what is WLD

Winter Leaf Drop. This is caused when there is more Photosynthesis in the leaves than the roots can provide water for. The tree drops its leaves.

I wonder about that Steve. I have noticed with my many trees that some are more susceptible to WLD (Winter Leaf Drop) than others. I have found that the oranges are the least susceptible of my trees. I have a cara cara, navel, and blood oranges that have not dropped one leaf, whereas some others (thornless key lime, one of my Meyers - but not the others - go figure), have dropped some leaves. Nothing terrible, but I do notice a distinct difference. I know you have a NZL....I have my NZL in my daughter’s bedroom with a bright window and some supplemental light (not as much as in my sunroom) and it has dropped a few leaves, but nothing much. The dekopon in the same room has dropped more. The BH and chinotto have not dropped any leaves really - if they have, it’s very very few.

Perhaps the graft junction interferes with efficient flow of water and nutrients from roots to leaves.

I don't think any of my seed grown citrus trees had any WLD. They all did very well

"Younger" plants react more readily to cold than do well established plants. Perhaps OP's grafted plants are not as old & well-established as his non-grafts.

Another factor is just when plants are transferred from outdoors to indoors. (The process is similar to hardening off seedlings. Plants need adequate time to adjust to the new conditions.)

Still other factors are involved, several of which have already been suggested -- the status of the graft junction & the rootstock.

Lowering the temperature to avoid WLD could lead to a real disaster. Whether the temperature should be lowered or raised, all depends on what the environment of the trees foliage is living in.

The two grafted Satsumas in my garage are in fairly low light. They have yet to drop one leaf. The temperature stays between 50 and 55 degrees, perhaps a bit cooler right on the cement floor.

Hi everyone,

Here is some food for thought. I am not an expert but will like to contribute to the discussion so we can learn a little bit more about this subject.

I have three different setups.

1st: grow tent (3 x 3)

Light: 1000w of led artificial light from 6am to 9 pm

Day temp: around 75F

Night temp: 60F

humidity: around 75%

My night and day temp change depending in my basement temp.

Some non-grafted varieties: valencia, washington, meyer

Some graft varieties: page, fukushu, okitsu, owari, kishu, etc

2nd: my patio door

Light: natural light from the window. No artificial light

day temp: 65F to 72 F

night temp: 72 F

Humidity around 30 to 40 %

Varities: moro, shiranui, sugar belle, clementine, minneola. All grafted trees on 639 or c35

3rd: office room

Light: natural light with ikea lamp (same bulb as Laura)

Temp + humidity same as 2nd with bottom heat.

In all my setps, I don’t have wld. I have a meyer lemon that dropped some leaves but it started before I brought it in. I have a clementine tree and blood orange trees that dropped some leaves because of spidermites.

variety: key lime (limequat) rbf.

I myself have many many trees in a very cold room, one in which temps regularly drop into the 40's, mostly in the 50's, but never allowed to go past 60 or more, and not one problem with WLD.

i do provide only south facing windows and lights like Laura's, Ikea lamps with CFL and LED bulbs on for 3 hours a day added to the daylight.

Once the temps rise above 65, I will get loads of falling leaves..I wonder why is that? But I know it works keeping them very cold this time of the year. another added benefit, NO pests!

Mike

I have that same limequat tree Amy, it produces very tasty fruit in my opinion.

Here's my limequat and Meyer....

As you can see, the limequat on the right has a mature fruit, lost some leaves but kept most of them. On the left you have the Meyer.... which has 1 yellow/green leaf left and some of the branches are starting to die back. Both trees live in the same pot with the same conditions but one is almost dead while the other survives.

HI Dave, did you check the roots of your limequat? Mine had a bad case of root rot when I first got it.

No I haven't.... I've had these trees for 4 months. The soil is fast draining and I don't water very often. The Limequat is doing fine, it's the Meyer (Tree on the left in same pot as limequat) that is almost dead.... Do you guys think I should take cuttings? Or just keep it the way it is and see if it survives until Spring?

1 month after coming in side.
Main trunk dead most leaves gone in 2 months.

Plant the same cultivar , an NZL,outside in ground here in Cincinnati,Ohio and!

NZI on C35 with growth and flowers.

Frost covers are needed in Fall, Winter, and Spring

Steve

Looks really good Steve . Good work! !!

Thanks Brian

I probably spend 2-5 hours for each tree inside for every hour spent on each tree outside under glass. It is so much easier growing outside. The picture comparing inside to outside are a real representation of both ways of growing.

Steve

Steve, I am with Brian...Great job.

Steve, that outdoor NZL looks fantastic! You are doing a wonderful job with it! Kudos to you.

Gorgeous NZL Steve.

Well said Steve so much easier and the fruit will develop and taste the way they were intended to , well worth the investment. Great stuff Steve.

Brian

Wonderful, Steve! How do you keep the ground/roots from freezing solid? It's above a garage/heated part of your house, right?

-Tom

The roots are against an uninsulated basement wall. My garage doesn't come back that far so the roots are over solid ground.

Steve

I just visited my seed grown Fukushu#1 tree I gave to a friend. No leaf drop at all. Still looks like this but the leaves ha darkened up.

Steve

My Meyer cutting lost two bottom leaves (out of 6) a few weeks ago. I panicked thinking it was WLD, but then it pushed out new growth. I hope that the leaves were just old.

My house is set to an average of 68-70 degrees and I have a 50w LED flood light on the tree. The plants are mostly sealed in a plastic greenhouse, so I assume that I’ve accidentally given them the right conditions, but I worry about the temps getting too warm. I will be buying a soil thermometer ASAP, but how would you cool them down if necessary? Maybe a different area of the house, though I do not have a basement. I’m not trying to fix something that is not broken, but I do want to be prepared :)

It would be very hard to get the roots to warm under LED lighting in an 80F room inside your house. It is actually impossible and your room is much cooler but warm enough that the soil would be hard pressed to go below 60F. Below is an enclosed grow chamber with a 23 watt (100 watt equivalent ) with no heat problems in a 70F room

Steve

I agree with Steve. I measure soil temp with a digital kitchen thermometer.