Hello fellow gardening enthusiasts--
Just this past Friday I noticed that one of our lemon trees was not looking very good. We do have a sprinkler watering system run, however this tree was planted after we installed the system (@3 years ago) and thus it only receives water when it rains, which is fairly often here in Florida.
At any rate, the tree has done well for the three years we've had it growing...or at least it *had* done well up until a few days ago. I had fertilized it @6 weeks ago, but on Friday, I put down nitrogen as well as a citrus fertilizer mix and then I proceeded to water heavily. (There has not been much rain over the past 2 weeks, and I figured it was a case of under-watering.) I continued watering on Saturday and Sunday, but the tree looks worse today (Monday) than it did on Friday. Curiously, the tree is full of small, developing lemons.
If I can figure out how to successfully attach photos here, could someone kindly take a peek and opine as to what might be happening...? It would be a shame to lose this tree.
Thank you for your help.
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raybitterlick
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Lemon Tree Dying...? Advice Welcomed!
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A couple of questions.
How well does the soil drain? Citrus like a well drained soil and usually they only need a deep watering once a week.
Wilting and leaf curling can occur if it plants are underwatered but will occur if they are drowning. The roots rot and the water cannot get to the leaves.
You said you fertilized with nitrogen and citrus food. How much did you give it and where did you place the fertilzer.
Citrus are fertilized based on trunk diameter. Around the dripline. I usually do not give my citrus trees anything else besides citrus food, it already contains enough nitrogen if you apply it as directed on the package.
Do you have a problem with phythoptora? Sudden wilting and death is the usual way it kills and it is something that will remain a problem for years. It usually rears its ugly head in poorly drained soils when the plant roots go over 1 ft deep.
In these hot spots, I only plant shallow rooted annuals.
How well does the soil drain? Citrus like a well drained soil and usually they only need a deep watering once a week.
Wilting and leaf curling can occur if it plants are underwatered but will occur if they are drowning. The roots rot and the water cannot get to the leaves.
You said you fertilized with nitrogen and citrus food. How much did you give it and where did you place the fertilzer.
Citrus are fertilized based on trunk diameter. Around the dripline. I usually do not give my citrus trees anything else besides citrus food, it already contains enough nitrogen if you apply it as directed on the package.
Do you have a problem with phythoptora? Sudden wilting and death is the usual way it kills and it is something that will remain a problem for years. It usually rears its ugly head in poorly drained soils when the plant roots go over 1 ft deep.
In these hot spots, I only plant shallow rooted annuals.
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raybitterlick
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Hello imafan26, and thank you for taking the time to reply.
I am quite sure that the problem is not due to over-watering as we are not in the rainy season here, and up until Friday, the tree had no water for nearly 2 weeks. As for well-drained soil, I have lived here (an island off the Gulf Coast of FL) for 3+ years and I have never had a problem with any of my avocado, date, mango, or citrus trees.
The reason why I added nitrogen was because of the yellowing in the leaves. Naturally I stayed away from the trunk of the tree with the fertilizer and I covered out to the drip line.
The only fungus-related problems I have experienced since we've lived here were small white insects that were attracted to the underside of our pepper plant leaves and left a white powdery mildew; most of the pepper plants died, and the white insects themselves died off as a result of the few winter days where the temperatures dipped below 40º or so.
I really don't think it's an issue of poorly-drained soil, as none of our other fruit trees are ailing. What's curious is that as I mentioned above, this is the only one of our fruit trees that is not watered by the watering system, though again, none of them had received water for @2 weeks.
Any ideas what might be going on in light of this info?
I am quite sure that the problem is not due to over-watering as we are not in the rainy season here, and up until Friday, the tree had no water for nearly 2 weeks. As for well-drained soil, I have lived here (an island off the Gulf Coast of FL) for 3+ years and I have never had a problem with any of my avocado, date, mango, or citrus trees.
The reason why I added nitrogen was because of the yellowing in the leaves. Naturally I stayed away from the trunk of the tree with the fertilizer and I covered out to the drip line.
The only fungus-related problems I have experienced since we've lived here were small white insects that were attracted to the underside of our pepper plant leaves and left a white powdery mildew; most of the pepper plants died, and the white insects themselves died off as a result of the few winter days where the temperatures dipped below 40º or so.
I really don't think it's an issue of poorly-drained soil, as none of our other fruit trees are ailing. What's curious is that as I mentioned above, this is the only one of our fruit trees that is not watered by the watering system, though again, none of them had received water for @2 weeks.
Any ideas what might be going on in light of this info?
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raybitterlick
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You said the other trees have also not been watered for two weeks and they are fine? It seems like something is going on with this tree. Could it be a virus? Huanglongbing usually shows up in younger trees first and the disease started in Florida and has been moving west. It is now in California. I don't know how fast the disease progresses but most trees are dead within a year. The disease is spread by the Asian psillid and you said you did see insects on the plant, although they sounded more like whiteflies.
https://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/ ... ndex.shtml
How long was the tree yellowing? and was this the only tree that had these symptoms?
Did the drying leaves start before or after you fertilized?
You said you had mango and avocado, any other citrus trees and are they fine?
https://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/ ... ndex.shtml
How long was the tree yellowing? and was this the only tree that had these symptoms?
Did the drying leaves start before or after you fertilized?
You said you had mango and avocado, any other citrus trees and are they fine?
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raybitterlick
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raybitterlick
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Hello--
I did show the photos to the two "garden specialists" at Home Depot, though they didn't seem to have any advice. There are no signs of disease and no splotches on the leaves or branches, and my wife seems to think it's an under-watering issue. I have watered liberally these past few days, but if anything, the tree looks worse than it did on Friday.
Any advice appreciated! Thanks...
I did show the photos to the two "garden specialists" at Home Depot, though they didn't seem to have any advice. There are no signs of disease and no splotches on the leaves or branches, and my wife seems to think it's an under-watering issue. I have watered liberally these past few days, but if anything, the tree looks worse than it did on Friday.
Any advice appreciated! Thanks...
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ButterflyLady29
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Make a little hole in the soil near the root system of the tree. Check to see if the soil is wet or dry. That will answer the watering issue.
My opinion is that the fertilizer stressed the tree. Fertilizer should be applied when plants are not stressed.
Were the other trees watered during the 2 weeks where you had no rain? If they were then the fertilizer is the most likely suspect.
My opinion is that the fertilizer stressed the tree. Fertilizer should be applied when plants are not stressed.
Were the other trees watered during the 2 weeks where you had no rain? If they were then the fertilizer is the most likely suspect.
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raybitterlick
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Hello ButterflyLady--
The others were watered once over the past 2 weeks by virtue of the sprinkler system that was implemented before we planted this particular lemon tree; thus, this tree does not receive water when the system is engaged.
Perhaps I was not clear with the fertilizer. All citrus trees were fertilized between 6 weeks and 2 months ago. I just added more fertilizer--along with water--when I noticed the tree looking stressed this past Friday. I watered again on Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday, though if anything, the tree is looking even worse than it was on Friday. The tree was looking bad before I applied fertilizer on Friday (which was the first time in 6-8 weeks).
Yes; the soil is moist now because it has been soaked these past 3 or 4 days. It had been very dry previously.
The others were watered once over the past 2 weeks by virtue of the sprinkler system that was implemented before we planted this particular lemon tree; thus, this tree does not receive water when the system is engaged.
Perhaps I was not clear with the fertilizer. All citrus trees were fertilized between 6 weeks and 2 months ago. I just added more fertilizer--along with water--when I noticed the tree looking stressed this past Friday. I watered again on Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday, though if anything, the tree is looking even worse than it was on Friday. The tree was looking bad before I applied fertilizer on Friday (which was the first time in 6-8 weeks).
Yes; the soil is moist now because it has been soaked these past 3 or 4 days. It had been very dry previously.
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ButterflyLady29
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My tree was about 2 ft and once I started watering it (once the soil dries out even the slightest bit, I would water it) it came back to life about 3 days later.raybitterlick wrote:Hello Anna--
That's what I suspected, however during these 3 days where I have been watering, the tree has not sprung back to life; to the contrary, it seems to have gotten a bit worse. How long was it before yours came back?
I stressed my tree a couple of times. It is in a pot and gets watered daily, but a couple of times I did not because I thought it rained enough or I did not have time so I let it ride. Once I did not water it for about 4 days and it showed the yellow curly leaves you describe, but I flushed it and watered it well again and it came back within a few days. If it has not come back and is actually getting worse, I suspect it might be too late.
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ButterflyLady29
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I nearly lost my tangerine tree a couple years ago. The root mass dried out and no matter how much I watered and how much it rained it still didn't get the root mass wet. I ended up having to set it in another tub filled with water so the roots would get wet. The tree lost all it's leaves and some branches but it survived. Just losing the leaves doesn't mean it's a goner. It's not dead until it's brown and dried out. Although I suspect the fruit may be a loss this time.
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raybitterlick
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This has been a very frustrating and disappointing experience.
It was determined one month ago by a gardening professional that our lemon tree was in fact under-watered. I have been liberally watering this tree every other day for the past month (letting the hose run at full blast for 15 minutes to the point where the ground underneath the outer reach of the branches is saturated) but yet the tree shows virtually no signs of any watering. The above photos of green-yet-wilted leaves are a distant memory: all leaves have long since fallen off. It absolutely kills me that this tree we planted at less than 2' tall about 3 years ago had began budding literally hundreds of lemons this spring, but now it's nearly dead.
Every morning when I go out to water, I'm pruning back more and more brown (dead) branches. Once again, there have been no signs of stabilizing--let alone new leaf growth--and it's maddening to see that the water doesn't seem to be reaching the roots. We have had some torrential rains recently to no avail. We had accepted that this year will be written off and that the tree will bounce back next year, but there is not much left to bounce back at this point. What happened?
Thank you for allowing me to vent my frustration; I'm very sad about this.
It was determined one month ago by a gardening professional that our lemon tree was in fact under-watered. I have been liberally watering this tree every other day for the past month (letting the hose run at full blast for 15 minutes to the point where the ground underneath the outer reach of the branches is saturated) but yet the tree shows virtually no signs of any watering. The above photos of green-yet-wilted leaves are a distant memory: all leaves have long since fallen off. It absolutely kills me that this tree we planted at less than 2' tall about 3 years ago had began budding literally hundreds of lemons this spring, but now it's nearly dead.
Every morning when I go out to water, I'm pruning back more and more brown (dead) branches. Once again, there have been no signs of stabilizing--let alone new leaf growth--and it's maddening to see that the water doesn't seem to be reaching the roots. We have had some torrential rains recently to no avail. We had accepted that this year will be written off and that the tree will bounce back next year, but there is not much left to bounce back at this point. What happened?
Thank you for allowing me to vent my frustration; I'm very sad about this.
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Lindsaylew82
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raybitterlick
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Lindsaylew82
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Do you think you had a leaf curl virus?
I just have a hard time believing that simple under watering l is the issue here. It doesn't make sense.
I do think there's something going on in the root system that is with impeding uptake. What kind of soil did you plant this in? Here in SC, if you dig a hole and put a tree in it without fracturing the clay in the bottom and the sides, the tree will grow for 2-3 years, and then it gets rootbound because the clay here acts like a pot.... The roots just can't penetrate the clay. Rootbound plants almost always mimic under watered plants.
I just have a hard time believing that simple under watering l is the issue here. It doesn't make sense.
I do think there's something going on in the root system that is with impeding uptake. What kind of soil did you plant this in? Here in SC, if you dig a hole and put a tree in it without fracturing the clay in the bottom and the sides, the tree will grow for 2-3 years, and then it gets rootbound because the clay here acts like a pot.... The roots just can't penetrate the clay. Rootbound plants almost always mimic under watered plants.
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raybitterlick
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Hello Lindsay--
This lemon tree in question is one of five fruit trees located within a relatively small space in my yard (approx 8' between trees). There is an in-ground sprinkler system that waters each of the other four, but this tree was planted just after the system was installed, and thus it receives no water during sprinkler activation. Whereas the sprinkler has been set up to water two mornings per week recently, it hadn't occurred to me that we had gone 1 month without rain until @April 15, when I began posting on here that the leaves looked wilted.
I am on a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Florida; the soil is sandy, and again, none of our other fruit trees that were planted 1-2 months prior to this one are exhibiting problems. In fact, the Persian Lime standing right next to the dying tree is full, lush, and green, with at least 100 nicely-growing lemons on it.
This lemon tree in question is one of five fruit trees located within a relatively small space in my yard (approx 8' between trees). There is an in-ground sprinkler system that waters each of the other four, but this tree was planted just after the system was installed, and thus it receives no water during sprinkler activation. Whereas the sprinkler has been set up to water two mornings per week recently, it hadn't occurred to me that we had gone 1 month without rain until @April 15, when I began posting on here that the leaves looked wilted.
I am on a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Florida; the soil is sandy, and again, none of our other fruit trees that were planted 1-2 months prior to this one are exhibiting problems. In fact, the Persian Lime standing right next to the dying tree is full, lush, and green, with at least 100 nicely-growing lemons on it.
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raybitterlick
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Hi Algida--
That may very well have been one of my mistakes. The tree grew quite a bit last year although there was a very light harvest. During late winter/spring the tree was covered in blossoms which resulted in hundreds of small lemon buds: I should have removed them as you pointed out, but I was foolishly hoping that the tree would perk up after a few days of watering. The small buds have 80% dried up and either fallen or have been cut off by now, and I will remove the rest when I get home from work today.
I know it's not like one of the hanging plants on our front porch that will become wilted if we miss a day of watering but will bounce right back 1/2 hour after receiving water. Nonetheless, I am astounded that this tree has shown zero sign of improvement--and in fact has steadily worsened--amidst a month of heavy watering.
That may very well have been one of my mistakes. The tree grew quite a bit last year although there was a very light harvest. During late winter/spring the tree was covered in blossoms which resulted in hundreds of small lemon buds: I should have removed them as you pointed out, but I was foolishly hoping that the tree would perk up after a few days of watering. The small buds have 80% dried up and either fallen or have been cut off by now, and I will remove the rest when I get home from work today.
I know it's not like one of the hanging plants on our front porch that will become wilted if we miss a day of watering but will bounce right back 1/2 hour after receiving water. Nonetheless, I am astounded that this tree has shown zero sign of improvement--and in fact has steadily worsened--amidst a month of heavy watering.
Heavy watering is not a solution either. How was the weather these weeks?
The plant is already stressed, but what I'd try (please don't blame me if failing) is carefully removing it (it's important to keep the soil around the roots and not "disturbing" them - dig a larger hole around it), putting it in a container and bringing it inside, in a well-lighted place.
But again, not sure if working, so... don't do it if not 100% convinced that it will work.
The plant is already stressed, but what I'd try (please don't blame me if failing) is carefully removing it (it's important to keep the soil around the roots and not "disturbing" them - dig a larger hole around it), putting it in a container and bringing it inside, in a well-lighted place.
But again, not sure if working, so... don't do it if not 100% convinced that it will work.
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Lindsaylew82
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Yeah, I read the post in its entirety. But based on what everyone else is saying, it sounds like your tree should have recovered by now....
If you don't think it's the ferts, (which you should stop while the plant is stressed) and everybody else in the grove has the same sandy soil, same mulch (did you mention mulch?) , sun exposure, and you are supplementing water to make up for the lack of irrigation....... And you're still getting loss, it leads me to believe that there is some type of canker in the trunk, or there's some type of infection, or there's something preventing the roots from nutrient uptake.
You say it's mostly sand, do citrus have nematode problems?
If you don't think it's the ferts, (which you should stop while the plant is stressed) and everybody else in the grove has the same sandy soil, same mulch (did you mention mulch?) , sun exposure, and you are supplementing water to make up for the lack of irrigation....... And you're still getting loss, it leads me to believe that there is some type of canker in the trunk, or there's some type of infection, or there's something preventing the roots from nutrient uptake.
You say it's mostly sand, do citrus have nematode problems?
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raybitterlick
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Hello--
A sincere thanks to all for taking the time to read through and opine on my lemon tree situation.
Someone who sells and plants citrus trees said instantly upon seeing the tree that the problem is a lack of water, and that it "should" bounce back; he suggested as some above have mentioned that I should remove the leaves and the fruit. The leaves pretty much all fell off within a few days, and I suppose I made an error in judgment by leaving the fruit.
If it were an infection issue, wouldn't my other trees be affected as well? The weather has been hot and humid, and I have been liberally soaking the tree every other day for a month. I don't think digging it up would be an option, as it's taller than I am (6') and I'm sure that the roots stretch six feet in each direction.
A sincere thanks to all for taking the time to read through and opine on my lemon tree situation.
Someone who sells and plants citrus trees said instantly upon seeing the tree that the problem is a lack of water, and that it "should" bounce back; he suggested as some above have mentioned that I should remove the leaves and the fruit. The leaves pretty much all fell off within a few days, and I suppose I made an error in judgment by leaving the fruit.
If it were an infection issue, wouldn't my other trees be affected as well? The weather has been hot and humid, and I have been liberally soaking the tree every other day for a month. I don't think digging it up would be an option, as it's taller than I am (6') and I'm sure that the roots stretch six feet in each direction.
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Lindsaylew82
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raybitterlick
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ButterflyLady29
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raybitterlick
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ButterflyLady29
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My potted tangerine dropped all it's leaves and I was ready to give it up for dead last year. The root ball had dried out and I couldn't get it rehydrated until I set it in a tub of water. It lost most of it's branches and looked dead for a couple weeks. The trunk and some of the older branches still had a green color to them so I kept it watered and kept my fingers crossed. It took a couple weeks before it formed new leaves but it did leaf back out. It's okay now but needs to have the dead branches trimmed off still. Hard to find them with all the new growth it has now. It did set it back, the beautiful shape is gone and it will take a couple years before it can be trimmed enough to look right but it has survived.
I grew it from seed nearly 20 years ago so it has some sentimental value to it.
I grew it from seed nearly 20 years ago so it has some sentimental value to it.