do you have a pic? a few of my citrus have some weak branches, but i dont prune them because im wanting them to fruit sooner rather than later, and pruning will set back the plant quite a bit when it comes to blooms. is there any chance these thinner stems will bulk up? my lime and my meyer currently have some thin branches that are bald, but very much alive and will grow leaves (thanks for the tip there toni!) in the spring. i guess it comes down to whether you want it to fruit, or look aesthetically pleasing:)

on a slightly different note...what i wouldnt do to have hot summers like you do over there :D

I ran outside and took pictures.

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It's been planted in a mix of 1/3 orchid bark (conifer), 1/3 turface, and 1/3 perlite for about 2 weeks.

Aesir22, as you can see, the tree is very unhealthy looking. It has dropped its limes. Right now, I only want it to be healthy. I don't really care whether or not it produces fruit. I just want it to becomes a vigorous tree again. :-(

Normally, I love the climate! My other plants are doing well.

im not familiar with turface...it might have another name this side of the pond lol. the tree is looking a little sad but not too bad. it might be showing signs of discontent from a mix between too little light, then too much and the leaves scorching, then throw in a scale infection and changes in its environment...and it isn't gonna be too pleased. the thing i have learned from these forums is that they are great at bouncing back!

what kind of light is it in now? the curling of the leaves may suggest it is in too hot/bright and environment...i have read they curl as a defense mechanism. it could also indicate either a lack of water or too much watering. what is the humidity level like?

do you fertilize? if so, what kind of fertilizer and how often? the leaves look a little pale in some places - could it be lacking nitrogen?

personally, i wouldnt cut the thinner shoots off...chances are they will grow stronger! but that is only my opinion, i am by no means an expert when it comes to citrus.

It's 87 degrees and the humidity is 27%. The sun is very intense. The tree had been in the sun but I rolled it back to get a good picture. It may need more water - I'm afraid of watering it too much. I tend to want to "kill it with kindness" so I opted for a free draining soil mix.

I'm not a native Texan and I've learned the hard way that when a label says full sun - that doesn't mean full sun in Texas! Only my desert rose and purslane seem to thrive in full sun.

lol i used to feel the same with watering. the main killer of citrus is root problems from overwatering, and we have all had warnings at some time or other saying not to water so much. but...on the same note, they dont appreciate drought. water is still really important to them, probably more so in your climate. stick your finger two or three inches into the mix. if it comes out wet its fine. if the mix is dry, it needs watering - water until you see about 10% of the water you are using flows out of the drainage holes.

i know what you mean about killing it with kindness. loving them too much will smother them to death. i used to mess about too much with mine. now, i just make sure i check regularly for disease and pests, and sponge down the leaves gently every week. i also started growing citrus seeds - for the love of growing more than anything, and seedlings change quite rapidly so its always exciting watching them grow :)

you never mentioned if you fertilized? i have read somewhere that the yellowing of the leaves and leaf veins could be a nutrient deficiency. im not sure whether its nitrogen/magnesium/iron etc but its advisable to use a 5-1-3 ratio fertilizer (i think that was it!) with trace minerals (iron, magnese, copper)

hopefully one of the experts will be able to give you a clearer plan of what to do and a better identification of the problem, but for me, its nearly midnight and time for bed!

hope your tree gets better!

dan

I fertilize with Foliage-Pro and Pro-Tekt, Miracle Grow for Acid loving plants, fish emulsion, and Sunniland citrus granules (but not all at the same time!). The citrus granules were mixed in with the potting mix as I was making it. Last Sunday it was fish emulsion, today it was the Miracle Grow for Acid loving plants, next Sunday it will be the Foliage-Pro/Pro-TeKt. None of it is used full strength. I'm afraid of burning it.

This lime tree lives in fine sized orchid bark ordered from a nursery on the Internet because I couldn't find small enough bark here. It has turface bought on e-bay. The only thing I got locally was the perlite! LOL!

It spent several months in a soil conditioner and Miracle Grow potting soil that holds moisture. That was a nightmare. Parts of the mixture would be bone dry while other parts stayed wet all the time. I finally collected all of the needed materials and repotted.

I study the threads compulsively looking for clues as to what might make it happy! When I read your post about sticking my finger into the soil mix I did that and watered. That's probably more accurate than my water meter. I've also used a wooden skewer stick sometimes to determine wetness.

On the Texas forum someone said that citrus don't do well in our extreme heat. I think this was written back during August when we'd had many,many days of over 100 degree heat. I'm hoping that the cooler weather will help.

I welcome any and all suggestions!

You two have given me food for thought - THANKS! It DID need watered and has perked up considerably now. The discolored leaves are older so were probably on the tree before it started getting the variety of fertilizers.

When I watered it ants came up out of the potting mix. I had just about prefer to see a big rat (and like most women I don't care for rats) out there with it as an ant - knowing that scale and/or other undesirable insects may not be too far behind.

Hi Tx. Since you've converted from soil to a soil-less mix, your impulse was to water as you would a mix that contained actual soil..
I'm unfamilar with the ingredients in Al's mix since I'm still into, what most would consider, 'old-fashioned' soil. Plus soil-less mediums, too, of course.

Of what's written for those who pot in soil-less mixes, it's stated, frequent watering is required. Soil holds moisture, Perlite etc, doesn't, so it's normal for one who changes mixes to err. :)

Water, test soil before adding more. Insert your finger as deep as possible..if it comes out moist wait a few days and retest. Lifting pot is another way to check soil. If it's lightweight it probably needs water. It's best to lift plant after watering to compare. They sell water guages, but save the money and test with your finger or by lifting pot.

Aesir offered great advice. Good luck, Toni

Thanks Toni! This is my first experience with the soiless mix. The lime tree has really perked up so I'm sure it was just needing water. Any suggestions on what to do about the weak branches? (see arrow)

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I would prune it and if your plans are to move it inside for the winter then go ahead and do it now. If you plan to leave it outside for the winter then wait till last frost next Spring. Ask Arizona growers about citrus growing in the full sun with temps over 100 for 30 or more days straight. Citrus have no problems handling those conditions. But when putting them into those conditions they had to be acclimated to it gradually. Also from your second picture it appears you may have a scale infestation beginning. It's not real clear but look for cottony-cushion scale. Search on this site if you don't know what to look for.