Hi all,

I live in SW Florida and have a large Persian Lime (10-12 feet tall) planted outside. I planted it as a 5-6 ft. tree about seven years ago and, until recently, it had been doing quite well. It currently has a lot of fruit remaining on it but has lost almost all its leaves during the past week to ten days. Coincidentally, the weather here in Florida has made an abrupt shift during the same period, going from daytime highs in the 90's and lows in the 70's to high's in the low 70's and lows down to 48. This has happened, at times, in the past, but it never hurt the trees. The dropped leaves are slightly curled but still green and the leaf stems seem to remain on the tree. There is no apparent insect damage, although there is a lot of sooty mold left from whiteflys during the hot weather.

Could the temperature change be the culprit? Should the tree be pruned in the spring? Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help!