So I planted a grapefruit tree from seed with my grandmother when I was little. My grandma recently passed away and for some reason my tree is losing a massive amount of leaves. It is probably 15 years old. I break up the root ball and change the soil once a year. This morning there were 3 or 4 leaves on the ground and a few hours later there are probably 10 of them. I don't know what to do. The leaves start to turn yellow in the center before they fall off. I read that this can be common once the leaves get older but I don't think it should happen this much and no new growth can be seen. Please help!!!!!
It sounds like you've been caring for the tree for a number of years without any problem until now. Do you fertilize it on a regular basis? Has it's environment been change recently? A photo may help in diagnosing the problem. A Guide to Citrus Nutritional Deficiency and Toxicity Identification
I repotted it a little over a month ago and mixed in fertalizer with the soil. No climate changes have occured. It looks like the yellow leaf chlorosis or whatever. Maybe it just needs some nitrogen.
I don't see any obvious problem. The remaining leaves appear to be fairly healthy. If the fallen leaves came from the lower parts of the tree and older portion of branches I would come to the same conclusion, that it's just the normal shedding of old leaves. The leaves in the left side of the picture appear to be stippled, typical of spider mite damage but that could just be the exposure of the picture. Citrus trees should be fed regularly with a high nitrogen fertilizer that includes micronutrients. An NPK ratio of 5-1-3 is recommended for containerized citrus. Do you move the tree to a larger container as needed when you repot?
There's something else that supports the conclusion that this is normal. The leaves on top of the soil still have the petioles attached; this is normal. If leaf loss was due to stress the leaf would separate from the petiole and the latter would remain attached to the tree.
Ok. I was just nervous because I dont see any new growth. Should I get some of the little nitrogen stake things just to be safe?
Citrus trees typically alternate between producing top growth and root growth. Perhaps it's currently doing the latter. I would stay away from fertilizer stakes; it would be better to distribute the nutrients evenly throughout the soil. It could be in the form of granular, slow-release, or water-soluble. Which you choose doesn't matter as much if you repot annually.
