It is hungry....looks very nutrient deficient to me. What do you feed it and what is it planted in?

I used to put some miracle grow drops in its water; didnt make a difference. It is in a pot with soil from my garden. Nothing fancy but i thought it was pretty decent soil.

"KUMQUATS" That is just what kumquat trees do. Yours is to a point where feeding it the "Right Stuff" is advisable. Let me know what works so I can work on mine

6b Steve

I am glad it is not just me. I added some citrus specific fertilizer and trace minerals. I will let you know if anything works.

My meiwa has had those spots, too. I have been using FoliagePro, altho perhaps not enough. Your leaves appear overall yellower than mine, though.

I would suggest using a potting mix, it is generally suggested for container growing for several reasons. Media pH, in particular, may be an issue.

My Meiwa( Laura ) had nice green leaves when I received it from Greenscape Gardens but the new growth coming right now is yellowish. I fertilized also but it is not showing on the leaves. Any other inputs, citrus experts?

Looks to me like manganese deficiency (the splotches, usually referred to as leaf mottling), maybe combined with a certain level of nitrogen or other deficiencies (the general yellowing). Manganese deficiency can be quickly, although temporarily, corrected with an appropriate foliar feed. If that works then you know it is manganese deficiency and you can adjust your feeding appropriately. If you are not against spraying chemicals, one or two mancozeb fungicide sprays early in the season will mostly take care of manganese (and zinc) deficiencies.

Have you checked the pH of your water? If you are using a fertilizer that provides all that your trees needs, pH can have a huge affect on uptake.

Then, what about your soil? You used garden dirt? If your roots are being suffocated in any way, whether it's from a soil too dense, always damp, compacted or heavy, those fine roots that do all the work of taking up moisture will be lost and symptoms will appear rapidly.

Looking at the above pics a liitle more carefully, I should say I'm not sure this is manganese and not zinc deficiency... KQ's are particular about their zinc.. I correct both at once with mancozeb, but you may not want to go that way.

poncirusguy, KQ's are particular about their zinc and manganese... Investigate thusly.. Foliar application will have a quick effect.

Ok , but I have a question?

Why do many here try to diagnose the problem but the not the reason why it's happening?

Does anyone ever get concerned about the mix or pH before they start applying foliage products and patching up the problem?

Most fertilizers carry just about everything your trees need, so what gives? Usually a root issue...

As I said above, foliar application of micros works quickly and helps with identifying the particular deficiency. KQs are particularly sensitive to Mn and Zn deficiencies. We were asked to provide an opinion about the splotchy leaves, nutrient deficiency is the answer. Reasons for nutrient deficiencies might be many and complex. Btw calcareous soil affects zinc availability as do sandy, infertile soils..

What mix is your tree potted in? How long has it been in that mix. None of my kumquats show deficiencies and I feed them the Peters fertilizer, Oscomote Plus, and FP once in a while. I have no issues whatsoever. I had a tree that I adopted from my neighbor that had been potted in potting soil for a year plus. It showed deficiencies regardless of what I did. A few months ago, I removed all the potting soil and put it in 5-1-1. Although the old leaves are not "corrected", the new growth looks healthy. You may not be able to fully correct those older leaves, but if you start feeding it correctly and put it in a good mix, the new growth may be normal, which a good indicator of the tree's current health. Best of luck!

great info.

Mine showed up in a newly acquired plant, and persisted despite me putting it in a new mix (promix) and starting foliage pro.

I did go light on the FP because it was winter. I just took a close look at the plant and it does look better now.

Larry: kumquat on trifoliate rootstock behave this way. I have 4 fukushu kumquats on poncirus trifoliata and a kumquat grafted on grapefruit rootstock. This one has the darkest green leaves from all of my citruses. Soil mix is the same.

So it is the rootstock that does not extract from soil all the needed nutrients.

PT has notorious problem with nutrient pickup and it prefers a neutral to acid soil

Lots of great feedback. Thanks folks. Btw, this particular Kumquat was started from seed.

Larry How old is it and what type is it.

6b Steve

About 5 or 6 years old, and i have to confess i dont know what variety it is. The kumquat i took the seed from came from california.

Has it fruited yet and what did the fruit look/taste like.

6b Steve

No fruit yet; one blossom that did not set :-(

You see, I once stated a whole thread about 'root stock' because I was concerned about never knowing what the suppliers sell, local nurseries, or what I am buying because they are not telling us....I just keep my fingers crossed and pray that any I buy are on the root stock that reacts very well to my care, and so far so good except for a couple over the years that seems like they dies of a heart attack for no reason.lol