Grapefruit tree dying from the inside
I acquired my grapefruit tree early fall 2016. I don't know how old it is but it's about 5-6ft tall (potted) and seemed to be in fairly good condition when I got it. Until I noticed the spider mites.... *shudder*
Long story short, I scrubbed my grapefruit tree baby and applied coatings of neem oil over the course of the last 6 months, and from what I can see all of the webs are gone. But there is a new problem...
First I noticed that a lot of leaves were falling off the tree, specifically the leaves at the top. Sometimes these leaves were brown and curled up, but usually they were green and alive. Around the same time the tree started growing a lot of water sprouts, similar to the picture below. They grew fast and with huge leaves. My limited research on these told me that I could leave them as my tree is not grafted.
Recently there have been a lot of leaves falling off, as well as some of the branches at the top and in the center (closest to trunk) turning brown and dying. A slight bump to the tree's pot causes close to a dozen healthy looking leaves to drop. I'm afraid my tree is dying from the inside out.
Are these fast growing water sprouts sucking the life from my tree? Or did my use of neem oil change the pH or micronutrients of the soil? Do I need to use different water (currently using tap water), or fertilizer, or new soil?
Help please!
Comments (21)
Embothrium
7 years ago
poncirusguy6b452xx
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Grapefruit Tree shedding Leaves
Comments (5)Hi Bill! There's a number of things that could cause this. A picture would answer some, so if you could post a pic that would be great! For starters, you're in zone 6 just like me, so for us northerners it's very important we have fast draining soil when they are indoors. What kind of soil are you using? This seems to be the reason that most people have problems with their citrus. The soil eventually breaks down and compacts the roots. When was the last time you repotted? Second, did you acclimate your tree to the lower light levels? If you bring a tree from the bright sun outside and put it in a room in the house without slowly acclimating it will drop its leaves. Third, any signs of insects on your trees? Dripping sap? Small webs? Also, what is your feeding schedule and description of environment it is in now? (Amount of light, temperature, etc.). How long has the tree been in this pot? Try to post a picture! Looking forward to hearing more from you! Kristopher...See MoreHow do I prevent a beech tree from dying?
Comments (15)do you fert your lawn ... if so.. the tree gets all it needs.. if it needs anything .... regardless.. fert is not really a remedy.. obviously.. the tree has prospered for decades without such.. so why would it need it now .... thx for being patient with trying to get a mind picture ... all you can do .... is heavily water the lawn/ trench during the heat of summer ... and deep into fall ... not just the usual lawn irrigation.. wet the top inch or two of soil ... thats not where the roots are ... perhaps .. depending on ma nature ... once a month.. water long enough to get moisture down 6 inches or so ... dig small holes to find out.. as we cant really tell you how it works in your particular soil ... if you see die back in july/august ... you will know.. on some level.. how bad it was ... if you dont ... you win ... but it will take a couple years for it to fully recover .... so perhaps do the same next summer ... and come fall .. dont go putting away the hose in early october ... oct/now can be a drought ... and instead of going into winter full of water... the tree might go into winter dry .... again.. it all depends on the wicked witch of the north.. aka ma nature ... ken...See MoreGrapefruit Tree blooms and Japanese Beetles
Comments (20)slice - I always wondered about all the paintbrush pollination too (with respect to citrus). Some types of fruiting trees (and shrubs, perennials, etc) need pollination from a different flower to actually set fruit. But for citrus, most of which (save some like mandarins) are self-fertile, you don't need to really do anything. Within the flower, the pollen on the anthers will easily make contact with that same flower's stigma. Cross-pollination from other trees would generally help to make seeds (assuming the pollen is not sterile). In some cases, the tree exhibits "parthenocarpy", meaning they produce fruit with little or no seeds. Manual pollination would theoretically ensure the process but more often than not, you might end up damaging the stigma depending on how you jam a brush in the flower. If your tree is outside, the breeze and/or insects will help that process. Inside, you could always put a fan on it if you feel you need to do something. ALso "FP" = Foliage Pro in reference to a fertilizer product made by Dynagro - https://dyna-gro.com/foliage-pro...See MoreWhat's happenin' with my baby Ruby red grapefruit tree ?
Comments (13)dchall, Since the tree has been in the ground for a year now and is established, it is watered weekly, either by Mother Nature or by us during the dry season when it gets a good, long soaking by hose. We try to ensure 1" a week. The tree's root flare isn't buried. Being a young tree, the flare is not big. The raised soil ring (native soil and composted mix) around the tree is obscuring the view of the flare. It is fertilized regularly (every 6-8 weeks since it is established) with citrus fertilizer. Fresh compost is applied and worked into the soil 3 times a year. We appreciate your input on the grass, but as dirtygardener stated, we have restrictions on both watering and fertilizing lawns here. That fertilizer ends up in our water supply through our normal rainy season and excess watering by us. Many area communities are starting to ban fertilizer altogether. Our Gulf and rivers are full of red tide and green algae...the worst in history. The current event started in October of 2017, and is getting increasingly worse every month with no end in sight. The effect on our marine life, our own physical health and our economy has been devastating. Red tide and green algae occur naturally in small amounts every year. But, it is suspected that the huge amounts of fertilizer from big sugar farms that get washed out into our rivers and end up in the Gulf are feeding the algae. Housing developments, where applying lawn fertilizer and watering to excess to grow lush grass is common, are only contributing to the problem. So, we will continue to responsibly water and fertilize our trees and plants and let Mother Nature determine when our grass gets watered and we will accept our grass as it is. Our neighborhood and surrounding areas all have yards similar to ours. Just an FYI, many of the weeds that grow in our lawns are host plants for the caterpillars of smaller butterflies and moths. Applying fertilizers and weed killers would kill not only the weeds but the caterpillars that feed on them....See MoreMegan M
7 years agoponcirusguy6b452xx
7 years agoponcirusguy6b452xx
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoMegan Look for a line like those on my trees' pictures My trees' graft line pictures.
New Zealand Lemonade on US897 grafting · More Info
6b Steve
Jean
7 years agoMegan M
7 years agoHere is a picture to show "dying from the inside". These center stalks/trunks (don't know what to call them) used to be green and have leaves all the way to the top. They are dropping their leaves and turning brown from top to bottom.
Megan M
7 years ago
HUGE water sprout leaves and full tree. Water sprouts are thriving while the inside of the tree is dying.
poncirusguy6b452xx
7 years ago
myermike_1micha
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
tom1328732
7 years agoMegan M
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
This is the bottom 8-10 inches or so.
The lines at the bottom of the tree look more like "stains" than actual lines across the tree, similar to low tide at the beach. Not sure how it happened, they were there when I got the tree.
Megan M
7 years agoMegan M
7 years ago
As an aside, this alarming looking leaf fell off this morning. Is this discoloration from a nutrient deficiency/surplus?
poncirusguy6b452xx
7 years agomyermike_1micha
7 years agoMegan M
7 years agoponcirusguy6b452xx
7 years agoMegan I have determined that your tree is grafted to a poncirus trifoliata/hybrid. Any sucker that have leaves that have 3 leaflets must be removed. Any sucker that have only one leaf on it's leaf stem will flower and produce the desired fruit.
Trifoliata above needs to be removed
Grapefruit leaves.
Grapefruit leaves with leaf minor problem.
6b Steve
Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)