ok its about 5 months old but its not growing much anymore and some of the leaves are falling off!!!!! what do i do. please help me save it!!!
Don't over water it, give it lots of light, and wait until spring when the days get longer. It should start growing more then. Also, you could slowly work it out side when the weather permits.
Aladkanwolf, the health of citrus trees depends so much on the quality of the potting mixture that the trees is place into, that all other requirements diminish in comparison. All growth mediums are acceptable when the tree is first planted, but if the medium does not maintain EXCELLENT drainage and EXCELLENT aeration problems soon begin; usually in four to six months after planting. Lastly, as your tree is only five months old, and not in good health, you might consider discarding the grapefruit for another citrus variety such as a mandarin or a Key Lime. The reason I say this, is because you will never get a containerized grapefruit to fruit, no matter how long the tree remains in a container. If you plant a Key Lime from seed you can expect the tree to bloom is 2-3 years, or a mandarin in 3-5 years. - Millet
yea but i really dont want it to die and i think it can survive i just need all the help i can get so i can help it live.................oh yea its only like 2 inches tall
I'm in the same boat... bought a grapefruit (super-sized unusual variety) from the local produce store, and planted some of the seeds. I now have six healthy little sprouts in thier own pots, which I try to just give enough water to keep them alive, and not overwater. When they first came up they were doing quite well. Now they seem to have gone dormant. They are deep green, have secondary leaves, yet have just stopped growing. They look fine, just no new growth in about a month. Is the soil the culprit? It's very loose soil, yet just a potting soil, not specific for citrus. I'm at a loss... help? They've been indoors in front of a large window this winter, plan on getting them outside when the weather improves enough where I don't have to worry about them.
Citrus trees grow in spurts (called flushes) and then rest for a while to let the leaves fill out and the roots to get ready for the next flush. It is not uncommon to go a month or two without any new growth. You should add a slow release fertilizer with a 5-1-3 ratio and trace minerals every 3-4 months.
Your trees have not stopped growing at all. A grapefruit, in fact every variety of citrus, will grow year around continuously, *IF* the weather conditions are favorable. The very first growth a seedling citrus produces is root growth, when it sends out a radical (first root) from the seed. Then, after the radical growth, comes the foliage growth, which is the visual growth that you can see. After the tree finishes producing its new foliage, the tree then once again begins another growth cycle of its root system. Your tree is now in the root system growth cycle. Because you cannot see the underground growth cycle you assume that the tree has gone "dormant," it has not. The growth of the root cycle will take 6 to 8 weeks, and when completed, the foliage cycle will once again begin (if you are properly cultivating the plant). For citrus trees growing in temperate locations each of these cycles will repeat approximately 3 times a year. Out doors when the temperatures fall below 55.4F all growth of citrus will stop, until the temperature once again exceeds 55.4F In the tropics where the weather is conducive for year around growth, each growth cycle will continually produce additional growth sequences throughout the year, five to six root and foliage flushes each year. Therefore in the tropics a citrus tree grows to maturity twice as fast as in temperate zones such as California or Florida. Your tree has not stopped growing. However, it does require WATER and fertilizer on a regular basis if you wish to tree to grow. By choosing a grapefruit as the variety to grow from seed, you have chosen the absolutely worst variety to cultivate in a container. Key Lime or Mandarin would have been a much better choice. - Millet
Thanks Millet.. I appreciate the feedback. Had this grapefruit not been so incredibly large, and the seeds so willing to sprout I probably wouldn't have chosen it. In any event, this fall as part of my landscaping plan, the best two will make thier way into the ground out in the yard, and we'll see what happens.
