Looks like it needs water.

Ok. I'm so afraid of over watering. I usually use a moisture meter but my daughter just broke mine yesterday. It has been hot but even with water is been doing that with the leaves. I'll give it a good soaking tomorrow.

I agree with John, I would also hold off on any fertilizer until you start to see fresh growth. I usually wait a year before fertilizing my newly planted citrus trees. It forces the the trees roots to grow and search for nutrients. Is your tree on an irrigation system? Or are you hand watering? The key is consistency with citrus trees, making sure the rootball never fully dries out while the tree is young like yours. I would build a watering ring around the tree that you can fill with water every couple days to keep the surrounding soil moist. I would mulch with a 4" layer of Kellogg's mulch around the tree to within 6" of the trunk to help the soil retain some moisture. You're in zone 10A so I'm assuming near the beach in SoCal, the mulch will help the tree not use as much water, something we need in our current drought. Keep us posted on the progress.

Evan

I watered it this morning. I'll put mulch around tonight. I didn't think I needed it but I bought it for our nectarine tree so I still have a lot. I'll update if anything changes. I do have a ring around it but it's bricks. It's about a foot and a half out from the tree.

(i just realized you can see the bricks in the picture. I'll add more and dig a little so it keeps in the water. )

Yeah I'd lose the bricks, you need to dig the soil down so it fully holds water. Like this.

And this.

And this.

I need to mulch, I've been lazy. But you get the idea on the basin around the tree.

Evan

Throw away those moisture meters. They are not worth the money and are notoriously inaccurate.

Better to just dig a little down into the soil a few inches to see how damp it is underneath. Or use a wooden dowel pushed down into the soil about 6-8 inches. If the dowel is damp the soil is still damp. But I prefer just digging down a bit.

So I've watched the watering and made sure it's not too dry. It's usually wet. I don't water it but maybe once a week. I've also mulched around it and kept the area around the trunk clear. I've looked and don't see any pests but I've also sprayed it with Neem to be safe. There are pests on my peppers and my grapefruit so you never know.

I've also sprayed with epsom salts once over the month. Nothing seems to help the curl.

I'll post some more pictures tomorrow. I will check the root ball today. I don't believe my soil drains well at all. It stays wet for a looooooong time. That's the only reason I don't water often.

I was using a pencil or dowel before i got the moisture meter. It's a very basic one and works well but I'll try both tonight on the root. I won't treat anymore. There are a couple leaves that looked munched but I don't see much evidence of pests except ants. Ants are horrible and a lot of places.

I try to be patient. It's not my strong suit but, I'm trying. The lemon tree I posted about first is finally growing leaves and I haven't been monthering it but none of its leaves are curled so I did worry a bit about the lime more.

Thank you for your response. I do appreciate it!

Edit: I found a whole tree picture. I'll post close ups when I get them.

OK, that's actually encouraging. The leaves have not lost the curl, but they are standing up and not drooping anymore. Which is great, it's really good sign. And the mulch is a good idea, but as you said your soil drains slowly, keep it as a thin layer like that. It will shade the soil from heat but also allow evaporation.

So yeah, I think it will end up being OK. I believe it will put out new leaves also like the lemon, sooner or later. Just keep an eye on it but don't obsess, check your root ball moisture levels before watering and have patience. I think it will recover OK.

Just a heads up...Watch your pH..All that cement surrounding your tree can leach tons of lime into the soil inhibiting nutrition uptake..I would have lots of some type of acidifier on hand and use it often)

I'll get a ph tester. I've thought about it butbut never did. Here are the leaf close ups.

I think you guys hit the nail on the head for a number of my poor plants. The moisture readers work...if you use them right. I never stick them in the dirt too near the actual tree/plant. I thought it might hurt the roots.

I stuck it in right near the trunk and it said dry. Turns out the same issue was happening with my pepper plants. My poor jalaps were a bit sucked in. Lesson learned. Let's hope the lime gets better. I also wrapped a circle of house about 6 inches from the trunk to hold in some water.

Citrus is NOT a desert plant. Its tropical! that means constant moisture... and really tough to over water an in-ground tree (unless its sitting in a lake) - especially in the (warm) growing season.

If you get back to a good routine for irrigation, there is a good chance the tree will start growing again. If it continues to sense drying out and irregular hydration, it will not push new growth....and stay somewhat dormant. Been there / done that....

good luck! - George

Thank you. That's good to know. I'm always worried I'll overwater and kill everything. In the past I've had a terrible black thumb and have killed every plant\tree I've owned. I'm trying really hard this time not to kill anything!

I would love to have a bunch of citrus trees that are thriving. I appreciate any feedback.

For me in NorCal on well drained clay (hillside), a good routine is a spritz every other day (in the warming spring/ hot summer). As the trees mature and if a heavy mulch is applied (just did that), i believe I can push it to every three days and perhaps 4 next year. When i tried the every three day routine when the trees were in their first two years... i got the damage you are experiencing. Don't let that root ball dry out!

Oh, and for fertilizer - - ok to feed, just go the liquid / light / frequent route rather than the solid. If you put down the solid fertilizer, water, and then forget to keep it all moist, the roots will burn. With liquid food you avoid that risk - especially in the hot months.

BTW: It may also matter what is on the other side of the wall. If your neighbor - or you - have other mature trees, the roots may be all around your new planting and sucking it dry.

- George

I'll peek over the wall to see what they have on the other side. I will definitely water more. I really thought we had soil that didn't drain and I was overwatering. I'm so glad I posted here!

I will buy some liquid fertilizer. Is there one anyone recommends? I have 4 citrus trees and one nectarine. If i can use it on the nectarine also, that'd be great. If not, I'll just get two.

i have excellent results with Master Nursery Liquid Gold. I need to mix in a bit of vinegar too.... as my spigot water is at 9.2-9.4 pH.

Test your water!...and never use water softened with salt based chemicals.

Our whole house is run through the softener (salt based) but only one outside spout is. I don't think that's the one I water from but I'll verify. I know I sound horribly naive but I'm still learning.

I'll look up that fertilizer too.