the left differently than the right. After looking at lots of websites about leaf diagnosis, it almost looks like nitrogen deficiency/overwatering, with older leaves gradually turning yellow and then falling off--so that would go along with what you're guessing. I'll guess I'll water once a week.

I’ve had this tree for about a month and a half now. Various issues have come up. A few weeks ago I filled the top of the pot with some extra soil as it was knocked over and a bunch fell out - at the same time I gave it a citrus fertilizer spike and then about a week after I put both in I noticed there was a layer of Mold on the soil. I removed the soil and talked to the plant store and they said it was most likely caused by overwatering, so I topped up the soil again. Not sure if it was overeating or maybe caused by the fertilizer? About a week after more Mold has appeared on top of soil, so today I sprayed with a hydrogen peroxide and water mixture which the plant store suggested. Along with this issue,some of the oranges have developed brown spots and don’t seem firm. 1 actually fell off and looked rotted on part of the inside. AND I am seeing a slight powdery stuff on some of the leaves. Overall I’m just in over my head with the amount of different issues and would love some help!!