Plant people - question about a orange tree

[JavaBrewer]

Figure this is as good a place as any to ask - "What the heck is going on with our recently potted orange tree?" From the nursery it was very perky and healthy but now a week after potting it the leaves are all droopy and the flowers are dropping off. No brown or yellow leaves just yet. Are we doing something wrong (too much water, not enough, wrong potting soil) or is the tree in mild shock and we should be patient. We have great success with normal planted trees but the few we have potted have all succumbed early. Any tips would be great.

[aap1966]

Transplant shock.

Trim back the branches fairly aggressively. They're grow back quickly enough when the tree recovers. The tree is trying to support all that foliage and is struggling. Use a seaweed based fertiliser as per directions on the pack. In Australia the best one is "Seasol" but I dare say your brand names are different. Don't let the soil dry out.
Watch out for any growth from the very base of the tree. That's from the rootstock which is what you don't want.


Good luck.

[slodave]

Looks like shock. The tree was flowering as well. All of the energy is going into flower/fruit production. Don't provide too much direct sun/heat at the moment. Don't over water and make sure not to leech all of the minerals out of the soil since it is a potted plant. It also looks like the top soil is fairly dry. Is there moisture under there?

Dave

[woodman]

DON'T prune it. Just judiciously water it and it'll revive. Citrus roots are a bit sensitive. You might've broke the rootball a bit upon shifting it or pruned it and didn't say so.

[fastpat]

I'm guessing that tree is from Four Winds Nursery, I have four of them sitting in the back yard now.

The pot you chose appears to be some sort of clay, not a good choice from the plants point of view, even one with a glaze on it, because water evaporates through the pot itself increasing water demands by quite a bit.

In the ground, or in a pot, right before, and during the fruiting season you must fertilize the tree about once a month, or once every three months with a timed release fertilizer. Pick one for avocado's and citrus trees, a good nursery in your area probably carries at least one. Citrus like Chelated iron with micro nutrients too.
http://cekern.ucdavis.edu/Custom_Program143/Citrus_Nitrogen_Fertilizer.htm

My wife and I had several trees in the ground in Fremont, CA and loved being able to pick fresh limes and grapefruit in the back yard. Here, they're going in the ground eventually, but I'll have to build some sort of enclosure to protect them against the days of hard frost, none of them tolerate temps below 30 degrees. I'm planning on a moveable greenhouse for that.

[Craig Stevens]

The orange trees here in FLA grow in well drained sandy soils & direct Sun. If the soil is kept too moist then fungus, nematoads (sp) & all sorts of bad things happen to the tree. I don't know if a pot & potting soil will keep the tree alive & healthy. Notice the spots on back of leaves,. Take a few leaves to a nursery or agg agent for help. Craig

[JavaBrewer]

Great info folks, thanks! The wife performed the potting operation so I don't know which fertilizer/potting soil she used however it was recommended by the nursery (Green Thumb). I was thinking transplant shock and possibly more water. The deeper soil <2" is moist and the nursery warned not to overwater. Yes the pot is clay with glaze on the outside. It just so happens that the weather has really warmed up this week (clear and 80's) so I think moving to a partial sun spot for now is also good advice.

[bryanthompson]

Originally posted by fastpat
Here, they're going in the ground eventually, but I'll have to build some sort of enclosure to protect them against the days of hard frost, none of them tolerate temps below 30 degrees. I'm planning on a moveable greenhouse for that.

I've been thinking about doing something similar... think it would work in NE?

[fastpat]

Originally posted by bryanthompson
I've been thinking about doing something similar... think it would work in NE?

Yes, but you'd have to have a heated green house, which is pretty expensive to operate, or go with some sort of high tech solar greenhouse.

The other issue is that it take long periods of warmth and sunlight, found at lower latitudes, to promote sweetness in the sweet citrus such as oranges. You'll have better luck, and flavor, if you choose one of the sour citrus like Meyer lemon. That's worth it though, nothing like freshly squeezed lemon juice to make lemonade and all the other foods that require lemon or citric acid taste better with fresh juice too.

I'm reading about, and will meet with, the Southeastern Palm Society which has members that know quite a bit about growing citrus here.

Check out:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG074
http://socialsciences.ucsc.edu/casfs/gardenideas/citrus.html
http://www.worldwideplants.com/citrus.htm

[Tobra]

Put that pot up on blocks, few pieces of 2x4 would work fine. Is there a hole in the bottom of that pot? The water must be able to drain. The brick patio it is sitting on will get pretty hot, which isn't good either

Do not prune it!

Actually,Meyer Lemons are pretty sweet for a lemon