A C Don’t give up just yet I would start by removing some of the excess dead wood, then feeding it a well balanced fertilizer along with a liquid feed containing nitrogen to promote leaf growth. I would also provide sun burn protection to the lower half of Tree some thin like IV Organics tree guard paint. If you continue to see significant changes then consider potting up to you half barrel and adding a drip irrigation line set on a timer. Good luck I am sure many other helpful recommendations will come from the veteran forum member.

Is it a meyer? then let it die.....I hate them. I'd prune and repot now. why wait....have medium on hand and new pot then inspect roots

Looking at that poor thing it shows that it does not get the care it needed. The tree need a lot of attention for starters. New container mix, root pruning and a strict fertilizer schedule a few weeks later.

I would not use a "balanced" fertilizer and would use Jack's Professional 25-5-15 or Foliage Pro 9-3-6 because they supply the NPK nutrients in the proper ratio of 5-1-3 required by citrus. (The foliage Pro has a ratio that is close enough.

I live in the Northeast and never painted my tree trunks. They have never shown damage.

To me, root pruning means removing soil along the side and bottom or cutting wedges out of the root ball. I would not root prune because that might kill the tree. Remove it from its pot and only cut off all circling roots.

For a guy that experience a lot of root rot this past spring telling others how to do things is ........?

If it looks like this when you pull it out of the pot you better do some untangling and root pruning, maybe have a bucket of cold water handy.

Oh, poor Bob does not like it when I disagree with him! Bob, where did you get the idea that I "experience (sic) a lot of root rot this past spring"? I have had a very small number of trees with root rot and that was due to the huge amount of rain we had.

You got to be the st.......... I know, go back and read , you are a smart scientist you be able to find it. Btw, it’s the other way around, you are the one that started and will finish. You got a short memory, that not saying much for a scientist.

Vlad, if you want me to refresh your memory I will be glad to have samples of stuff you have written.

The tree needs a larger container, that is why it has not been doing well. Small containers mean smaller root system, so the tree has to be kept watered more frequently and consistently. Which many people are not able to do. Put in partial shade if you are in a hot climate to reduce water loss.

Well who knows whats in that container rootwise - more or less, the canopy would prefer a wider pot not necessarily deeper hard to get......