Why has my Sugar Belle stopped growing?

[Calusa]

I planted this Sugar Belle 3 months ago and most of the foliage seen in photo #1 below was on it when I planted it. It added a few shoots of growth immediately after planting, but it seems to have gone dormant the past couple of months and it's gotten paler and the sheen is gone from the foliage. Sugar Belle is a vibrant, fast growing citrus. I received it in the mail from a Florida grower and it was little more than a twig with a few leaves. It started sprouting new foliage while it was in that little citrus pot, so I know it can really put on some growth. I keep it watered, fed with liquid Peters with micro nutrients and a good water soluble granular.  Any ideas as to why it's so pale, and dull looking and not growing? Trees are covered in citrus netting.

Sugar Belle


By comparison, here's a Tango tangerine I planted at the same time, 10 feet away from the Sugar Belle. Its foliage is dark green, its robust and put on a few fruits.

TANGO

[brian]

If you posted pictures here they are not showing up, at least for me.

[Calusa]

If you posted pictures here they are not showing up, at least for me.

I added the photos in a different manner so hopefully they are visible. Please let me know. Thanks

[Millet]

How long has the tree been growing i the same container and same medium?

[Calusa]

How long has the tree been growing i the same container and same medium?

I planted it 3 months ago and it was growing like a weed in the container. Then I planted it several weeks later in the same spot I had previously had another citrus that got hit by HLM, in typical Florida sandy soil. I added a few quarts of used coffee grounds and mixed it into the sand along with some garden topsoil that has pine bark nuggets rotting away in it. Then I planted this tree in that. Did I maybe over-do it with acidification?

[Millet]

The University of Florida recommends fertilizing 1 year old citrus trees 6 times per year with a 6-6-6 formula fertilizer.  Beginning about 2 weeks after planting, frequent light applications of fertilizer should be made approximately every 6 weeks. In Florida fertilizer should not be applied between October1 and February 1 for the first year or two, especially in regions north of Polk county. 

[1rainman]

Junk dirt. When you plant almost anything dig a big hole fill it with potting soil. Mix a little of the existing sand into the mix. Or use perlite and peat for potting soil.

Citrus don't like mulch either. It won't kill them but they don't do well with it so those bark chunks are not good either. I will say sugar bell leaves seem to be a little lighter than other citrus though.

Citrus like sandy soil but the Florida dirt being pure sand is junk unless a lot of compost is added.

[pagnr]

I don't think the foliage shows any common nutrient deficiency. I seem to remember the yellow central vein indicates root problems.
Not sure if you over did the acid, but at low low pH, the acid will attack the roots.
Don't know if what you did would drop the pH to that level, seems unlikely.
It may however encourage acid loving microbes or those that degrade organic matter via that process.
Thinking out loud, that may be the problem.
I have seen similar when unusual microbe growth takes over pot mix.
Coffee grounds are fine, but not all at once in my experience. They can lead to a microbe mass or mat, especially on the surface of pots.

[1rainman]

Never tried coffee grounds on citrus but most plants grow like crazy with them. I'd say the sand and bark is a bigger issue. With sand they will stop growing mostly due to lack of nutrients. I don't know if it's microbes or what but most plants live mulch but mulch slows citrus growth too.

[Calusa]

Never tried coffee grounds on citrus but most plants grow like crazy with them. I'd say the sand and bark is a bigger issue. With sand they will stop growing mostly due to lack of nutrients. I don't know if it's microbes or what but most plants live mulch but mulch slows citrus growth too.

I tend to agree with you 1rainman and pagnr. I messed up the planting mix. I am headed to a local nursery in a few minutes to get some real planting mix they prepare onsite, exchange the existing soil with it and replant the tree. Thanks to all!!

[Calusa]

Replanting completed. I got a couple of big bags of mushroom/worm castings compost which is really nice and rich looking, and dug out the entire hole about 3' wide removing all of the old soil, coffee grounds and pine bark. dug a "borrow pit" in the yard and mixed everything together. I think this is going to be a game changer. I'll know in a couple of week.

[FruitGrower]

Replanting completed. I got a couple of big bags of mushroom/worm castings compost which is really nice and rich looking, and dug out the entire hole about 3' wide removing all of the old soil, coffee grounds and pine bark. dug a "borrow pit" in the yard and mixed everything together. I think this is going to be a game changer. I'll know in a couple of week.

Please update us on how this turns out. For me, citrus have done better in sandy mixes than compost, though I am growing in containers. When I last transplanted mine, going from 15 to 35 gallons, I noticed that the Sugar Belle had similar symptoms to yours. It eventually got going with nice new growth but it was notably slower to rebound from the transplant shock than the others (I also root prune). 

[Calusa]

Replanting completed. I got a couple of big bags of mushroom/worm castings compost which is really nice and rich looking, and dug out the entire hole about 3' wide removing all of the old soil, coffee grounds and pine bark. dug a "borrow pit" in the yard and mixed everything together. I think this is going to be a game changer. I'll know in a couple of week.

Please update us on how this turns out. For me, citrus have done better in sandy mixes than compost, though I am growing in containers. When I last transplanted mine, going from 15 to 35 gallons, I noticed that the Sugar Belle had similar symptoms to yours. It eventually got going with nice new growth but it was notably slower to rebound from the transplant shock than the others (I also root prune).

Will do. The ratio of the soil used in the replant was about 3:1 mostly yard sand. The roots on the tree looked pretty healthy but I did snap the tap root off a little. Now 2 days later the tree still looks stable and no wilting.

[1rainman]

Do you have perlite in your compost mix? Admittedly it serves a similar function as sand. But citrus grows well in normal potting soil that is a mix of compost and perlite.

Sand is useful especially when you live in Florida and it's free. But it isn't necessary except on cactus and pineapples they seem to really do better with sand. Almost everything does well in normal potting soil unless it's something that needs alkaline soil. Certain grapes are the only thing that doesn't like the acidity but even a lot of grapes do well in it.

The perlite helps lessen the acidity and get air/drainage.

[Calusa]

No Perlite - why would I when I have plenty of sand? Perlite is for potting soil anyway.

[1rainman]

Perlite is good in any soil mix keeps the soil light but tends to float to the top. Sand is heavier is the only disadvantage of sand but both should help keep the ph closer to neutral and aid drainage.

[Seanny]

Mixing coffee grounds with soil is a bad practice.
The coffee grounds absorb nutrients.
The bacteria that break it down use up the N.
You would need extra N so your tree can get some before the coffee grounds decomposition release N.

[Calusa]

Mixing coffee grounds with soil is a bad practice.
The coffee grounds absorb nutrients.
The bacteria that break it down use up the N.
You would need extra N so your tree can get some before the coffee grounds decomposition release N.

That's good information, thanks for sharing! I wondered if I was making a mistake with the coffee, now I know. 

[Seanny]

If I plant a new tree, I would build a raised bed first.
I would plant the tree with the root crown flush with the top of raised bed.
Fill the raised bed with compost and mulch.
Put pavers on top to keep mulch down.
Fertilize as needed.
Remove pavers then top up with compost and mulch every year.
Put pavers back.

I don’t mix anything with the soil.

[Calusa]

Now it's been 3 weeks since I dug the tree up and replanted in the same spot using fresh native soil. I have not seen any change or growth since except that it looks paler than it did. I am going to dig it up again and put it in a pot. Maybe it will respond, and if it does I'll plant it on the side of the house. I just ordered a new Sugar Belle which will get planted in the same spot as the other one.

[Seanny]

Citrus grow fast there?
Here in the Southwest they grow slow.
My tree send out a dozen leaves each shoot.
Then sleep for a few months.
Repeat.
That is it for a year.

Planting a citrus and not seeing any growth after 3 weeks is normal here.

[Calusa]

This tree has been in the ground nearly 4 months now. Sugar Belle's are notoriously fast growers, yet it hasn't put on any new growth since it was planted. The tangerine I planted at the ame time has had two flushes of growth in the same timeframe.

[Calusa]

I dug it up today, gave the root ball a rinse in a bucket of rinwater and put it in a 5 gallon pot with fresh Miracle Gro cactus/citrus potting soil (with perlite), and sat it in the shade. Maybe this will wake it up and begin growing once again.

[Fygee]

Citrus plants, in my experience, go to sleep for a bit when planted in ground. It's a combination of root shock, and awareness that they're no longer constrained and will focus on root growth instead of top growth.

The severity of the shock will determine how long it's asleep. If it's bad enough that you get leaf drop, you'd pretty much waiting until next season for anything to happen other than mild leaf growth.

Just be careful not to overfeed during this period, as it can actually make the issue worse.

Too much water can also stunt growth, though I'm not sure how much of an issue that would be with how sandy your soil appears to be.

[1rainman]

The only thing special about cactus dirt is it has sand in it, which sand is everywhere in Florida. Usually citrus when planted don't grow much. They put out roots and get established. After a year or two they should grow fairly fast. Though they need compost, fertilizer, water when there's a dry spell. If totally neglected they usually grow slow here unless from seed or a poncirus or sour orange seems a lot healthier and more vigorous than others.

My dad planted sugar bell and two others at the same time. The sugar bell is the largest and the others look diseased already. Sugar bell is healthy though it has lighter leaves than most citrus. So if the others are out growing sugar bell that is weird.