Hi all

My calamondin has developed dry tips on several of its leaves. it is only a small plant - maybe 20-25cm tall but growing outwards, but it has one bit of fruit that has been growing and 7 flowers. i mist it several times a day with my other 3 citrus plants. it is positioned in a south facing window that it has been enjoying for almost 5 months now.

it is in a ceramic pot, and i knew from the white residue on it that there were left over salts from the fertilizer. i have flushed the pot a week ago but the residue is still there so i think i need to flush it again. could over fertilizing be the problem? i am very careful with watering and my other plants seem to be feeling fine so im not sure what could be causing it

thanks all!

dan

"danny22" wrote
My calamondin has developed dry tips on several of its leaves. it is
only a small plant - maybe 20-25cm tall but growing outwards, but it
has one bit of fruit that has been growing and 7 flowers. i mist it
several times a day with my other 3 citrus plants. it is positioned in
a south facing window that it has been enjoying for almost 5 months
now.

it is in a ceramic pot, and i knew from the white residue on it that
there were left over salts from the fertilizer. i have flushed the pot
a week ago but the residue is still there so i think i need to flush it
again. could over fertilizing be the problem? i am very careful with
watering and my other plants seem to be feeling fine so im not sure
what could be causing it


The S. facing window is you problem, it's too hot/dry.

Why is it inside? It should be outside in a sunny spot during
Spring/Summer/Autumn and only be taken inside to guard against frost.

Regarding the white residue, if it's on the pot it's probably in the compost
too so I would repot now using ericaceous compost with added grit/bark
chippings to increase drainage.

BTW How do you water it without a water tray when it's inside? All citrus
hate wet roots and water trays are a good way to kill them. With the plants
outside and no water trays you can flush the compost with every watering.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:41:03 +0100, danny22
wrote:


Hi all

My calamondin has developed dry tips on several of its leaves. it is
only a small plant - maybe 20-25cm tall but growing outwards, but it
has one bit of fruit that has been growing and 7 flowers. i mist it
several times a day with my other 3 citrus plants. it is positioned in
a south facing window that it has been enjoying for almost 5 months
now.

it is in a ceramic pot, and i knew from the white residue on it that
there were left over salts from the fertilizer. i have flushed the pot
a week ago but the residue is still there so i think i need to flush it
again. could over fertilizing be the problem? i am very careful with
watering and my other plants seem to be feeling fine so im not sure
what could be causing it

My guess is that you may have it too wet from the flushing and may be
overfeeding?

Pam in Bristol

The kind of winds and rain we have had around here are too strong i think - my greenhouse, weighted down with about a dozen bricks, has been overturned so many times i have given up with it! am out in the open country, so not protection from the elements

It gets good light between 9 and 11, bright light between 11 and 1, then slowly a reduction in light as the day progresses. None of my citrus have minded for five months, and they have been in sunnier spots happily enough.

i water when the soil is dry, but not completely dry and i don't use water trays. I water them in our outhouse and let them drain into the sink before putting them back in the window

would it be safe to repot them? they were repotted several months ago already...

thank you!

dan

"danny22" wrote
The kind of winds and rain we have had around here are too strong i
think - my greenhouse, weighted down with about a dozen bricks, has
been overturned so many times i have given up with it! am out in the
open country, so not protection from the elements

Is there nowhere outside, against a S. facing wall preferrably, that you
could put them? Or rig up some sort of wind protection for them? They really
will do much better outside.


It gets good light between 9 and 11, bright light between 11 and 1,
then slowly a reduction in light as the day progresses. None of my
citrus have minded for five months, and they have been in sunnier spots
happily enough.


IME citrus are a bit like camelias, by the time they show a problem it's
rather late.

i water when the soil is dry, but not completely dry and i don't use
water trays. I water them in our outhouse and let them drain into the
sink before putting them back in the window


Good. How often do you feed and with what? Do you use rain water or tap, and
if tap is your water hard?

would it be safe to repot them? they were repotted several months ago
already...


If they have been repotted recently then leave it for the moment.


--
Regards
Bob Hobden

only real shelter is to the north of the house, in perpetual shade its not my house or garden and so im not really meant to change anything. i tried the greenhouse and that just kept being blown away despite efforts to weigh it down.

i use tap water but we def dont live in a hard water area. i may try bottled water though, see if it makes a difference!

the roots havent become too wet - the flushing isnt for a protracted period of time and i monitor the soil carefully to ensure it never dries out completely while making sure it isnt already damp deep down.

i have stopped fertilizing, though i didnt fertilize much anyway but the white residue on the pot is obviously showing its more than they needed. i'll just use water for now and see how things go

thank you!

danny

"danny22" wrote ...

only real shelter is to the north of the house, in perpetual shade
its not my house or garden and so im not really meant to change
anything. i tried the greenhouse and that just kept being blown away
despite efforts to weigh it down.

i use tap water but we def dont live in a hard water area. i may try
bottled water though, see if it makes a difference!

Bottled water is often hard water which your citrus don't want, rain water
is preferred.


the roots havent become too wet - the flushing isnt for a protracted
period of time and i monitor the soil carefully to ensure it never
dries out completely while making sure it isnt already damp deep down.


I flush mine with every watering/feeding letting any excess water drain
away, so you are doing it right IMO.

i have stopped fertilizing, though i didnt fertilize much anyway but
the white residue on the pot is obviously showing its more than they
needed. i'll just use water for now and see how things go


Citrus are gross feeders so they do need feeding every other watering. I
also use pelleted chicken manure sprinkled on the compost and a dose of
Sequestered Iron every spring just as they go outside.

When you repotted did you use Ericaceous Compost with added grit to aid
drainage?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

i would like to use rain water for a change - is there anything in particular you have to do with it, or a time to use it by once collected, or can i just put a pot out and wait for it to rain? does it go stale?

when i repotted, i was a newbie to citrus, and just read that they liked well draining soil. i cant remember what compost i used (it def wasnt ericaceous) but i threw in heaps of perlite - it seems to drain ok, but next time i repot it will be in ericaceous. i ahve since bought a tahiti lime and another calamondin which have both been potted in ericaceous thought

i had been using a citrus summer fertilizer, but there was a build up of salt residue on the pot, so the last few waterings i havent added any fertilizer. i cleaned the outside of the pot thoroughly but some of the white reside is still coming through - i dont know if its coming from the soil or if it is just stuck inside the terracotta.

the calamondin in question has shot out a lot of new leaf growth and flowers, and two of them have turned into tiny pea-sized green fruits that will hopefully grow like the other solitary fruit it is a young plant and not very strong, but seems keen on fruiting and flowering. it will probably drop the majority of fruit prematurely, just getting in some practice for future fruiting

my lemon tree also seems to be in a growth spurt, shooting out a load of new foliage! i love how citrus go through growth spurts - nothing for months then in the space of a week you have a completely different plant!