clones2: You sure are not one to dilly-dally around. But be careful and consider your moves. One of the best uses of potting soil is to germinate seeds. Seeds don't need the complex nutrition that plants and trees do. Seeds have all they need for life contained within the seed -- up to a certain point in their growth. Then the new roots are looking for nutrition to take over the life support function. Potting soils are sometimes sterilized so that there are no bogey-men microrganisms and pests to thwart germination and early seedling growth. Potting soils can be formulated so that they hold just the right amount of moisture for germination and early seedling growth. Once a seedling reaches a certain size, these benefits gradually become less important to the growing plant and other factors gradually become more important -- factors like nutrition and pH. So, potting soils are not really intended as a permanent growing medium for plants. This is why I use potting soil mainly to add organic material to natural soil. And potting soils are not usually thoroughly composted which means that they will demand nitrogen from the soil to complete the break down of the organic matter. You can usually see this in the light brown color of potting soils when they are dry. More thoroughly broken down (composted) organic matter is a much darker brown approaching black. That being said, the best mix IMO is good garden soil and homemade compost with a little bit of worm castings (worm manure) added. Roughly about 20% to 30% compost by volume and 3% to 5% worm castings by weight if the moisture of the castings is apporoximately the same as the moisture of the soil. Mix thoroughly. Commercial bagged compost is OK but not as good as homemade compost because it is mostly derived from "forest products" which is logging and lumber mill chips and sawdust. These "forest products" are OK but are limited in the plant nutrients they are composed of to begin with. And it is usually not thoroughly composted. If you see bits of wood, it is not thoroughly composted. Eventually, you will have your own earthworms living in your soil. They appear, seemingly out of nowhere, like weeds and flies, if the environmental conditions are to their needs. They like a certain moisture, temperature and organic matter to dine on. It's a good idea to give your citrus time to acclimate to their new diet and their new root environment in their new home before you start adding fertilizers. It's a major shock to the plant to repot it. It is as though YOU were suddenly transported to live in the Himalayas at a 10,000 foot elevation with an entirely new diet -- all accomplished in 15 minutes. And no one told you bring warm clothes. You didn't mention what part of the US you live in so I don't know what packaged fertilizers are available in your area. I use Whitney Farms Citrus and Avocado food. It's organic, generally slow releasing and lasts in the soil a while. It gives good results for me. It supplies "the big three" NPK nutrients plus some other things. Be sure to read the label of whatever you buy. And you may not even have to buy anything -- at least at first. It is possible that an organic mulch with some good homemade compost and/or composted manure in it can supply everything needed. The best way to know right away what's going on with your soil is to have a lab soil test. This will also tell you the pH. Home kits can get you by for a fifteenth of the cost. Home kits usually require two test kits, one for NPK and one for pH. But home kits won't tell you about the other nutrients like calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese, etc. Look to the website pictures of leaves for clues about these minor and trace elements. Give support to your citrus after its trauma of repotting with attention given to temperature, moisture, wind, sun etc. Tony

Clones2, I can't really give a diagnosis, but can suggest a couple things. First, since you plants are actively growing (some of mine are too, now that the sunlight is increasing), they may have been overfertilized, or they may be suffering from temperature fluctuations, or overwatering, or a combination of these issues. It looks like you used a slow release fertilizer--that may be a problem (if those colored grains I see in the soil are fertilizer). It is hard to tell, but I do think I see a little discoloration in the leaves that could indicate some kind of nutrient issue. Do you have hard water? I see some evidence of salt buildup on the clay pot in the top photo--that could also be a problem. Finally, are the pots on a cold floor or in a chilly room, and do you get water on the leaves? I suppose any of these things, when combined with tender new leaves, could produce some of the symptoms. Good luck! Don

Okay, now technically, mrtexas is correct: citrus are not like other ornamental or stone fruits that really require pruning to produce more and better fruit, and to support large fruit loads. Citrus wood is very strong, and does not need pruning to support its load. And in optimal circumstances, if you've received a young tree that has initially been topped and pruned properly, you can probably get away with never pruning it, except to remove water sprouts or rootstock suckers. However, there are times where you may need to prune out dead or crossing branches, and extremely thick center (as in our poster's situation), or lift the skirt. One of the best articles I've come across regarding the pruning of citrus is published by Arizona Cooperative Extension, so I've included a link to the .pdf below. Yes, in a perfect world with good care and minimal maintenance, you should never have to seriously prune a citrus, as you will take off a majority of next year's fruits. But we sometimes inherit citrus that were not well taken care of, and some maintenance pruning will be in order to improve the health, longevity and ultimate production of that citrus. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Arizona Cooperative Extension: Pruning Citrus

I cannot dismiss early stage gummosis by looking at the picture above. I think a local expert should look at the tree. If this appeared on my roses I would say it is the work of a sawfly but on citrus? In the meantime I would isolate the tree if potted, treat the wounds and the soil with copper and if more of it appeared I would cut off the affected canes making sure the wood exposed looks nice and healthy. To investigate further ones needs to look at the state of the foot below the soil so a little digging may be in order. The fungal disease called 'Citrus gummosis' starts at the root and foot but there are also other types of gummosis. Also take a look at this, paying attention to 'citrus gummosis' and 'Rio Grande gummosis' https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/plantprotect/citrusdisease.pdf