Author Topic: Problems with potted citrus  (Read 2419 times)

raggashack

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 22
    • Austria, Vienna, 6-7
    • View Profile
Problems with potted citrus
« on: September 11, 2017, 01:42:18 PM »
Hi
I have some problems with my potted trees and after reading too much threads about magnesium or manganese deficiency and other problems with citrus iam really not sure anymore whats wrong with them, maybe someone of you could have a short look and tell it within a few seconds....
My problem is that i have yellow dots on my leaves and its affecting 3 of my 5 citrus plants. 2 affected are c.limons and 1 i believe to be a c.limonimedica.

They've got small yellow dots all over the new growth mainly, but its slowly spreading to the older leaves also, could it be lack of micronutrients?
You see it best on the last pic, but when u stand in front of them u can see it more clearly than on most of the pics, iam sorry.

1 c.limon



2 c.limon (this one maybe also a little underwatered. i was careful because i repotted it 1 month ago)




3 believed to be c.limonimedica





They've all been fed with:

16-3-8 NPK only fertilizer
Epsomsalts 1 hand 1x or 2x per month
1x with micronutrients (Cu: 0,50% Zn: 0,41%  Mn: 0,50%  Fe: 1,44%  Mo: 0,06%)

The soil is 50%peat, 25%pine bark, 25%lava mulch
« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 02:14:10 PM by raggashack »

Susanne42

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 145
    • Michigan Zone 5/6
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2017, 03:05:09 PM »
why so much epsom salt?

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2017, 09:14:01 PM »
Your tree's leaf symptoms are showing an iron deficiency.  I notice the trace minerals listed in the fertilizer you are using provides a generous level of iron, which under normal conditions should be plenty iron  for the tree's needs.  However, there is an ingredient in your medium's mix  that stands out loud and clear as a problem, and that is the lava rock (scoria).  Four or five years ago I also tried to grow a container citrus tree using lava rock, and my tree looked just like yours.   Lava rock (scoria) gobbles up the iron that the tree could have used, and an iron deficiency results.   I even tried to add additional iron, but always the tree had a deficiency.  In citrus, an iron deficiency shows up on the tree's NEW leaves, but when the deficiency continues to get worse it will then begin to also show in older leaves too.   You will need to replant your tree into a medium without lava rock.  The peat and bark in the medium are good items, however it would be better if you increase the percentage of bark (PINE) and decrease the percentage peat moss.  Instead of lava you could add a coarse sand or another ingredient as a third ingredient that would also have good drainage properties.  The best to you and your tree.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 10:08:25 PM by Millet »

brian

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3356
    • Pennsylvania (zone 6) w/ heated greenhouse
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2017, 09:56:14 PM »
Millet I remember your lava rock experiment.  Good to see the results help someone else with what might have been a mystery

raggashack

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 22
    • Austria, Vienna, 6-7
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 05:16:01 PM »
Susanne maybe i was a little inexact about the epsomsalts.i dont use
1 handfull per plant, i dissolved it in 6L water and watered my plants with it.

Thanks a lot to you Millet, theres no chance i would have found this out.
I replanted all plants, even the ones not showing the symptoms yet.
Iam happy i asked before the winter starts, i think repotting 1 month later
wouldn't have been so smooth, its getting darker and a little colder everyday.
Now i can only watch and feed them and iam pretty sure they'll do better by now

laidbackdood

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 234
    • Perth.Western Australia.
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2017, 12:19:32 PM »
Susanne maybe i was a little inexact about the epsomsalts.i dont use
1 handfull per plant, i dissolved it in 6L water and watered my plants with it.

Thanks a lot to you Millet, theres no chance i would have found this out.
I replanted all plants, even the ones not showing the symptoms yet.
Iam happy i asked before the winter starts, i think repotting 1 month later
wouldn't have been so smooth, its getting darker and a little colder everyday.
Now i can only watch and feed them and iam pretty sure they'll do better by now
Iron deficiency can also be brought on by wet soils as well.......i always give them a feed with iron at the start of the seasons....esp spring and summer......I wouldnt feed in winter and keep your trees on the dry side of moist.......most citrus are dormant in the winter and the roots inactive........i have killed many trees from watering too often in winter.........not a good time to repot for this reason also....best to repot a week or two before the start  of spring....no food at that time...or in autumn...let it settle in for a couple of weeks and then feed when new growth starts....i put zeolite in all my mixes now with good results....good idea to put your pots on pot feet as well.....all my pots are on them......has a two fold purpose 1.....prevents pot sitting in water 2...Allows air to circulate underneath pot.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2017, 12:27:43 PM by laidbackdood »

raggashack

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 22
    • Austria, Vienna, 6-7
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2017, 01:59:09 PM »
iam still trying to get the perfect wet/try conditions for this new soil. i started using the peat/bark mix this year so for now iam trying to find out how often to water the trees, it was especially hard during the heatwaves this summer. meanwhile in the winter i let them dry out almost completely until the first leaf starts to dry out and then i water again, this worked very good for me so far, because the trees take no visual damage... i have also killed to many trees during winter, it hurts :>

i had one lemon in a terracota pot with the new soil and i had to water it every day and it still wasnt enough, so i repotted it into plastc... its crazy with all this over-\underwatering....today i watered my plants and soaked them deep, hope they are doing better with this method.

putting the pots on feet is great. with all the extra air getting to the soil from underneath its just perfect. i have also built myself an extra bench where all the excessive water can flow into buckets below it, because all i have is a balcony and i dont want to flood my neighbours more than necessary

laidbackdood

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 234
    • Perth.Western Australia.
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2017, 12:24:14 PM »
iam still trying to get the perfect wet/try conditions for this new soil. i started using the peat/bark mix this year so for now iam trying to find out how often to water the trees, it was especially hard during the heatwaves this summer. meanwhile in the winter i let them dry out almost completely until the first leaf starts to dry out and then i water again, this worked very good for me so far, because the trees take no visual damage... i have also killed to many trees during winter, it hurts :>

i had one lemon in a terracota pot with the new soil and i had to water it every day and it still wasnt enough, so i repotted it into plastc... its crazy with all this over-\underwatering....today i watered my plants and soaked them deep, hope they are doing better with this method.

putting the pots on feet is great. with all the extra air getting to the soil from underneath its just perfect. i have also built myself an extra bench where all the excessive water can flow into buckets below it, because all i have is a balcony and i dont want to flood my neighbours more than necessary
I feel your pain....its a tough call because in the winter you want your mix to stay on the dry side of moist and then in the summer it gets really hot ...so you need to retain moisture........so its a catch twenty situation.....Pot size is important......no more than twice the size of the rootball...is what i go by......in the summer its good to mulch and in the winter take the mulch off ....so the soil can get heated up by the winter sun and remain dryer......Its harder growing in pots........there is far less to worry about in the ground.........plenty of mixes have these water retention crystals in them over here.....i hate them......the mix does not drain as well.....the mix must start drying out within 24 hours or the roots start to suffer......perlite might help you....stay away from water storage crystals..........are you putting any stuff at the base of the pot to help drainage?....eg scoria /stones/pot pieces/bark ? .....DONT .....its a myth it improves drainage,,,,all it does is raise the perched water table and means your roots stay wet........drill plenty of holes and line the pot with mesh or a circle of onion sack(cut to size)......this stops mix washing out.........then make your mix uniform and chuck it in.....then your PWT will form lower.......you want the top half of pot to dry out some......so the roots can breathe..........My plants are all going well now and we get the extremes you get ...except for freezing and snow.....it still goes down to 5C in winter and up to 40C + in summer........getting them through winter is the hardest as it rains a hell of a lot in july and august.......so i keep them under the eaves(out of the rain).....if your pots are drying out really quick......they are probably rootbound.....its a sure sign........slip it out and have a check......mulch with lucerne or lupin if you have that there....it helps cool the feeder roots which are just under the surface and hopefully you wont need to water as much......I am a big fan of a :Moisture meter" ...some are not but the pot lift method is good as well.......if its light.....it needs water !
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 12:30:33 PM by laidbackdood »

raggashack

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 22
    • Austria, Vienna, 6-7
    • View Profile
Re: Problems with potted citrus
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2017, 01:00:10 PM »
my plants are rootbound for sure. they lost all their leaves last winter, but most of the roots survived it, so at start of this season i had big rootballs with a stem and nothing more :)

i will take care of this problem right at the start next season.

from what u write it seems your trees stay outside in winter? here it gets way too cold for that, so in about 1 week i need to get them inside and they stay inside an unheated room at around 18-21°C with a south facing window. These conditions are not optimal but it worked for me.

winter here is hard to survive for my plants, so no changes before spring :)