What happened to Carambola?

[Budtropicals]

Yet another issue going on with one of my plants, what could this be?









Also, I noticed this on one of my malay apple's leaves. Looks like eggs, are they pests?






Any information is appreciated!

[pineislander]

Tell us about your Carambola. What size pot, what size tree, how long in the pot, what type water used, that sort of thing.

[Budtropicals]

Tell us about your Carambola. What size pot, what size tree, how long in the pot, what type water used, that sort of thing.

This carambola is actually the first tree I got long before I was as interested in growing tropical fruit as I am now, so it's been in the ground for about 4-5 years now, right next to the house. It's still quite small, maybe 6 ft. I didn't really look at it much until about a year ago so I can't say anything about previous conditions, this seems to be the first time it's happening.  I'm using the same water as all of my trees, the usual hose water with everything that comes in it, so stuff like chlorine. I've only recently started fertilizing it as well, not too much fertilizer though. Hope that helps!

[greenman62]

they seem to be fairly hungry trees. and especially like lots of organics.
lots of compost and mulch definitely help.
iron, magnesium and/or nitrogen are usually the basis for chlorotic leaves.
watch PH, they like acidic soils.
a little Epsom salt can help. it has magnesium and the sulfur lowers the PH.
dont use too much, it can lockout calcium, but epsom also washes through quickly.
1 tsp per small tree 3 times per year (soil test is best to see magnesium levels though)

i use a citrus fertilizer at 1/2 strength but also compost, and fish emulsion.

Carambola trees generally develop iron, magnesium, and manganese deficiencies when grown in soils with a pH above 7. Symptoms of iron deficiency are interveinal chlorosis (green veins with yellowing in between), reduced leaflet size, and, with severe deficiency, leaflets may become almost white.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg269#:~:text=Carambola%20trees%20generally%20develop%20iron,leaflets%20may%20become%20almost%20white.


Soils: The carambola is not too particular as to soil, but will grow faster and bear more heavily in rich loam. It prefers a moderately acid soil (pH 5.5 - 6.5) and is sensitive to waterlogging. The plant often becomes chlorotic in alkaline soils.

Irrigation: The carambola need moisture for best performance. This means regular watering during the summer months and must be watered even in winter during dry spells.

Fertilization: In soils of low fertility young trees should receive light applications every 60 to 90 days until well established. Thereafter, they should receive one or two applications a year in deep soils or three or more applications in shallow soils where nutrients are lost by leaching. Application at the rate of 2 lbs per year for every inch of trunk diameter is suggested. Fertilizer mixtures containing 6-8% nitrogen, 2-4% available phosphoric acid, 6-8% potash and 3-4% magnesium are satisfactory. In the more fertile soils of California, this program can be reduced. The tree is prone to chlorosis in many western soils but responds to soil and foliar application of chelated iron and other micronutrients.
https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/carambola.html

[Budtropicals]

Thank you for the information! I will try salts and more fertilizer that I get from Excalibur.  The way I fertilize is the way Excalibur tells me to, once a month, seems to do well for my other trees but I have yet to do it often on my carambola.  Hopefully that will be enough to prevent this in the future.

[Vigo Carpathian]

May be iron deficiency. Starfruit likes acidic soil and if the pH is too high, it has a hard time uptaking nutrients. I give mine a foliar feeding containing iron (among other things) and also water occasionally with chelated iron.

[Guanabanus]

Houses tend to be built on raised pads of compacted shell rock.  Outside the house this is covered with a thin layer of muck to lay sod upon.  It is a terrible spot to plant a carambola.  But you can baby it along with plenty of fertilizer, plus drenches with Sequestrene 138 (not the cheaper 330), or with Ferrilene.

[Budtropicals]

Houses tend to be built on raised pads of compacted shell rock.  Outside the house this is covered with a thin layer of muck to lay sod upon.  It is a terrible spot to plant a carambola.  But you can baby it along with plenty of fertilizer, plus drenches with Sequestrene 138 (not the cheaper 330), or with Ferrilene.

Its been there for almost 6 years now, has been doing just fine until I saw this a few months ago. Hopefully your solution can help.

[pineislander]

Its has been doing just fine until I saw this a few months ago. Hopefully your solution can help.

But you said it is six years old and is only six feet tall. A healthy carambola can make six feet in two years even with pruning and can bear fruit every year even the first year so your tree has likely been struggling for years.

I'm currently having a new house built. The soil quality of fill and compaction material is a really big deal.
A new house with septic system nowdays has to be 2 feet or so above grade on "soil" which is such poor quality very little will grow on it, it slops out about 6-10 feet away from the house. I can tell by what weeds I see on it now during construction. My plan before landscaping is to remove as much of it as possible and replace with better soil to grow on.

 

[Budtropicals]

It did really well the first two years i'd say, most likely because of all the good soil I put around the planting hole. I fertilize it a lot now so hopefully that will help, but it isnt far away from good soil, so hopefully when its roots reach there, if they haven't already, it will be better off. It's putting out a bunch of new growth and flowers now, and it's looking better so perhaps its going to be ok either way.