I'm trying to figure out if this is a sign of lack of water, but it occurs even when there is moisture in the ground (using a moisture meter). On two dwarf citrus, a Satsuma tangerine and an Algerian tangerine(both transplanted 3 years ago), Satsuma looking very healthy with darkish green leaves, Algerian lots of small leaves med green. Both had plenty of flowers, Satsuma dropped many and has a small number of tiny fruit, Algerian has many tiny fruit, but leaves are on the small side. The leaves, on both trees, are rolling upwards longitudinally, all of them, and to me that's a sign of lack of water. But even after I water the leaves stay the same. I have an 12" irrometer on another dwarf citrus next to these, and I water all when it reads 50-60, about every 2-3 weeks. Recently I've been trying to sprinkle water on the surface soil around the drip line(these are still small trees-3 feet high) every 2-3 days, just to keep the surface roots moist in case that's the problem. We've had 2 heat waves this spring, 90-95 deg days, but past 2-3 weeks on the cool side (65-75 deg days). Do I have this all wrong, can someone help me figure out what these leaves are telling me? Thanks in advance, John
First, if your tree have been growing in the ground for three years and they are only three feet tall, that is not good. Evidently you are not following the ascribed fertilizer regiment that citrus trees require. Citrus are heavy feeders, and require a lot of nourishment. You should be fertilizing your trees four times a year spaced between early March through the last of August. Curled leaves are a sign of both under watering, and also a sign of over watering. Temperatures of 90 - 95F are not much of a problem for citrus, unless it is also accompanied with lots of wind. When you water the trees give them a good watering. It is counter productive to just frequently lightly sprinkle the surface. Without additional information, I would have to assume that the trees need additional water. - Millet
jbclem, Use a piece of dryed Bamboo 1/4 inch maybe a bit larger, 2-3 feet in length place it deep within the rootzone, let is be for 24 hours an remove. This should tell you where the water is. Citrus have a shallow root system meaning,most of the feeder roots grow near the top of the soil.
