Possibly Frosted Meyer

13 years ago

I wish I had taken a picture of my Meyer today to provide along with this posting, perhaps I will get one tomorrow and post it as a follow-up. I have a Meyer that has been in-ground for about 9 months and was transplanted once during that time (back in September or October, I think). Throughout the winter, I have taken precautions to protect it during cold nights below 36 (even though I've read they can handle temps into mid-20s). And I thought I had rather successfully made it through.

We've had a wierd winter down here in Florida with temps never really getting all that cold for very long and most of the time weather feeling like spring. As such, all my citrus have been somewhat confused on just what they're supposed to be doing. My Bearss over the past two weeks had put on a lot of new growth and was looking very fine and healthy. My mandarin and meyer, while not growing as much, were starting to show bits of new growth as well. So, I figured with all the warm weather and the new growth, I would give them all a small dose of balanced, slow-release fertilizer... and then... this past Sunday, we got hit be a final parting shot (maybe... there could be one more coming) from Old Man winter (temp hit 27 according to the recording thermometer).

Even though I protected my plants, he nailed my Bearss and I believe I lost all the new growth from it. Even some of the old leaves are now discolored and burned. All the tiny growth on the mandarin got similarly toasted, though the mature leaves don't look any worse than they did prior. The Meyer however... it just started turning yellow. Almost the entire bush. The leaves aren't discoloring in a fashion that I'm used to with frost burn, nor are they curling or going limp. They're just leeching their color. Does this suggest that perhaps the roots got frozen (hard to believe) or perhaps the graft point?

Having had a Key Lime killed down to about 1" above the graft last spring by a similar freeze, I am not giving up on the Meyer as a total loss as it could come back, much as the Key Lime did (it made it through the freeze thanks to being potted and moved into a storage shed with heat.) And for all I know this might be a totally unrelated issue. So, any ideas on what I'm seeing with my Meyer? Again, I'm sorry I don't have a picture to go with this. I will try to get one tomorrow.

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Comments (3)

johnmerr
13 years ago
The cold weather inhibits the Meyer roots from absorbing the nutrients they need. I would guess the frost did not damage it; but maybe a spray of foliar fert would help.

Do not dispair; it is a Winter malady..... don't know about the others, most people here know I am a one trick pony; and I don't know as much as I should about things other than Meyers
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
13 years ago
I tend to agree with John's comments, but without photos, it's a bit of a guess. I have this issue here in my neck of the woods with most of my citrus. Not all, but some are more sensitive to cold winter temps and micronutrient uptake. It is a "perfect storm" we tend to see here in Jan through February: cold temps, rain, slightly higher pH and lack of Manganese in our soils. Those factors will cause a locking out of micronutrient uptake, and the two most affected micronutrients are manganese and then iron (which we don't really have an issue with here in my area, as we have plenty of iron in the soil.) You can try a foliar micronutrient application such as S.T.E.M. or Citrus Grower's Blend, or simply wait until your temps warm up, then apply a good citrus fertilizer with micros. And, an additional micro application either by foliar spray or soil soak. All my citrus recover nicely as temps warm up. And, you'll get new flush replacing the frosted flush on everything, too. It's been a tough winter for all of us across the country, and in the citrus belt, too. My yard is trying to recover from 5 days in a row of nighttime temps from 26 to 28 degrees. A record here in Vista, CA. The only reason we did not have more catastrophic loss was due to prolonged chilly temps before this frigid drop, which allowed most of my plants, including my citrus, to be able to harden off to some extent (those plants that could.)

Patty S.
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Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, thank you both. Even though I am responding later, I actually read ya'll's comments earlier and I have given the Meyer a foliar spraying of fertilizer today. We'll see how it goes. I was so busy working in the yard today that I forgot to take a picture of it again. I finally remembered about the time the sun was dipping under the trees west of me. Too little, too late. I will eventually remember to take a picture and post it, just to make sure. But with two out of three Meyer gurus saying it is probably nutrient deficiency, I feel fairly safe for the moment.