Hi there - I’ve had my lime tree plant for about two years. I’ve never seen him this bad in the winter though! (See photo) I gave him new fertilizer this summer based on some advice from this forum and he absolutely flourished! (See second picture) As soon as I brought him inside though he started losing his leaves and the more time passes I think he might be a goner. I’m definitely a novice and don’t have anything close to a green thumb so hoping someone can help us out! Thanks!!
Sad to say it does look dead to me. You can try scratching a bit of the bark on the trunk and see if it is green. If it is then there is a small hope of a come-back. I would prune it back quite severely and hope for the best. It seems like it did not like its new location. Has the heating been on? I see it is quite close to the baseboard and it may have cooked it. Plants should generally not be placed next to a heater.
I suspect, that your tree died because of poor moisture regime. After bringing this tree in you should have increased watering frequecy, because of increased evaporation and transpiration in the warmer environment. Maybe the spot was too dark too. I personally don't fertilize my citruses, unless when repotting. And I overwinter my trees in a cool place (at temperature ca +10°C ±5°C).
Thanks both - he hasn’t been next to the heater this whole time. I’ve tried moving him around a few times to see if there was any chance of life left. I’ll prune him down and hope for the best!
This may be unrelated to the immediate problem but it appears the tree had been planted too deep. Is this not one tree with three main branches?
