Okay, applenut is correct, never amend your soil. You just create a hole the tree will love to live in, and the roots will be less inclined to venture out. Instead, you should dig a hole about 2 to 3 times as wide as the root ball to loosen up your native soil. Plant the tree at the same height it was in, in the pot. Create a nice large well around the tree, with the perimeter of the well lower than the height of the trunk (so water will drain away from the trunk, and to the feeder roots which are at the edge of the canopy and a little beyond. What is known as the "drip line".) Mulch 2 to 4" deep with compost, then top with wood chips to help maintain moisture. If you're on clay soil, you're much better off building raised beds (a whole different topic). Wait to fertilize for a couple of months, until the feeder roots are established, then fertilize about every 2 months from Feb/March through Oct/Nov with a good citrus fertilizer that also contains micronutrients (Grow More Citrus & Avocado food is an excellent product). Don't worry about adjusting the pH. Not necessary here in S. California. NEVER allow overhead sprinklers to water your citrus trees as you currently are doing. They do not like their trunks wet, and this is a sure way to kill a young citrus tree, fast. Instead, use microsprinklers or 2 to 4 drips to fill the well (with young trees, they only need one or two drips, but lay 4 and turn them on as your tree grows, as well as move them out and away from the trunk to follow the canopy edge). Water well enough so that the soil is moist for about 12 to 18" deep. The philosophy of deep watering has been revamped for citrus. Citrus are shallow rooted trees, so if you're watering 2 to 3 feet down, you're just wasting water. The easy way to know - use a rod (I use one of those cheap green plastic covered metal plant stakes you can get at Home Depot/Lowes). If you can easily insert the stake 12 to 18" down, your soil is moist enough. You may also need to apply a micronutrient foliar application, soil drench or micronutrient granular application in the early spring/late winter, as our S. California soils tend to get depleted, and our colder winter rains can lock out the absorption of micronutrients, which will cause your leaves to look chloritic. It's usually not iron deficiency for most folks in S. Calif, but manganese deficiency. You can use Grow Power Citrus Grower's Blend, which is a water-soluble micronutrient product that can be sprayed on the leaves or poured into the soil. Here is a good resource for you to manage your citrus. I agree with applenut, your trees may be too wet. Check the soil and see. If so, turn off your sprinklers, then pull them out, and set microsprinklers or drips. Once established, a once a week watering is probably fine except during our very hot days in the summer, when you'll need to check and make sure your trees don't get too dry. They first symptom of being too dry will be cupped leaves. This is actually how commercial growers know to water their orchards. And, bookmark this site: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Citrus/ This is the UC Davis Backyard Orchard-Citrus page. Very helpful for us here in California. Lastly, you're probably better off posting this sort of question either on the Citrus Forum or on the California Gardening Forum. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Four Winds Growers: How to Grow Citrus in the Ground

Mmmm, all this sounds so good--well, maybe not that pork roast that got this thread started (you go out with your oven on? You have an amazing sense of adventure). I've made Wellington a couple of times and while it turned out fine, I finally decided I don't like to go to all that trouble. So I'll just come to your house and eat yours. I'll bring the cosmos to make sure no one will notice whether it turns out wonderful or merely terrific. I want to know how the standing rib roast turned out, so please post an update. We had a crown roast of pork--mindless preparation: season, put in oven, cook until done--plus garlic-mashed potatoes, and veggies (my fave was the braised red cabbage with apples, yum). The topper was my DIL's pumpkin pies which thankfully she didn't do lo-fat this year. I whipped heavy cream to go with it. Ice cream is nice with pie but there is nothing like freshly whipped cream. I must get back to my ordinary and a lot more abstemious diet, starting soon--but not today. I'm taking my "girls" (daughters, DIL, granddaughters) out for an elegant lunch today. Maybe next week. . . .

I can only tell you from my own experience and hope that it relates and helps. Your Valencia is looking good and I believe will be back to normal soon. [see below] Go real easy on the feeding and when you do feed, keep the fertilizer well away from the trunk. I'd also suggest moving the soaker hose much further away from the trunk. First of all, the Meyer and Valencia may be on different rootstock and so that may explain their different condition. They may have reacted to or tolerated something very differently. I have a Redblush and Sanguinelli looking very much like yours; that is, they are just beginning to bloom and with minimal and yellow leaves. They are probably a few weeks behind yours.My Valencia looks far worse, just new "nubs" trying to push out of the green bark. It still has about a dozen yellow leaves. I hear that this massive bloom may be the initial stage of recovery after a drought and or stress. All three mentioned above endured 3-4 moves as landscape plans changed over the last two years. However, these three were in a somewhat similar decline exactly a year ago (yellow, dry looking leaves and tips) but had turned worse. I did not realize that i was over-feeding until July. I stopping the feeding and began flushing the soil with copious amounts of water regularly. This seemed to stabilize them. They have stood in a coma until a few weeks ago when again began growing (they had been regrowing the roots i had burned by over-feeding i guess). My Lisbon did a major leaf drop and leafless bloom after a transplant; that is, just blooms no new leaves. [It was in its location for 5 years so i did have to cut the roots significantly to move it.] Fast forward 10 months and its pushing lots of leaves and all systems normal. There is plenty of nutrition in my soil and i am not feeding anything until i get evidence otherwize. I believe that root damage is the cause of my woes, and in my case it was too much fertilzer, and perhaps applied too close to the trunk! I hope this helps and good luck!

The young tender new growth of most all plants, including citrus, have a much higher rate of transpiration then mature tissue. It is this high transpiration rate that frequently causes wilt of new growth. What you are seeing with your tree is rather common. Your tree will be fine. As the new leaves mature with additional cuticle development transpiration rate normalizes, and the wilting will stop.