Hello My name is Derek and i live in fort saskatchewan alberta canada. I recently purchased my bearss lime tree from the local greenhouse. after i purchased it i followed the seller's instructions and re potted the tree using sterile potting soil in a pot twice the size it was currently in. The seller/specialist also told me to fertilize the plant at the end of april using 20-20-20 fertilizer, i am also seeing mixed messages on the internet to use 4-6-8 fertilizer. i keep my apartment at a consistent 20degrees Celsius. I have had the plant for about two weeks now and about 3-4 days ago i noticed that the leaves started to droop/sag now this morning when i went to mist the plant i noticed that the new stems are starting to sag and bad. i am attatching some photos to help you understand the problem. I am very interested in keeping this plant alive for it has been a long dream of mine to keep a lime tree. I would also appreciate the best care tips you have to offer because i am a newby in this area. feel free to contact me at my email address derekmann@hotmail.com [/ATTACH]
The problem may be too much moisture in the soil. It is a mistake to over-pot a citrus tree especially when using a typical potting mix lacking amendments to increase its porosity. The medium tends to stay wet for much too long which promotes root rot. Could this be your problem? Also, what type of light is the tree exposed to and for how long during the day? A formulation which more closely approximate a 5-1-3 NPK ratio would be more appropriate. Be sure to select one that includes micronutrients.
Thanks for the fertilizer tip. I usually give the plant actual day light in my apartment which last about 6 hrs then i use a GE aquarium/plant cool white fluorescent to pick up the slack of the rest of the day light hours. i used it tonight and i noticed when i got home at about 10pm after a whopping 10 hours of light the droop in the stems was gone but the leaves remain a little. as i said in the previous post i am using sterile potting soil and have not fertilized at all. My apartment stays at a consistent 20 degrees Celsius, 68 F and is typically dry, so the soil drys out nice. the salesman told me to fertilize at end of april. have not detected any aphids or any other pest so far. the drooping in the stems o cured after i misted the plant. Some of the leaves have been drooping after one week after purchase and transplant
Junglekeeper may be right about the moisture--overwatering is the major killer of container citrus. You would be much safer with a very porous media like 4 part pine bark to 1 part potting soil. Citrus need a lot of air in the soil. Make sure the soil is dry at least 2-3 inches deep before watering again and water so that at least 10 % comes through the pot. If you use a saucer make sure the pot is elevated above the water (put some pieces of brick or something under the pot). There may be one other problem causing the leaves to droop--cold roots. 55F is absolute 0 to citrus roots, at 60 F they are minimally functional and cannot supply water rapidly to the leaves. If the tree is in direct sun, the leaves get hot without cooling water from the roots. The soil temp is always lower than room temp due to radiation loss and evaporation,-- if it is sitting in front of a cold window--cold air drafts fall down across the pot--get a thermometer you can use to measure temps near 60 and put it in the pot--if the soil temp is less than 65 --do not expose to direct sun.
Thanks Skeeterbug Although i do not think that the temperature is affecting the sagging stems, i think it might be too dry in my apartment. I received an email today from the company that produces the lime trees and i was told to keep a water dish near by for added moisture. Got my friend the pro to come out today and look at the soil/tree and she noticed that the soil was dry in the top 3-4 inches so she gave it sufficient water. one more thing as we checked the soil today an aphid flew out of the top of the soil whats the pest control requirements. My apartment stays at a consistent 20 degrees Celsius thats 68, F so it cannot be the temperature. and finally if you can list off all the care tricks n tips that you can throw at me im eager to learn the ways
I don't think aphids fly, and if it came from the soil, it is more likely a fungus gnat. The dry air can increase transpiration and it reduces the ambient cooling from air, increasing the potential for damage from direct sun while the roots are cold, but citrus grow quite well in dry climates like Arizona and California. I know most people do not believe the soil is colder than the air temp in the room, but there are several factors at work and I think you will be surprised if you measure the soil temp. The three most important things to learn about citrus are proper watering, soil mix, and fertilizer (with trace minerals). Overwatering is the biggest killer of container citrus and it is often the result of the potting mix being too fine. The easiest fertilizer to use is slow release fertilizer with trace minerals (Osmocote or Dynamite--about 19-6-12 NPK). The biggest pest are actually the smallest (spider mites) and scale. Aphids are usually being farmed by ants. Leaf miners can cause the leaves to curl and deform.
To follow up on Skeets post. There are many cultural practices that need to be learned to successfully grow containerized citrus. However, the three MOST IMPORTANT and CRYTICAL cultural procedures to learn are: (1) Proper watering, (2) Proper watering and the third most critical item is (3) Proper watering. - Millet
