Doesn't look scary; don't stress too much. At this point, about all you can do is wait to see how the new leaves grow. The new leaves tell you about the state of health of your tree now; the older leaves only about how it WAS.

You new leaves are coming in way too yellow.....Much too yellow for my taste of for your tree to be vigorous...They should be coming in green, or light green, not yellow...
Just a few questions..
What fertilizer do you use? What is that mix? How often do you have to water? How do you know when to water? What is the pH of your tap water? Is that tree sitting in a spot where get full hot sun? How cold at night?
Thank you)

Yes they do seem quite yellow, it is only the start of spring here (Live in Australia)

Fertilizer i use is, I top the pot up with compost/worm castings at the start of spring with added rock dust and pelt chicken manure which i would add more as the season goes on, i also water with seaweed and liquid fert every 2 weeks.

The soil mix is osmocote potting mix (good quality one here in Australia) with added perlite for drainage. Mulch is just composted leaf matter.

Watering at this stage is about once weekly but as the temp rise I'm sure I'll be watering more as the pot it is in is quite small and will be needed to potted up soon. I water when needed by knowing to scratch down couple inches.

My PH of water as I found out yesterday is around 7.5 with an ppm of around 200ppm on 500 scale. The PH is fairly high however I've watered all my other fruit trees and lemon tree the same and no issues with these parameters and they are booming.

Yes, the tree is sitting in a place facing the afternoon sun.

Current temps here are between 7-20's C/44-68 F keeping in mind that spring has pretty much only started here and we will get temps on the hottest of days up to 45c/100F+ with nights being in the 20's.

Brent

This is what I would do as soon as possible. Ready?
I would take your tree back inside until night temps warm into the 50's..Keep it warm so it will continue to take up ferilizer, which leads to this, fertilizer in the mix not being used...

Stop using that organic stuff since it is not readliy available and clogs up air space in containers. That stuff is good for inground plants where beneficial microbes exist that make it available .Your tree or trees are starving for nutrients despite your well meaning efforts because the soil is too cold for the roots to work and on top of that.

Your pH is way to high to see vivid green color in your leaves. I would add a table spoon of vinegar every time I water with soluable fertilizer as soon as you warm up that tree. In fact, I would bet money on it that with days of bringing into a warmer area and using vinegar with a good fertilizer, it will green up before your eyes could blink.

I am have to say that minus the poop, compost, and leaf matter, the mix you are using is pretty decent..Your aim is to keep your mix open and porous, to allow the the roots to breath, oxygen echange, as long as you can, to encourage strong root growth. I would not be surprised if the root system to your tree is stunted.

You have way too many things working against the overall health and vigor of your tree, and doing something about it yesterday would be the smart thing to do. Believe me, been there done that, making the same mistakes, and lost a too many citrus trees to not let it happen to good folk like you.

Please, l
Let me know what you think?

Mike)

Thanks i will try what you suggested however, I don't think it would be anything to do with the organic stuff due to their being worms all through the mix says more then enough it has a well eco system going on (i do use non organic liquid ferts also) Doesn't explain why all my other fruit trees blueberries, lemon tree, apricot, peach, almond etc are all doing well in the same mix.

To be exact the mix is osmocote potting mix, loam mix, compost and perlite added which would should be great for drainage and aeration.

Another week or two and the weather will be well over 50's in the nights anyways

Here's what i will do... Since it's in a small pot anyways that needs to be up sized i will re pot it. All my other trees are in bigger pots and are doing well and I'm thinking its due to the pots trapping in the heat over the day and this little container just can't cope with retaining it.

Brent, let's see what happens, but what I can tell you is that the nutrients your tree needs are not being met for the many reasons I told you. Are you going to use vinegar? Your pH is very high which is also holding up nutrients..Just so you now, a Citrus Tree is far different than everything else you are growing. They are beasts of their own needing certain requirements..Good luck)

True that they are different. Ive just come back from the local nursery and hardware store and seen their plants they all seem to be the same with pale green/yellow growth although they do not have the same leaf curl as me which i would say is because of the tree beening out in the cold over winter. So this makes me think its a high change its just the cold at the moment but will see in the next few weeks.

Ive bought a large pot and will be potting it up today and will water well with PH adjusted water and see what happens.

Brent, it sounds like you are on the right track..Thank God for spring, right? Now I am heading into fall and envy those heading into spring every year.lol

Yes, warm up your tree or trees and wait until the temps rise above 55 for you consistently at night ,if you want good growth or keep them warm inside..Too you could acclimate them to outside by putting them out there while temps are warm and then bringing them in at night. I like to do this. Be careful you don't just stick them in full sun but put them under trees or morning sunlight for a couple of weeks so the leaves don't burn too.

It was nice to meet you and keep coming back. If you ever want private help I would do that for you. I think my e-mail is on this site. Enjoy your day!

Listen I have a funny thing to share. I have a friend that has a Jasmine that requires an acidic solution when fertilizing that her plant was so yellow, she thought it was dead. I told her about vinegar and a good fertilizer and she was afraid to do it. I was at her cookout when I offered to bring my own watering solution to her house so I ran back home and made a brew of plain ole Miracle Grow and one tablespoon of vinegar in a gallon of water. That was at about noon. I watered it and told her to keep an eye on it and that it would turn green before her very eyes...I was just joking of course,,Well, before I left at 5, it actually did..lololo No kidding. No one there could believe it was greener than when I got there at noon. No one. Long story short. Here it is a month later and it is as green as could be, twice the nice and loaded with blooms, Citrus require the same care to get lush vibrant green growth, flowers, and fruit...She is a believer now.)

Yep i actually knew about the vinegar trick as i have blueberries and do the same for them along with hydroponic equipment PH is a big one. I didnt think about doing it for my mandarin tree tho as all my other trees seem to tolerate my water anyways.

But i have now re pot it into a large pot and will monitor it over next few weeks. Day light savings starts here as of next week with good 14-15+ hours of sun.

Thanks for the help and i will keep this thread informed of my progress

pH of 7.5 is about the upper limit for citrus to absorb nutrients, especially iron from the soil; that combined with your cool weather is your main problem. I think as it warms up a bit, your color will improve.

Brent..That sounds great..Listen, if you pot up, be sure that you don't over water since you are going to go bigger than the root system. How big?

Keep a close eye on how fast your post dries out..The quicker the better, obviously what you can keep up with but yet what is best for your tree. It's a balancing act)

I wish I could say the same about daylight( Mines will be going back in about a month and then it will be dark at 5.. Does it get dark that early there in winter? Where do your trees reside all winter? Do you fertilize all winter?

Just because your other trees tolerate it, it does not mean that they will like it over a period of time. Some will react more quickly than others as you are seeing while others can't take an akaline conditions often.....Better to catch the problem before it starts..Keep the others green and hopefully that one will catch up....

Yes, please keep us updated..AS SOON AS YOU WATER WITH VINEGAR, even before it warms us, let me know, please and keep taking pics of your tree as it greens up.

Also, is there any way you can take a close up of that mix for me? I would love to see what you are using...

Mike)

The pot it is in now is 20" fair size up from what it was in at the time. In winter here gets dark around 5-6pm and light again 6-7am. Spring/summer light around 5am and 7-8pm dark again.

Ive left my trees outdoors during winter. The lowest it gets here is generally in the low 40s abs very rarely any lower then that, no snow or anything here.

Ive watered with PH adjusted water as re potted it. I will check in couple hours as it is currently 4am here atm.

I'll see what i can do for photo of the mix as im pretty much all out of it atm.

Some reason your tree is not in the ground? Citrus are much easier to care for when planted in the ground.

Hey Brent..Funny that John should ask that, but I was wondering the same thing here.
If you temps don't drop below the low 40's, why not plant them in the ground? I sure the heck would)

Wiat according to your profile pic, it looks like you live in an apartment complex? That would be why if so..

Im living in a rental so i plan on moving in the next year or two so i have my stuff in pots so i can take with me thats why. Otherwise yes i would most definitely and plan on when i own my my house

So i took some more photos today after the re potting of some close ups of the leaves. I've watered the tree with PH water adjusted to around 5.8. See what happens over next few days if anything. I noticed some little critter on the leaves too unsure to what it is

Brent, good job I think..I usually wait until my plants are outside for a while before repotting unless they are in dire need of one..

I wish you could post me a pic of you mix...Can't you grab a handful out of the pot and then put it back? Are the ingredients on the back of the bag? Ours tells us what percentage of bark, peat, perlite and so on. It's what going on in the root zone that concerns me more than anything and unless I see a pic of the mix, I can't help you much. I have no idea of what I am working with with you ....

By the way, did you do a bare root or just a transfer of your tree into a bigger pot without disturbing the roots?

Mike

Hey Mike,

Appreciate you helping out the joys of trying to problem solve these things huh? Doesn't help when your on the other side of the world to haha.

Anyways I don't have a bag around to take a pic and the soil in the pot its pretty wet at the moment so I'll do my best to show what i have in the mix now

Loam mix from local nursery nice and gritty
Perlite pretty self standard in what it does for extra drainage

http://www.bunnings.com.au/osmocote-25l-professional-multi-purpose-potting-mix_p2961483

Is the potting mix I use, i dont have the bag around to show it as i used it all. Regarded highly for its quality it is little more expensive then others here but worth it. I read the MSDS on it but doesnt tell much but its pretty much composted bark and organic matter

This link here is a youtube video of a guy in Australia and i use the excat same mix well almost to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzPc5DJuGJc

On top of them 3 I've used in the mix was

homemade compost ( to make up for the lack of potting soil i had left)
Rock dust
Pelleted chicken manure

Now, when i went to re pot it i noticed that when i first planted it I've only planted it in pure compost by looks of it as i didn't have all the proper ingredients at the time, being that it was a small container i was going to re pot it up anyways in long run. I should of taken a pic at the time of the rots but they weren't completely white and I'm thinking the compost was retaining to much water.

When i replanted i didn't disturb the roots to much so if my theory is correct it may take little while to see any changes till it grows out (if it does) of its current soil. Along with the issues of PH (and the cold) which i measured again this morning was close to 8 i will continue to monitor it and water with adjusted water to see any changes

This is a pic of my overwintered Trinidad scorpion that i noticed is having very similar issues and i believe it was just planted in compost from memory, the bark on top is the mulch... well it was.

So three factors

-Poor drainage
-PH

-weather

Hey Brent..Just noticing this post and I have to run to work..I will be back later, ok...)

Brent, do you have Facebook? We could instant message each other and that would help a lot!

PH soil test today not good in the 8's even after re potting. I did a separate test on the sand alone and it was alkaline. Strange as I've used it all in my other mixes and i did a test on them and there in the 5-6 range. Maybe a different batch of loam? Anyways, don't really want to re pot again so I've gone and applied some a agricultural sulfur which will take time, hopefully continuing adding organic matter etc it will lower over time.

Yes Mike i do and it is -

www.facebook.com/brentwilly

Hey Brent, make that 4...Lack of Nitrogen being robbed from your trees because of the decaying matter....and the other three problems...Yikes, I hope the other trees do well and that one responds well..Please keep us updated)

Enjoy your lovely weather across the pond if you are getting it_

Weather sure has picked up here with spring only started it has been 85 degree past few days.. It's going to be a hot summer that's for sure. As been talking to you on messenger i figured I'd post here too, to show people what I've been doing.

So anyways i was given advice from Mike himself to apply a non organic fert to see how things would go due to being in a pot this would suit better then organic ferts, even tho i will use both and switch between to the two to get the best of both.

Since I've measured the PH level of the soil it was well into the alkaline state and for that reason I've gone out and bought a liquid sulfur to try bring down the PH I've also applied sulfur in granule form to but this will take time to break down as apposed to the liquid form.

The other day i watered the foliage with a chelated mix i had laying around from one of my old aquariums as i grew a lot of underwater plants with the fish. Since doing that the leaves have very much gone from pale yellow to a more green but still yellow stage. This indicates that there is a mineral deficiencies and/or a PH problem which it is.

This was the original photo taken

To now with a re potting, watering with PH adjusted water with vinegar, applied both liquid and granule sulfur (which i will monitor to see if it goes to low over next few weeks) and applied a chelated mix to the foliage. All within few days has picked up quite a bit, drainage isn't a issue as i know this because as soon as i poured water onto it within 30-1min it was draining. The only other factor which could been playing a role was the cold which isn't much of an issue now as it has warmed up.

Will keep updating in new future

Brent, great work! We shall chat soon...By the way, I am glad you see how importnat the pH is...I would keep that in mind for your others even if you don't see an issue..The issues with coloring of you leaves and nutrients uptake will happen eventually as they do to mine...)

Looking forward to seeing the progress..I will chat with you later Brent.

Wow, Brent! Your tree looks awesome! How often were you applying the sulphur and vinegar?

Double WOW! What a super change! I'm sure the weather helped but I agree with Mike in that the pH was one of your most limiting factors (the leaves on your pepper were very chlorotic which is an indicator of severe iron deficiency usually brought on by high pH). It is truly amazing to see how much a tree can bounce back when growing conditions are adjusted.

As a side question how are your blueberries? They were actually the fruit that got me into looking up pH for my plants as well, although I haven't had as much trouble with adjusting for citrus as you have. I have one Sunshine Blue and am hoping for blooms in the spring. I hope you get blooms on your citrus!

The Sulphur I've only applied once before i left for work 2 weeks ago. I will measure the PH of the soil again soon to see what it is at and will reapply if needed. I've just been watering with regular tap water which is around 7.6 PH here. Every other tree doesnt have issues with it as i think the compost acts as a buffer anyways to bring it down.

Same pepper which had sulphur applied also and has started to go pretty well.
Blueberries are going super well in pots. Never had issues with them in first place and they are planted in Azalea mix/peat moss/ pine bark with yearly addition of added peat moss/compost and regular acid ferts. Altho i did swear i had more blueberries then this, i think the birds have got to them.

On another note to see how rest my garden is going

Apricot on its way

Peach tree/ Raspberry (which are growing like mental they want to unleash like crazy out of that pot)/ Small blueberry bush 1st yearPeach before i left for work

2 weeks difference when i got back going well this is an O'henry peach

Apricot tree growing very well & the Mandarin, both which got battered a bit today but unusual rain at this time of year but should bounce back.
Tomatoes/eggplant well on its way in this early spring (just to rub it in for you guys in winter) haha.

Thanks for providing the amazing update on your citrus revitalization and showing us pictures of other plants you are growing in your garden. Mike has helped many members on this site with problem solving their citrus issues. Your garden and plants look nice. I will start having some of the same problems as I am entering the winter mode here in NJ. I hated to have to take them inside as they look so good after the summer, but we had 2 nights of frost now. Your tree is off to a nice start.

Cory

Wow Brent, MARVELOUS , just awesome..I 'll bet you were so happy to see that surprise when you go back..I can't believe how much you have growing in pots and the types of plants you have..I never knew one could even get a peach to fruit in a pot..Great job and such a nice set up for in-ground plants too! I'll bet you must be thrilled that your warmer weather is on it's way...For me, just the opposite..arg...

Cory, I hope you are doing well...Thank you)

Thanks mike appreciate the help along the way. I will post updates at this stage every 2 weeks before and after i leave for work and keep updated on what im doing and how im doing it for anyone who may be interested.

You'd be suprised you can grow just about anything in pots. You can get some nice dwarf varieties theses days even tho that peach i have isn't a dwarf, the pot will dwarf it anyways till i move it out once i own my own property. I actually shouldn't be letting it fruit as it is only in its first year and to let it establish its foundation. But i want one to try so i left one on - couldn't help myself haha

Been a while but here's a latest on the tree

no added sulphur to the mix then before and just watering with regular tap water. Im thinking the temps played he biggest factor in it so will be interesting to see when it hits winter here again.

Will do a compost/manure top up in next few weeks for the summer

So its been a while and while you guys in the northern hemisphere have the up coming summer we have now entered autumn (fall) and i wish to show the progress of this tree.

Now typically summer is the worst month of growing for us coz its usuallly to hot ranging in the 30-45c (80-110F) i did experience tip burn to many of my plants. But i have a good 3-4 months of growing time still here as we have an extended growing season down here in australia.

I'm in temprate/Mediterranean climate similar to California i believe or zone 10.

Here is the tree now

Cheers :)

Beautiful! That's a nice looking tree. Keep doing what you're doing!

Great job with your tree the before and afters speak volumes. I'm into container gardening as well. I have 18 fruit trees and 2 Bay Laurel trees. Only 5 of my fruit trees are planted in the ground. I have 5 citrus and 8 avocados in containers. I also have 12 berry varieties in containers. I grow hot peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables in containers and raised beds.