GardenBanter.co.uk - Orange tree problem

mike3 wrote:

Hi.

I've got this orange tree wich seems to be having a weird problem. It
grew a new branch, then killed it off. Then it killed off some more
leaves and started another growth somewhere else. And the leaves are
drooping. Have been giving it good water, sunlight, and fertilizer. It
was going good until it was dwarfed by chopping off the terminal bud
and then cutting off the top part. Then it was repotted. Was the
attempt at dwarfing the culprit? Or something else? Please give me
help. it seems like that after that, it "couldn't figure out how to
grow" or something.

Is this an actual dwarf, or are you forcing it to be a dwarf?
Dwarf citrus are obtained by grafting normal citrus scions onto a
partially incompatible rootstock.

If you are forcing it to be a dwarf by chopping the top and then
repotting, you might have forced new growth the exceeds the
ability of confined non-dwarfing roots to supply moisture and soil
nutrients.

You could also be over-feeding it and burning the roots.

If the potting mix does not drain well, you might be over-watering
it. Contrary to common belief, citrus needs a constant supply of
soil moisture. However, the soil should never be really wet, just
moist. My do-it-yourself mix at
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html has the
right drainage such that overwatering potted citrus is not really
possible as long as the container has unobstructed drain holes and
does not sit in the drained water. (With citrus, zinc is not
optional in this mix.)

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/

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