Very bad potted citrus year

[Eric101]

I have really been struggling this year with my potted citrus.  Very nearly lost my kumquat but it struggled back (and is now in full bloom) after repotting.  Repotted one of my three meyer lemons about mid-July as it was going to die if I didn’t.  Last ditch effort but it does look like it has new growth now.  Lime was doing well but now seems to be dropping leaves.   Late bloom because I uppotted it in early spring and still has small fruit but worried.  The other lemons almost died but I adjusted pH and they bounced back.  Now stalled again.  Noticed new growth was sagging/wilting on one so that is also concerning.  All the rest (two oranges and a grapefruit) are doing… ok… not great but every single plant except lime has dropped all its fruit.  It does seem like this year has been either all out rain or blistering heat so maybe just a bad year.  But makes me want to throw in the towel.   Just complaining, mind you… sometimes I just gotta, you know.  Btw, my lemons and kumquat are around 10 years old or so and usually produce fairly well.  Virginia 7a.

[dytandme]

My issues early this season were due to subpar overwinter care with pH, iron, and magnesium issues. It took a while to get things balanced enough that the trees bounced back. They have done well to recover despite the heat. But the rain here has consistently washed out almost everything I put into the pots as far as nutrients go. So I hear ya there!

Fruit drop could certainly be from stress but the leaf drop on the lime makes me wonder if it's a shared deficiency since many of your trees are showing similar symptoms? Do you have any pics of the trees to share? When it's so bad leaves and fruit are dropping, I will typically correct pH with iron sulfate (Hi-Yield) and magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) as both nutrients tend to be deficient when soil pH is off.

[Alippincott]

I have really been struggling this year with my potted citrus.  Very nearly lost my kumquat but it struggled back (and is now in full bloom) after repotting.  Repotted one of my three meyer lemons about mid-July as it was going to die if I didn’t.  Last ditch effort but it does look like it has new growth now.  Lime was doing well but now seems to be dropping leaves.   Late bloom because I uppotted it in early spring and still has small fruit but worried.  The other lemons almost died but I adjusted pH and they bounced back.  Now stalled again.  Noticed new growth was sagging/wilting on one so that is also concerning.  All the rest (two oranges and a grapefruit) are doing… ok… not great but every single plant except lime has dropped all its fruit.  It does seem like this year has been either all out rain or blistering heat so maybe just a bad year.  But makes me want to throw in the towel.   Just complaining, mind you… sometimes I just gotta, you know.  Btw, my lemons and kumquat are around 10 years old or so and usually produce fairly well.  Virginia 7a.

I would guess the issue is the soil. I have made the change to avoid organic matter in my soils after learning from Gary Matsuoka and watching videos from the channel Grafting man and Grows Gone Wild ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM3LTmyv_yM&t=186s ).

My citrus are in basically rocky soil with decomposed granite, pummice and other stuffs like sand. I might have put some peat moss in.

[BP]

I have really been struggling this year with my potted citrus.  Very nearly lost my kumquat but it struggled back (and is now in full bloom) after repotting.  Repotted one of my three meyer lemons about mid-July as it was going to die if I didn’t.  Last ditch effort but it does look like it has new growth now.  Lime was doing well but now seems to be dropping leaves.   Late bloom because I uppotted it in early spring and still has small fruit but worried.  The other lemons almost died but I adjusted pH and they bounced back.  Now stalled again.  Noticed new growth was sagging/wilting on one so that is also concerning.  All the rest (two oranges and a grapefruit) are doing… ok… not great but every single plant except lime has dropped all its fruit.  It does seem like this year has been either all out rain or blistering heat so maybe just a bad year.  But makes me want to throw in the towel.   Just complaining, mind you… sometimes I just gotta, you know.  Btw, my lemons and kumquat are around 10 years old or so and usually produce fairly well.  Virginia 7a.

I would guess the issue is the soil. I have made the change to avoid organic matter in my soils after learning from Gary Matsuoka and watching videos from the channel Grafting man and Grows Gone Wild ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM3LTmyv_yM&t=186s ).

My citrus are in basically rocky soil with decomposed granite, pummice and other stuffs like sand. I might have put some peat moss in.

Chiming in to say although I am new to citrus, Gary's saturday lectures on soil and plants in general have been a HUGE level up for me. Changing my potting soil and mentality in containers from almost all organics to only surface organics has been incredible. They drain so well, they have so much more oxygen and thus so much happier. Im super excited to face our 40"+ yearly rain now. AJ  the graft man on youtube was my doorway into a lot of this stuff too, I love his content. Highly recommend AJ and Gary

[fishie]

Yup, the potting soil from Gary was a game changer for me as well! Have hundreds of plants growing in it now. I am curious, though, how did they do well for 10 years and just start doing bad now? Have you root pruned and changed the soil out in the past?

[1rainman]

My potted citrus are doing fine. The heat doesn't seem to bother them though they can dry out very quickly in heat which is why I add clay to the soil so it holds water longer. I just use potting soil but there is clay and sand added to it and mulch on top. Which yeah also need mulch to keep it from drying in the hot weather. Could be some disease like HLB. I have mine in the shade and with nets around them.

[W.]

I've started adding more sand to my citrus mixes. I also companion plant my container citrus with various houseplants, such as basket plant. My mom had some extra pieces that had broken off one of her plants. I placed some in one of my Moro blood oranges on a whim. Both the basket plant and the orange exploded with growth. Now, my citrus are all mostly filled with various heirloom houseplants. Because a basket plant (and the other houseplants I got from her) can soak up any amount of extra water, I have heavily reduced the possibility of my citrus getting wet feet. My citrus also aren't showing any nutrient deficiencies from this experiment, even though I have barely fertilized them in the past year due to my busy schedule. The jury is still out on my companion planting experiment, but I definitely like what I've seen the past couple of years.

[BP]

I've started adding more sand to my citrus mixes. I also companion plant my container citrus with various houseplants, such as basket plant. My mom had some extra pieces that had broken off one of her plants. I placed some in one of my Moro blood oranges on a whim. Both the basket plant and the orange exploded with growth. Now, my citrus are all mostly filled with various heirloom houseplants. Because a basket plant (and the other houseplants I got from her) can soak up any amount of extra water, I have heavily reduced the possibility of my citrus getting wet feet. My citrus also aren't showing any nutrient deficiencies from this experiment, even though I have barely fertilized them in the past year due to my busy schedule. The jury is still out on my companion planting experiment, but I definitely like what I've seen the past couple of years.

Amazing timing for me, Ive been waffling over planting in my citrus containers some brassica seeds I saved that grow really well here in the winter. Also considering legumes or clover as those are better nitrogen fixers. I couldnt figure out if they would help deal with water levels (I already have great drainage though) as well as help insulate below and above ground. My worry is they wouldnt be dormant at all. Anyone have any thoughts? My main reason for doing it would be to help keep the citrus a little warmer by having other plants by it, and Id probably cut or transplant out the companions in the spring

[SoCal2warm]

I would guess the issue is the soil. I have made the change to avoid organic matter in my soils
...
My citrus are in basically rocky soil with decomposed granite, pummice and other stuffs like sand. I might have put some peat moss in.

I want to point out that the type of soil that should be used for potted citrus probably differs very much depending on what part of the country you are in.
On the U.S. West Coast, you want rich soil that will retain moisture well. On the East Coast, you want soil that can drain well and not result in too much moisture build up or waterlogging.

In climates with hotter summers, it's possible the plants are getting too much full sun. This can create water stress on them, and the roots may not be as capable of providing the larger volumes of water due to the more limited root space in containers. This should not be taken to imply that the solution is just to give the plants more water, since that can cause problems.

[Eric101]

Yup, the potting soil from Gary was a game changer for me as well! Have hundreds of plants growing in it now. I am curious, though, how did they do well for 10 years and just start doing bad now? Have you root pruned and changed the soil out in the past?

Yes, I have once or twice but then in early spring.  Things have really not gotten better but everything is alive still.  Might repot done f the worst looking of the lot so they can at least go inside with new, well draining soil.   Will check out Gary - thanks for tip.

[akimbo]

I have had terrible citrus this year too.  Also last year, but I think mine have HLB.  Some are inground and many are in pots, but none have yielded much, and my Ponderosa lemons never turn yellow.  I am wondering if they need like 2 years to turn color.  But they are HUGE!