Well, we need a bit more info. First off, prune away all the dead wood. Just make sure it is dead. Secondly, what kind of soil do you have? Clay, loam, sand, decomposted granite? How well does your soil drain? How frequently are you watering and for how long each time? How frequently are you fertilizing and for how long? How much sun does your tree get? Depending upon where you are in California, you may have experienced some freeze/frost temps, and what you're seeing is some latent frost damage.

Patty S.

Carefully check the soil around your tree. See how moist the soil is. If it's dried out, or the opposite, soaking wet, you'll know that this is due to a watering issue. Again, prune out your dead wood. It does not look like a disease to me, with the exception of possibly being root rot, and that will be determined if your soil is really wet. If this is the case, do two soil drenches with AgriFos, 1 tsp per gallon of water. Apply 5 gallons one month apart. Reduce your watering so that the soil has a chance to dry out some between waterings. If the soil is dried out, then apply more water and give the soil a good soaking, once to 3 times a week, depending upon how warm it is. Can you provide more close up photos of the leaves, branches, and especially the trunk at the soil line? That might help us to see if there is a pathogen involved.

Patty S.

A few months ago the leaves on my orange tree started to turn yellow I ignored it but then it started to thinned down . Then leaves started falling down in just a few weeks . I watered it put some fertilizer waited for it to recover. Then leaves started curling . It looks like a skeleton now . I don't know if I could still save it .I honestly don't know what to do . Pls . Help

Sometimes trees just die; sometimes some obscure virus is introduced by some insect or snail/slug munching on the new growth. When you prune back, be sure to prune back to the first live green bud; if you leave some black, the limb will continue to die back. Best of luck.

John

John's right, there are a few "sudden death" diseases that can cause a catastrophic, sudden death. Brazil has had issues with a virus causing Citrus Sudden Death. I would check with your local ag agents to see if your area or country is having the same issues. Let them know about your tree and send them several photos - overall tree, trunk, root zone and close up photos of the leaves and branches. If you can rule out watering issues (in this case, it would lack of water at the root zone), as well as pest issues (gophers can go in and kill a tree overnight, causing this same sort of catastrophic death). As John mentioned, try pruning back to healthy wood. If there isn't any, I would carefully remove the tree, roots and all, and dispose of off the property. Try replanting ,but not in the same area.

Patty S.

Hello i was wondering if i could pick your brain about anproblem im

Having with my orange tree is looking dull and branches are turning brown and dying i had one a while back before in anither house and it started like that and kep moving inward until it died conpleteley, i am in san diego zone 10, i water it once a week, dont know what type of soil it is bUt its the one it came in potted, it already came like that since i got it i saw one small branch and now its more i think its a diseasE

My god..I think I am about to gag! What a shame to see such a beautiful tree go down like that especially in San Diego! There should be nothing wrong with that tree in such the perfect climate...

All I can think of is root damage...If you have a soil that has collapsed, the only thing to do at this point is check the roots and re pot it into a better open mix if it's not too late...I am crying right now((((

That is a big tree for that size container, I take it that tree has never been transplanted. Have you ever flushed out the salts build up? Looking at the trees foliage it easy to see the roots are not able to take up enough water to supply the needs of the tree. This can be due to several causes, high soluble salts, being extreme root bound, root damage. One thing is absolutely clear, and that is the tree's problem is in the container. Have you ever pulled the tree out of the container and examined the root system? A container grown citrus tree should either be transplanted into a larger container at the very minimum at least every two years, or root pruned and replaced back into it original container. My guess is the soluble salts level in the container must be very high. A container tree's medium should be flushed out with clean clear water in the amount of 4 times the volume of the container at least twice a year. Check you tree to see how badly this tree's root system is bound up and circling around and around inside the container. - Silica