I think I know the answer to this one:-)

Well, blaze, speak up :-) What I see here are a few things: First off, how much full sun is your tree getting? Citrus do like a fair amount of sun, and in these photos I see it is in just about full shade. If you're getting enough hours of sunshine, then the next thing to address if fertilizer. You need to be fertilizing every 2 to 3 months, from about February through Oct/Nov with a good citrus fertilizer that contains micronutrients. Citrus require a fair amount of nitrogen, and fertilizing only once last year isn't nearly enough. Also, how frequently are you watering? You want to make sure the soil is moist, but not water-logged. So, more fertilizer, an application of micronutrients as well wouldn't hurt, more sun if that's the issue, and proper amounts of water. Organic compost as mulch is great, must keep it several inches away from the trunk to prevent rot. And, if any fruit sets and doesn't drop off at the bb stage, I would probably take all the fruit off this tree to allow it to put more energy into its roots and canopy. Lastly, you can copy the HTML code for your photos next time, and then paste that into your message so that your photos are embedded right into your message. You'll know you've done it correctly when you click on "Preview Messages" and see photos right in your message. A little easier than having to go to Photobucket to see your pics :-)

Patty S.

I would say too much shade and soil conditions. Less water. More fertilizer. More sun. Clean away weeds and add some slow release citrus food with micro nutes and cover with manure. If you want or if it gets too hot you can cover the manure with wood chip mulch. Spray with a foliage micro nutrient spray when things begin to shape up a little.

my meyer lemon suffered similar symptoms this spring due to 6 weeks of straight rain. leaves yellowing and falling off, then the branches turning brown and dying. its now left with one small branch, but is doing better now with full sun and hot temps.

Yeah my trees have been known to do that during a cold and somewhat wet spring.

All I want right now is 5 consecutive days with FULL SUN. Not foggy cloudy soggy days. I get a glimpse of a good hot spring for a day or two and then rain and overcast (I love the rain but I want some sun!!) I can see all the new growth starting just waiting for a nice hot week of SUN! My citrus are just waiting to get out of this FUNK!

I do think around this time of year alot of newly planted or "rookie" citrus get a little funky at the end of winter/early spring. They like SUN AND HEAT!

We get that same response to our young citrus here in Calif., houston. The combination of our cold rains and our slightly high pH soil causes micronutrients to be locked out. The micronutrient most affected for us in S. Calif. is Manganese during these conditions. Once we are over our cold rains, and soils warm up, we see a big change in our citrus. And, as our trees mature, they tend to tolerate this better. But all my young citrus, especially those with pummelo in their genetics really, really suffer.

Patty S.

Well, Patty, for high pH soil, the Pummelo may be your worst choice; they do best at 5.5-6.5. At my farm they grow like weeds; and in my home garden, where we have lots of cypress and pines, you have to go out every morning with a big stick and beat the pummelo tree to try to keep it under control... helps too that it is the City of Eternal Springtime...5,000 feet elevation at 14 degrees latitude.

Yup. Anything that is more tropical within the citrus family will do less well here in our decidedly Mediterranean climate. Too cold and wet, and our pH is just a little high for them. Which is why the Ugli simply will not produce decent fruit here, but does splendidly in Jamaica. But, once established, they do just fine. And yes, you will start to have to take a stick to them here, too, lol!! Everything about them is "super sized", not just the fruit!! I have a neighbor that has a huge pummelo tree. They had no idea what it was, but the fruit are just about the size of a basketball!

Patty S.

I have 4 Chandler pummelos; they are my favorite -- big, pink, seedless, and with the heat units I have at the farm, they should be super sweet; I also have 3 Oro Blanco (Sweetie)... a friend gave me the budwood telling me it was a pummelo hybrid; now I learn it is really a grapefruit... I hope the staff at my farm will like them.

Vadim,

Some very good points made by others above, but I seriously doubt overwatering could be your issue here (unless you were applying yourself at very high rates) especially given this year's drought (as compared to last year) here in the Bay Area.

What I will say about water is that you must be CONSISTENT, as citrus (especially young ones) like both their soaking water (with rest in between) AND fertilizer. For example, for my 5 in-ground citrus trees (Meyer lemons, Trovita orange, and Gold Nugget mandarin planted starting in 2010), the first year, I was watering (2-5 gal at a time) as much as twice per week. Then once per week the next year, and once every 2 weeks the year after - I'm trying to wean my trees from too much water as they mature for conservation purposes.

I suspect that your main problem might be your fertilizer. As indicated above, you'll want to check your fertilizer's label to make sure you have the necessary micronutrients, namely Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Magnesium, Sulfur, and Calcium. If these are not present in your fertilizer (which I've seen many organic fertilizers lacking, unfortunately), you'll have serious problems with your citrus. I've had very good success (by following instructions on the box) with GreenAll's Citrus and Avocado fertilizer which has all of the above as well as a good proportion of the essential Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash (14-4-8).

BTW, here in the Bay Area, optimal [granular] fertilizing times given our generally cooler/more moderate temperatures are in February, May, and September - an easy way to remember this is to fertilize on Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Tim

Tim,

14-4-8... near perfect for Meyers, which I have found need something like 6-2-4. Green All and Bayer, two of my favoritest products... unfortunately in Guatemala we can't access Green All; that and it is more than a bit pricey for commercial production.

As to water, I think Meyers need a good watering once a week; less than that you will get fruits without as much juice and with short shelf life... at least for the off season crop..

Your tree is starved for nitrogen.

Thank a lot to everyone.

Tree get full sun, so it is not an issue.

Four winds nursery (which is located near us) said that was planted too deeply, or it sunk after planting, so that the 'crown roots' are covered with soil or mulch.

I'll rack rake back the soil and add fertilizer and I'll wait for a few months.

Vadim

This is an excellent thread for this topic. On a side not, I have planted my citrus with the crown just under the soil with no Ill effect. Now its not too deep though, just below the soil. But then again I have good draining sandy loam soil. But if you look at these pictures in this thread you will notice they plant just above the soil. I would think that is the correct method.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0113584112263.html

Here is a link that might be useful: How to plant crown

I went out this morning and dug a trench with my finger around the base of my two citrus trees. I did find the crowns about 1"-2" under the soil with no Ill effects other than a little root growth on the Navel. These two trees have been in the ground for over a year. They have had slow and unusual growth but nothing major(due to grass and improper fertilizer/watering). No mold or rot or anything.

Instead of digging them up I dug the soil from around the crown and mounded around it so that water would not get in too bad. Its like a little moat...hehehe. Im hoping as time goes by the growth will fill in the "moat".

Its sad but they were planted like that in the pot when I bought them. For newbies to follow a "planting chart" that says to plant to the same level in the pot, they should be aware that sometimes the crown is planted to deep in the pot itself so it would be a good idea to clear away some dirt to find the crown before planting. I dont think too much dirt on top of the crown would be bad but I think its best to check before planting.

John, you'll love the Oroblanco if you like your Chandler's. Very similar in flavor, but with a more "grapefruit" aftertone. But still extremely sweet and yummy. My favorite citrus of all just about. That and the Melogold, which is the "sister" genetically speaking (identical same cross as the 'Oroblanco', a cross between a grapefruit and a pummelo, actually, so you can call it either a pummelo or a grapefruit hybrid). I do like the Chandler a lot, have been eating them quite a bit recently, as they're in season right now up here. And, if I can just get my pummelos established, they'll acclimate just fine. It's the first 2 to 3 years that they struggle.

Patty S.

kutsyy. when you rake away the soil be careful not to damage the crown or roots. When I checked mine I kinda nicked one with my fingernail and it cut a little gash in the base. Then again I was digging a little too hard with my hands. So if my fingernail can cut the tree watch out for the rake. Try to get your hands a little dirty...hehehe