I'm with Travis,

Bonais, I had no idea I could test my soil like that . Thanks))

Amanda, have you watered with a vinnegar solution yet? Please do it right away and let us know. I would love to see what happens))

More leaf drop. Nutrient deficiency showing, hardly any leaves left now. I did a bit of vinegar last night in the water.

Your tree doesn't actually look too bad, all things considered. Something to keep in mind, is that citrus are generally slow growing, and roots will always come first. Once the roots have started to regenerate you'll see new growth. Keep watering your tree and give it some time. You won't see an improvement overnight, but eventually it will begin to show signs of recovery.

Hi Amanda,

Something is not copacetic. The surrounding soil and the soil in the root ball may be so different that they are working at cross purposes. Sometimes nurseries put too much junk like sawdust or sand in a pot and you just struggle. There may be something toxic in the soil like weed killer or the soil may be really lousy or they may be too much fertilizer.

Option 1: Dig the plant up and soak it in a bucket of water. Gently agitate until 100% of the soil surrounding the roots has been loosened. Leave no soil on the roots. Dig as deep and wide a hole as you can. Say 30"x30"x30". Backfill the hole with high quality rose soil.

You have to very very careful adjusting the pH of citrus. Slight changes can have gigantic consequences sometimes irreversible. No one should ever add vinegar without checking the pH of the soil. You may have highly alkaline soil with a highly acidic root ball. Who knows without actually taking a measurement. I would also buy a $10 moisture meter. These meters are just to give you a ballpark idea of what is going on.

The ph is pretty high in our soil. I have the moisture meter and have not added water this week if it said moist or wet.

When planted, everything was fine. For the last two months it was fine, then when This major heat wave came with temps reaching as high as 116°, i don’t think I gave it nearly enough water. It was doing great up until that point. I treated it for an iron deficiency and it has improved from that. I also treated it with neem for leaf miners and those are totally gone. I am still waiting for my high nitrogen fertilizer to arrive. Jacks brand.

How to plant a citrus tree. The hole is often overlooked but is one of the most important steps.

https://www.thetreecenter.com/guides/plant-citrus-trees/

Lemon set you up with a GREAT planting guide. You should look it over good and correct any issues. Even a good trench around that tree so that water falls into it and deeply waters would be great. If there are nutrients in the soil, they will get utilized as you continue to use a acidic solution..)

Thanks, Mike. Have a mail order Sugar Belle tanagrine arriving today. So excited.

Amanda, sometimes you can do everything right and still end up with a different result. Recently read a story about a man who had a Palm Cactus in his office for 20 years. He brought it home and repotted to a larger pot in a better location and it died. It was in the same pot for 20 years. I would give your plant some makeshift shade like an umbrella during the day to give it a chance to sort itself out.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned, is you've referred to treating it for leaf miners with neem oil. What were the temps like when you did that? Neem oil really shouldn't be applied in high temps (my local Co-op said +75), it can actually cook the leaves. If you did the neem oil treatment in your 100* days, that would likely cause significant problems.

I treated it when they were 85 degree days but the temp had already dropped and the sun had moved off of the tree. I sprayed it around 8pm. That was very shortly after it was planted.

I created a bit of shade for it

Love it, perfect.

Amanda, Neem oil is a tricky business. So many times I have seen it deep fry leaves like tacos. I agree with Travis that 85F was pushing it. On the subject of deficiences, in magnesium, and the micro-nutrients zinc, manganese, and iron they are best corrected with a foliar application in conjunction with maintaining healthy, well-balanced soil. Foliar sprays contain chelated elements (ultra-fine particle sizes to aid stomata absorption).

Hi Amanda,

How big a hole did you dig and what did you backfill it with? I see a lot of wood chips in the yard. Are these wood chips in the hole next to the root ball? Decomposing wood can tie up nitrogen. I am also curious what they used to color those wood chips (red?), some coloring is toxic and some is not.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/mulch/dyed-mulch-in-gardens.htm

Lemon, I'd love to see a pic of that Sugar Belle. Why did you get that one? taste? I'll bet you are excited.

A good horticultural oil is a better, and safer spray to use than neem. Also never spray any thing on a citrus tree during hot portion on the day. Safest to spray in the morning or evening. The best time to spray a citrus tree is on a cloudy day with higher level of humidity.

Do you have any recommendations for a horticultural oil Silica? All I ever hear talked about is neem oil.

The best of the best Horticultural Oil is one called Ultra Pure. You can find it on the Internet. It only comes in a 2-gallon bottle.

More water. You stressed it by under watering it. More water,some liquid iron and its soon fine.

Bugs on citrus..just blast with a sharp stream of water. Water cures most plant problems in California.

More leaf drop. Have kept up on watering and used a nitrogen high fertilizer. Because it was a shock to the system with watering, will it lose the rest before growing more? Is it done for?

I might hold off on the fertilizer for a bit and just keep watering the tree. Something to keep in mind: A tree can lose most of its leaves and still survive. As long as the limbs are still green (and not brittle dry. Citrus branches can retain their green color and be totally dry given the right ambient conditions. Makes for some nice arrangements if you're into that sort of thing, when you take cuttings), but as long as the branches are green and still moving moisture, the tree can still recover. The tree is going to focus on rebuilding its root system first, then it will put out new leaves.

Hi Amanda, looking at the leaves in the pot, I see tiny burns on the tips and a large burn on one leaf. Unfortunately fertilizing in heat and in a stressed plant and overfertilizing are three really bad ideas. I knew this was going to happen and that's why I suggested dig a large hole and replant as a bare root citrus. Something most likely fertilizer has accumulated and become toxic. Starting with a fresh hole and a fresh soil (say a packaged rose soil) is probably the only option.

Mike here is a picture of the Sugar Belle. Being very late end of the season it was looking a little worse for the wear when it arrived. The leaves had a lot of black mold. I hand washed the leaves with a gallon of water and a drop of dish detergent. However not sure if that was a good idea. After reading the article below I don't think I will use dish soap or alcohol again. Chose the Belle because it was something new, grafted on dwarf root stock, exceptionally sweet and zippy. Here is a full description. https://www.nutcrackernursery.com/citrus-exotic-plants.php

Here is an interesting article from the University of Florida on dish soap as insecticide. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/management/soaps-detergents-and-pest-management.html

Indoors I use alcohol a lot and was particularly interested in what they said about alcohol being phytotoxic. Probably moving forward I will hand wash with real insecticide soap when needed.

Amanda you have changed your watering schedule and are still having leaf drop so to me that would point towards the soil. Maybe a lot of roots have died already or maybe the NPK is too high or maybe the pH is out of range or poor quality soil with too much sand. I have had container plants where I have added too much NPK and had excessive leaf drop and rinsed the root ball completely and repotted and the leaf drop stopped. With citrus you want to control the variables as closely as you can. Starting fresh with a rose soil ensures you have the correct pH right out of the bag, the drainage and aeration are good and the soil is enriched and loaded with organic compost.

It doesnt look that bad. It looks like a plant that was neglected and stressed...now that you are giving it the water it needs its building to a new flush of leaves. Ok,you gave it some fertilizer,fine. Wait until it flushes new growth then more but,lightly fertilize.

The leaves in the bucket are basically shed scar tissue..damaged leaves. Soon, new nice ones!

Digging a deep and very wide hole to plant a citrus tree is a REAL NO NO. The University of Florida, and the University of California both say when planting a citrus tree, dig a hole just big enough to fit the tree's root ball. Any back fill should be ONLY the dirt accumulated from the digging. Making deep and wide holes creates a pool effect which the tree's roots set in.

The hole should not be deeper, because the plant will sink a bit, but it should be wider. The pool effect only happens if you use amendments to fill the hole instead of the soil you dug out. http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/ENVIRON/armrtrotplant.html

lgteacher, I will agree with you if the back fill soil is ONLY the soil used from digging the hole. Thanks for the clarification.

It's been years since I thought I knew anything about this, but the idea "foliar iron" popped up in my mind. Somebody smart can comment.

Took this the other day. All the leaves are gone, some of the branches are turning brown though I don’t know that this is capturing that well. It still has mostly bendy green branches. I’ve maintained the watering better but I’m truly worried at this point.

This is headed down the wrong road. I'd pull it and completely wash off all old soil after an inspection and grow it in a pot with suitable citrus soil like 511. Prune off all dead wood and dead roots.

I agree completely with Bklyn. Once you get that tree healthy in a good draining mix and understand how to properly prepare the earth then try agin.

Or for now if it can be left out all year, plant it in a pot of good mix then partially bury the pot in the same spot in a better earth mix and surround it with mulch. Watch it take off.

TOO DRY. Mulch and keep watering it. Meyer Lemons are more water needy than most types. Plus they are dwarfish..not as big a tree as other types.

That flat color- before they fell? Looks like a water needy plant.

Most problems in California I see with plants is not enough water.

Hmmmm reading what everyone has been saying.

Looks like the same deal going on with my Cara Cara ..but most here have been watered everyday during the summer since it was soo hot.

Thank you everyone! There’s been a lot of dieback, but things are green at the base of every little branch and the trunk. I’m going to put it in a pot and bring it inside, even though we’re in Los Angeles. When I pot it, how big should the pot be in comparison to the root ball? Should I use the compost mixture j have to assist with planting? Any other soil recommendations? If successful, I will replant in the ground in the warm spring.

I have washed off the old soil from the roots. When I pulled them out of the ground (gently) they seemed ok. The base of the tree is very green. The roots looked healthy. I planted it in a pot in citrus specific soil for potted and it is inside. I have it by a window right now. It’s a pot that you water from the bottom and I’m using a moisture meter to monitor the top. I also used a foliage spray just to put some extra nutrients on the branches. As you know, there are no leaves. Trying not to give up hope.

When should I fertilize again? What should I watch for? Does it need a grow light or is just being near a window enough?

Thank you for all your help

Don't fertilize a stressed tree, let it recover and start putting out new leaves first. Keep an eye out for dead wood and remove it when it shows up. If the tree is inside, monitor the temp at the window occasionally (especially during the hotter part of the day) to make sure that it's not too hot. If so, pull the blinds. When you say that it's a pot that waters from the bottom do you mean self watering? If the roots were OK, the tree might survive.

If that spot gets more than 8 hours of direct sunlight in that window, you should be fine. But, it doesn't cost much for an LED set up right over the top.

If you are using a self watering pot, watch out for excessive salts from the tap water and fertilizer eventually. I would use rain water collected if you are going to be watering from the bottom of flush the pot out once a month with fresh water.

In fact, I would turn to rain or bottled water until it does well again.

Hope it does well for you)

Self watering, yes. It is not in direct sunlight. I don’t have a window that’s good for that where it can sit at the moment. Also, when removing the dead branches, do I just cut them off where the brown part ends?

Update: I put it under a lamp for during the day to try. Up close of the trunk and branches

A few more up close. The trunk is very bright green

They are not indoor plants..you should have left it in the ground,and put a mulch under it and water it well all winter unless rains are enough.

Indoors a very good chance it dies and if you think outdoors it was fussy..wait until thrips,mites and mealey's get going.

They are not expensive plants you might just buy one in great condition and plant it.

With the potted one..you are going to waste a few years on getting that to health and acclimated.

Just cut the modest loss!

I’ve cut away the brown and it’s a bright green stick now, under a grow light, in a pot, in citrus soil

Amanda,

it looks to me like that tree is a gonner. You’ve put too much stress on an already stressed, under watered, under fed tree. I’m afraid it will see its demise indoors. If it were me, I would take the winter and do some research on root stocks and how they effect the growth habits of the citrus tree you want to grow.

Then I’d go to my local nursery like Armstrong’s or wherever you normally go in LA and find a new tree that is grafted to said rootstock that you researched in January and plant said tree in Late January early February into the ground. Late winter early spring is the perfect time of year to plant citrus trees In ground. Then I’d water it consistently and deeply the first year and fertilize it lightly monthly. That’s it.

The more care and worry you give to your trees the worse off they end up being from over care. You see, in ground trees are very different than potted trees. They need a lot LESS care, you have to let them do what they’re going to do and address issues only if they arise. Not every tree is going to look perfect or have deep green leaves or bear fruit the first 1-2 years, it takes patience.

Rest assured though, you live in LA, it’s basically the perfect climate to grow citrus in so if you have patience and keep an eye on your tree it will reward you with a bounty eventually.

Evan

I was going to say the same thing Evan and you worded it perfectly. Great advice )

Thank you so much everyone. You’ve helped me a ton.