I'm glad to hear that you and the trees are feeling better Mike!!!

Yes, a few of mine have come back from 100% defoliation (this year included), mostly due to missed waterings in their Winter quarters (my sunny garage). Once, the top died out completely but the plant to which it was grafted (Poncirus) grew to take over..., that was fine too, as I wanted one of those to plant into the ground. Citrus are a paradox; they are finicky as well as robust at the same time (remind me of roses in that respect); prone to everything but never really wanting to leave the terrestrial plane. LOL!

I do on occasion miss caring for plants for one reason or another. And yes, they do sometimes surprise me with a comeback. I feel like citrus is a bit on the touchy side, so your report is encouraging.

So nice to see your new growth!

Excellent Mikey and they have the whole summer to even get better . Here is my Meyer which had 3 leaves on it when I brought it , flushing very nicely now .

Brian

Wow that is amazing you guys! You all must be the best gardeners to save trees from death like that! I'm over here struggling with healthy trees :-D

Wow, I can see your trees grow with new vigor over the summer, Mike! I can lose interest also for caring for my plants during those nasty, dark, cold winter months. I know that feeling,

I have definitely made that mistake before, more than once. Didn't feel good! But my amazing standardised meyer lemon tree I've had in a container for 16 years has come back from the dead three times now. From complete defoliation to thriving again. Totally my fault each time.

Only problem is that the branching looks pretty munted now, from some limbs dying halfway back, some all the way back, some not dying back at all. I'm a very hesitant pruner, so I've waited until I've had decent regrowth to tell which parts are actually dead dead, then cut those bits off. Without shaping/directing the rest. And you can tell.

Perhaps you're more knowledgeable with that aspect - would love to see how you get on. Might give me some pointers!

Robin, I am just like that. I will; either get into a mood where cutting back does not phase me at all and I go crazy, like I did on mine. Or I will be so scared to cut back, they will look like crap for weeks until I get the desire to do something. I am fickle like that with certain things. Sometimes I have the drive and then sometimes I don't have it at all.

Seems that by the time the middle of winter comes, my trees don't look the way I like and then I could care less if they go. Isn't that awful? What makes it worst is when I go to a nursery with a huge supply of them for sale under their huge glass roof that look spectacular for winter, just to be reminded that mines need more than what I can give...It get to me after a while..

It's nice to see that I am not the only one dealing with my trees this way. I use to love growing them to peak performance all year, but now that my winter have grown longer, and summer shorter, at times I see no point, then at times I do. I think many here can relate!

Brian,

I see many fruit hung on and that is huge for that tree. Good job buddy. Yours should come back just fine too. Let me see it after a month or two. How about right after a thunder storm with all that charged up nutrient rich water!!

Subtropix..I am quite excited you are crazy about Roses too and what you said is not an understatement!! I have dozens of different kinds all fragrant of course.Very finicky since I wish we could read their mind..You know the most finicky plat of all for me? The infamous 'gardenia'!!!

Mike



Citrus do seem to be tough plants. I almost killed some of my new ones with this Phoenix heat before I was able to afford an irrigation setup. But they bounced back once they got on a 16 gallon drip twice a week.

It really does seem that the problem is potted plants. I no longer respect what four winds says about their rootstock. Some other companies too. Only 3 trees I've never had problems with, 2 on us-897 and 1 on flying dragon. The two real dwarf rootstocks. Anything else like Cuban shaddock, us-802, c-35, even regular trifoliate seem to take a crap when brought back indoors for winter.

Keep in mind I had 2000w for 12 trees at one time. I never had a light shortage. Even when I stepped down to t5's light wasn't the issue. Any slight mistake was amplified and I blame the roots. Ph meters, ppm meters, filtered water that only had 130ppm to begin with, nothing major was off.

I wish there was a website as "deep" with varieties as fourwinds but actually sells dwarf plants, like fourwinds used to. (I hear like 1950's they did use flying dragon)

I'm not saying it can't be done, but I am saying that in this hobby, if you grow up north and can't leave the plant out at least 3/4 of the year then expect at least some growth and die back cycling as the seasons change.

At least that's how I feel.

A little TLC goes a long way

Pip, you are right. I feel the same way as you many times. Good point!

Thanks

We need to update this thread in a week or two to see how good our trees came along. Let's do that. I will post pics soon again...

Mike

Very nice Dev and Dnedd1 Dev very nice comeback Dnedd1 almost back to it's formal beauty. Dev my Meyer is making an amazing comeback also I am thinking I won't see any wood stems soon .

Brian, holy toledo!!Look at it take off. You are right. Soon it will be all flushed with green leaves and you will never know what happened..Are you scratching Miracle Grow on the surface and watering at all? Do you have to use vinegar to get such beautiful green growth? Great work buddy and hugs to you! Let's celebrate with a nice drink at that Tiki bar minus the sloppy Joe..ha

Thanks buddy anytime my friend and I promise no Joe's lol . Mikey 12 day's and the new growth has spread to all over the tree nature is truly amazing and I thought that this tree was doomed because it's sort of old 14 yrs fooled me . Mikey Meyers in beverages is my new favorite thing soooooo good . Mikey I have been fertilizing every two day's with the MG just sprinkling it on top of the mix and watering in so far so good . I would love to see update pics of your tree's and everyone else's love the time lapse thing .

Hugs buddy

Brian

Oh how I can relate. Last year I almost killed my 4 citrus with love (overfertilizing with the wrong fertilizer). My Meyer lemon has come back nicely after repotting in the correct soil and careful root pruning. But I am getting only one lemon this year. Oh well, at least the plant survived. Today I made the decision to put the navel orange into the ground. It was loaded with blossoms but I decided to repot it and root prune it and all the fruit fell off. Lesson learned. My problem child is my key lime, that received the most rigorous root pruning. It did set fruit but it has hardly any new leaves. I'm trying to stare it into submission but so far it hasn't worked. Maybe I'm trying some sweet talking instead.

Here are two. I thought I had discarded both of them because they had lost all of their leaves. A few days ago, I was going through my inventory list I found these two:

This is a cara cara. Holes are from slugs.

This is a Nagami kumquat. I am not sure if the growth on the bottom is rootstock. Leaves have not opened up enough.

It's amazing what a little summer sunshine, warmth, and love can do! Great pictures, everyone!

-Tom

Brian- that's amazing so much new growth it must be fully leafed out already.

Tom - u r so correct wish we had this kind of weather most of the year

I HATE the black branch die back... so depressing. Do we know what exactly causes it?

Brian, so your meyer defoliated like that even in your greenhouse? Wow they are finicky aren't they?

Hi Dev and Hobby thx . Meyers like you said Hobby are finicky I thought it was a goner it had about 4 leaves left on it when I brought it out . It could had been from no insulation on the lower north side of the GH where the tree was sitting or maybe fruit overload it was really coated . It has really filled in fast and it should look back to normal by the end of this coming week . The intense heat and humidity that we are enjoying now is really brining on the new growth on all of the tree's.

Brian

Good I'm glad it is rebounding! It is reassuring that even you with your amazing collection can still run into some trouble on occasion :). I think all cold climaters report defoliated meyers after winter, seems pretty standard.

Alexander was not as bad as Brian's, but he was more defoliated than he has ever been after a winter. He's fine now. The last few days, I have noticed several of my trees have had a few branches turning dark and dying back. I'm paranoid bc that's how my kumquat died this winter. I wonder why it's happening now?? Perhaps the hot weather? I am also noticing some are sheddding the older leaves. Lots of new leaves, so I guess they are ridding themselves of the older ones.

I'm interested too... seems weird to have it start happening now right Laura?

Yeah, I keep checking it and a few trees have it, but nothing major. I just wonder why now? It could be the heat...we have had very hot weather lately, although nothing like Evan's.

I will be taking more pics of mine tomorrow morning now that it's done raining, now that I found my dad after wondering from the nursing home, and that I am feeling better!

Great job everyone and it's so good to see your trees coming back, Thank God we don't have permanent winter!!