Key lime plant doesn't seem to like FP

8 years ago

I have a key lime tree that seems to detest FP. Whenever I give it a shot of food it seems to drop an abundance of leaves. When I first got the tree I was feeding it weekly at 1tsp /gallon of water and pushing growth like mad.
Most recently I tried just half a tsp per gallon and sure enough a majority of older leaves fell off. Basically the loss of leaves scares me into stickong with just water for a month or two until new growth brings new leaves and branches. When the tree starts looking healthy again I give it a small dose and all of a sudden leaf drop.
Obviously my gut says to just never fertilize the tree, but obviously that's not really a great solution. Anybody ever have any similar experiences?
Background : tree in pot, with home made style 5-1-1 mix (3year old mix). Ontario,Canada (6bish?).
Sits on patio and watered quite regularly.
Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts or suggestions. Could it be telling me that it's time to repot/new soil?

Featured Answer

Dee

8 years ago

Some folks repot all year round. I, personally, would not do a bareroot thing during the hottest part of the summer unless there is no choice. I feel that it's too much for the tree to cope with and would do it either in the spring or the fall when the temps are milder. Again, that is just me because I have read the best time to plant is in the fall and spring. I have seen too many trees of all types go into shock when planting mid summer.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

bmelz
Original Author
8 years ago

Pic of the current soil

Here's what some of the older leaves look like when they start to drop.
Jan
8 years ago
Bmelz hope some of the experts here can give you more accurate advice but perhaps it’s not the FP but the watering itself? Im just guessing but at 3 years old that mix is probably breaking down quite a bit which means it might not be as porous as it was when you first made it. Maybe you’re watering too much? Did you have a look at the roots? Another guess would be that they’re just old leaves? They do shed their older leaves every year or so, the plant looks healthy in the picture. Anyways I’d have a look at the roots if I were you.
Related Professionals
Cookeville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Danville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bloomington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Beaumont Landscape Contractors · Gloucester Landscape Contractors · Ocala Home Builders · Natchez Home Builders · Miami Home Builders · Florence Home Builders · Grand Rapids Home Builders · Brainerd Home Builders · Omaha Home Builders · Santa Rosa Home Builders · Scottsbluff Home Builders · Portland Home Builders
myermike_1micha
8 years ago
Jan, exactly and good advice. I was thinking the very same thing Bmelz. Usually a root issue causes that problem and usually it's almost always to heavy on the watering can. I would see if it make a difference by watching your watering frequency.

Have you ever tried saving rain water to use that? Have you ever known what the pH of your tap water is?

Once you get the watering under control, I would consider other causes than the Foliage Pro since it is one of the best fertilizers on the market and has never given me issue with anything.
bmelz
Original Author
8 years ago
thanks guys. my ph form the tap is a shade above 6. nnote that the leaves only drop when the FP is added to the water. this has happened literally the last 4 times I've fertilized. I am no going months without adding fp without a single leaf drop. all of a sudden when I add a little fert the leaves drop.

my watering schedule is quite consistent and o Ly watering roughly once a week unless it's extremely hot and dry.

I also have a Meyer lemon, satsuma, and a blood orange . the Key Lime is the only plant experiencing the fertilizer associated leaf drop.

I have not checked my roots since i haven't repotted recently. we've been having some rpetty hot weather lately so not sure if it's an ideal time to repot..
bmelz
Original Author
8 years ago
Mike, do you think they rain water would handle the fertilizer better? I am certain that the issue only occurs when adding fertilizer to the water.
Dee
8 years ago
You could try a different fertilizer too, but I would slip the plant ball out and see how it looks.
bmelz
Original Author
8 years ago
think I might just do that. would this be an ok time of year to repot it? if I'm gonna check the root ball anyway , I might as well put it in fresh medium.