Dwarf Citrus dropped new growth and flowers
leafnose
7 years ago
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myermike_1micha
7 years agoRelated Discussions
still new to citrus, first fruiting and leaf drop questions
Comments (5)When I first bought a house in FL 25 years ago the nurseryman I bought my first citrus trees from said "don't let them bear any fruit for the first 2 years," as they need that time to develop their root system. Younger trees do not have the energy to develop strong roots and produce a good crop of fruit. If this is only their second season in your yard, it is probably too soon to let it bear fruit. Your fertilizing schedule sounds ok, and it does sound like your tree is getting enough water. I suspect that as you begin to harvest the fruit, and as the tree puts out new growth it will perk up again. I'd also limit the number of fruits you let the trees carry this coming season to 12-18, depending on how much it grows this year....See MoreDwarf citrus care
Comments (15)Whoa, I never expected this many replies so fast. Thank you every one. When you are using the stick to test moisture, do you let it "soak" in the soil or just dip it in then immediately pull it out? Thanks for the advice on the soil mixes too. Since I have three plants coming, I think I'll try each mix on separate plants. Maybe I'll be able to spot which mix works best for me before losing any of them. As for my growing environment... The soil I used for the first citrus was Miracle Grow Cactus and Citrus mix. Since I was afraid of causing more harm than good with the last two, I just left them in the pot they shipped in. I have no idea what soil they shipped with, but it sure looked like the same mix - just without plant food. The actual orange branch on all three plants was maybe 2-4 inches long. However, the rootstock on the last two was around 6 inches tall. With the plants nowhere near fruit bearing size, I figured I didn't need to worry about fertilizing just yet. I'm sure most of you would cringe at my grow lights. They are just a few 13W "energy efficient" full spectrum bulbs - the kind used in modern home lighting to treat SADS - jury rigged to a timer. It seems to work though. I have been able to grow opunta cactii, coffee, allspice, and vanilla among other things. For my smaller plants that need more humidity, I just place the bulbs at the top of my terrarium and use the timer to dial in the amount of light required. I don't have a humidity gauge, so I can't provide specific measurements, but I try to maintain my terrarium at a humidity similar to the feel of a local summer day. I haven't been able to confirm this with any records, but if I recall correctly, our summers are usually at 50-60% - maybe as high as 70%. I keep the temperature at 65 to 75 deg F in the winter. In the summer, temperatures might spike to 90 or 95 deg F. I've not had so much trouble learning to care for my other plants because I always had more of a grace period to figure out what I was doing. With the citrus, it goes from healthy to dead in the space of a week and I never have enough time to observe the results of whatever change I try to make....See MoreYoung Pubicalyx 'pink silver' dropping new growth! :(
Comments (9)If you are ever worried about the mix a new plant comes in then I would suggest changing it to something you are comfortable with. New plants often have a few false starts as they settle into a new environment. I would suggest giving your plant much more light. I grow my Hoya pubicalyx plants a few feet back from a Southern window but East or West would do as well. If your plant does grow for you in a North window it will not flower there. Perhaps you could add a daylight compact fluorescent bulb to bump up the light around this plant. Hoya pubicalyx is one that likes to dry a little between waterings. This is a close cousin of Hoya carnosa and likes very similar conditions. Although this species does very well with cool nights it is not necessary and for a young plant it would be better to keep it nice and warm. Because you said that the older leaves look slightly dehydrated I am wondering if the cuttings are even rooted or if they were just stick in the pot. The older leaves should not look dehydrated at all and I suspect that the roots are damaged. If you can carefully check the roots it would help, do consider changing the mix as well to something you are familiar with. I can say one thing about this Hoya and that is that it takes a little while to start growing well but by year two you will have a large plant ready to bloom. Mike...See MoreHelp with leaves dropping on new growth
Comments (3)I brought them upstairs for for heat and I needed more light so that is why I am using the floresents bulbs, last year I had them downstairs where it was cooler, had lots of growth but never any flowers, so I thought maybe they needed alittle boost with fertilizer and more light. I will back off on the fertilizer and see if they respond, but when would I start the fertilizing so I can get flowers, anyone?...See Moreleafnose
7 years agomyermike_1micha
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoleafnose
7 years agojohnmerr
7 years agopip313
7 years ago
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