whats wrong with my citrus trees...

[philip j]

Looking to hear from those in the know about citrus trees... I have planted a lime, orange and pomelo trees at our villa in the Dominician republic last year... while the tress are growing well/lots of new growth, the leaves are turning yellow and dropping more than I think should be normal. I do fertilize and pull off the snails, which seem to eat their share, but after a certain growth period, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
They don't appear to have any disease or fungus, or insect infestation. What's up...

[stomachmonkey]

Could be one or more of a few things.

Need to know more about the yellow.

Why Do Lemon Tree Leaves Turn Yellow? | Home Guides | SF Gate

[cstreit]

With most plants over/under watering is the most frequent cause of yellowing. Maybe invest in a rain gauge and/or moisture meter?

[Norm K]

Try the Burt Monro method, perhaps?

_

[Baz]

Originally Posted by cstreit

With most plants over/under watering is the most frequent cause of yellowing. Maybe invest in a rain gauge and/or moisture meter?

This was my first thought as well....water relations....

[BeyGon]

Out here there is a lot of talk about a Citrus disease from Vietnam, Citrus Greening I think they call it.

[Tobra]

I have seen this sort of thing on my trees when they were lacking iron

[philip j]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I have seen this sort of thing on my trees when they were lacking iron

I haven't tested the soil, but it is a very red in colour, and am told lack of iron is not a problem in this area...

[philip j]

Originally Posted by cstreit

With most plants over/under watering is the most frequent cause of yellowing. Maybe invest in a rain gauge and/or moisture meter?

This was one of my thoughts... it is the winter season here, and I use the pool as a gauge. Usually 6"-8" of rain per week... mostly big downpours during the night. Philip

[Tobra]

If you get a lot of rain, are you putting any fertilizer on the trees? pH will screw with trees too, they don't want it too far one way or the other.

[philip j]

Originally Posted by Tobra

If you get a lot of rain, are you putting any fertilizer on the trees? pH will screw with trees too, they don't want it too far one way or the other.

I do mix some water soluble triple 10, and give a dose every couple of weeks... but not a lot. The trees are in a area with good drainage. If anything the water is a little hard here, but it usually rains enough this time of year, that they don't need watering... Philip

[drkshdw]

The green in plants is formed from nitrogen in the soil. When there isn't enough the leaves turn yellow. Easiest way to supplement is to take lawn clippings and mulch around the base with them. As you water and they break down they'll release nitrogen into the soil.

[Crowbob]

Triple 10 is pretty potent stuff. Most of the time people apply waaaay too much.

[Bill Douglas]

THe garden centers have fertilizers specifically for citrus.

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by Norm K

Try the Burt Monro method, perhaps?

_

Nice one Norm.
For the uninformed - Archaic reference to the world's fastest Indian....

[vash]

my tree is doing the same thing..

[Cooper911SC]

I think water and nitrogen are likely your problems. Your trees are getting a lot of water with that amount of rainfall.

I have 10 very old large Valencia trees as well as Washington navels, Meyer lemons, and Mineola tangelos.



Here is the regimen I follow with my trees. My soil is also clay like, but rich dark brown. Mineral content is good as these oranges are always sweet.




I fertilize with about 3lbs per tree of Yara 15-15-15.
On the smaller trees I use about 1lb.
It’s the nitrogen you want.



Citrus typically likes deep watering with a dry period in between. Depending on rainfall here in socal I irrigate 6-8 times a year max.

[Cooper911SC]

One problem I am seeing this year is fruit split.
While the exact cause isn’t known, the assumption is rapid weather (humidity) changes.
We’ve had unseasonably warm periods in Nov. and Dec. and then one good rain.

After the rain several of my trees started with the split... lots of wasted fruit to compost...



The meat of the fruit grows faster than the skin can accommodate.

[Bill Douglas]

Citrus like acid soils, and the earlier mentioned citus fertilizer will give you the right levels.