Author Topic: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice  (Read 7806 times)

natsgarden123

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Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« on: July 20, 2012, 09:22:37 AM »
This is a Sambucan Lemon- I planted it back in April. In general, I don't plant citrus because its been trouble for me in the past- Canker.  With that said, I planted this one for my husband. I have fertilized it ( Excalibur 8-3-9 2/ micronutrients) very lightly 3x since then. I waited 2 months before fertilizing.  I have been very frugal with watering ( it hasn't been dehydrated either)  and there isn't mulch-just some pine needles which naturally fell around the tree, which I pushed out away from the trunk.

The leaves look OK to me.  There is almost no new growth -the new looking growth was there when I planted the tree.

There is one healthy appearing lemon growing.

There is significant dieback - Is the acceptable for a young tree? If not, is there any way to stop/prevent it?








Mike T

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2012, 04:53:18 PM »
Nat it looks fine to me and I have had citrus drag their backsides and have some tip retreat when first planted.It can take months for there to be action.I would put mulch 12 inches from the trunk in a circle and through chicken dropping based organic fertlizer just outside that and wait for action.The leaves don;t look like there are any deficiencies showing.

Guanabanus

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2012, 11:01:15 PM »
New growth dieback on Citrus trees is a symptom of deficiency of Copper.
Har

natsgarden123

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2012, 08:46:49 AM »
New growth dieback on Citrus trees is a symptom of deficiency of Copper.

Thank you
What is the best way to correct this ?

Guanabanus

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2012, 11:35:40 PM »
Make sure your granular fertilizer contains copper.  "RFC Fruitlizer" does.  Spray with nutritional mixes containing copper.  Spray copper fungicides.

Avoid high amounts of nitrogen.  Too much nitrogen can cause copper deficiency.
Har

natsgarden123

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2012, 09:58:48 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

zands

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2012, 10:07:41 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

natsgarden123

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2012, 10:14:41 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

Thanks for the info: I obviously made a boo boo
 Copper Fungicide?


zands

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2012, 10:41:35 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

Thanks for the info: I obviously made a boo boo
 Copper Fungicide?

That should supply your copper if Guanabanus says so. I have some of that...it is another $6 item from Southern Ag that I found at my local Home Depot
Matter of fact a friend got advice from bsbullie at Excalibur to spray copper fungicide on his newly purchased King Mandarin tree once a month. I am just repeating what bsbullie said. Personally I think you omit that copper fungicide during some winter months.

I had a small Meyer Lemon lose leaves and then they grew back. Best I can attribute the recovery to is using Southern Ag Ciurus Spray plus some foliar chelated Iron. Plus some 8-3-9

natsgarden123

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2012, 10:50:22 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

Thanks for the info: I obviously made a boo boo
 Copper Fungicide?

That should supply your copper if Guanabanus says so. I have some of that...it is another $6 item from Southern Ag that I found at my local Home Depot
Matter of fact a friend got advice from bsbullie at Excalibur to spray copper fungicide on his newly purchased King Mandarin tree once a month. I am just repeating what bsbullie said. Personally I think you omit that copper fungicide during some winter months.

I had a small Meyer Lemon lose leaves and then they grew back. Best I can attribute the recovery to is using Southern Ag Ciurus Spray plus some foliar chelated Iron. Plus some 8-3-9

So I would use (sparingly I assume)

Excalibur fertilizer
Copper spray
Nutritional spray
Chelated FE

??

That's so complicated...



zands

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2012, 12:32:05 AM »
So I would use (sparingly I assume)

Excalibur fertilizer
Copper spray
Nutritional spray
Chelated FE

??

That's so complicated...



Yeah it's a pain and an imposition. You would think in Florida citrus would grow naturally here like mangoes but not necessarily. It's even worse where I am because I'm sure my soil is more alkaline than yours. Is yours alkaline? How deep is your sand layer before you hit coral rock and limestone? Maybe citrus grows better in muck soils, I don't know. But alkaline soils inhibit mineral uptake by citrus so they need foiliar sprays or chelated minerals applied at the roots.
Mangoes don't care so much about alkaline soils

North of you is where citrus grows more naturally so the groves are up there

natsgarden123

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2012, 12:52:46 PM »
So I would use (sparingly I assume)

Excalibur fertilizer
Copper spray
Nutritional spray
Chelated FE

??

That's so complicated...



Yeah it's a pain and an imposition. You would think in Florida citrus would grow naturally here like mangoes but not necessarily. It's even worse where I am because I'm sure my soil is more alkaline than yours. Is yours alkaline? How deep is your sand layer before you hit coral rock and limestone? Maybe citrus grows better in muck soils, I don't know. But alkaline soils inhibit mineral uptake by citrus so they need foiliar sprays or chelated minerals applied at the roots.
Mangoes don't care so much about alkaline soils

North of you is where citrus grows more naturally so the groves are up there

I have no idea what the soil ph is... maybe its time to check it .

Our soil has a top layer of mucky soil because of the years and years of leaves that have fallen , under that is a whole lot of sand, then clay.  There is no rock until at least 5 feet down. 

look at these pics: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=1132.msg14604#msg14604

This weekend I'll hit the pathetic tree with the stuff above...hoping to avoid killing it,  I'll use it very gingerly.   Do you see a problem adding it all at once?

Thanks
Nat

zands

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Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2012, 04:30:18 PM »


I have no idea what the soil ph is... maybe its time to check it .

Our soil has a top layer of mucky soil because of the years and years of leaves that have fallen , under that is a whole lot of sand, then clay.  There is no rock until at least 5 feet down. 

look at these pics: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=1132.msg14604#msg14604

This weekend I'll hit the pathetic tree with the stuff above...hoping to avoid killing it,  I'll use it very gingerly.   Do you see a problem adding it all at once?

Thanks
Nat


I have topsoil of 6-12 inches. Below this I will hit a brownish mix of sand and limestone rocks and pebbles and coral rocks pebbles of all sizes. I know my soil is calciferous because I see all that limestone and coral debris that were dredged up when canals were made to drain my area

How deep do you have to dig to see rocks that are coral and limestone? The further down the better and the less alkaline soil you have or maybe an acid soil or maybe a neutral soil. You hit no coral type rocks until 5ft down??


Our soil has a top layer of mucky soil because of the years and years of leaves that have fallen.....

Very nice, that is humus unless your yard gets flooded. The real mucky soils near Okeechobee where you have vegetable farms. That muck was hundreds or more years in the making from plant growth then decay in swampy conditions.

If your coral rocks are so far down then no need to buy chelate iron. The Southern Ag Citrus foliar has iron. Get the copper fungicide too and avoid breathing it. This seems pretty simple to me. 2 foliar sprays....copper fungicide and citrus. Use an old window spray bottle to spray this plant. Do not combine them. Use one...empty out spray bottle...then use other on another day

For good luck you can apply black cow bagged cow manure under the mulch. Being organic maybe it will have that X factor for you

« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 04:34:13 PM by zands »