Hi, I am a new gardener and have recently (last 10 days) bought an indoor orange (calmondin) potted plant. I was advised to put it in a tray of water for 20 mins once weekly at this time of year with this going up to daily in the summer. I began to do this, however an orange that had budded and was around 1.5cm diameter has started to get a brown ring around the top of it by the tip of the branch and seems wrinkly, do I have watered from the tray twice a week instead of once. It is kept indoors next to patio doors where it can get indirect sunlight, and room temperature is roughly 25 degrees Celsius. However by being nearer to with patio doors, it is slightly more colder due to outside temperature. I have also had 1-2 leaves drop off, some of the leaves on the plant seem to have rolled inwards - not drastically, just a subtle curl. However I am not sure whether this is a warning of unsuitable conditions. I wonder if I can call on the experienced citrus tree lovers out there to help Me out. I am most worried about the brownness around the small budded orange and wonder whether is should be doing anything different or new! Thanks - I look forward to receiving some advice!! Annie.
Watering on a schedule is not recommended. The soil should be allowed to dry out somewhat between applications. Citrus roots are susceptible to root rot so it is better to err on the side of dryness than the alternative. In addition, a better way to water is to water from above, allowing the excess to drain from the bottom. This will prevent the accumulation of salts in the container. Citrus roots become inactive at 13C. If the tree is exposed to light be sure to maintain a safe margin above this level to prevent leaf loss.
Hi, thanks for your reply! So, how do you tell when watering is required and is there an upper limit of humidity that the plant tolerates? Today I have noticed a branch with 3 small oranges on has completely browned with all leaves shrivelled. Getting worried now!
There are two issues in this statement: 1. Soil moisture; 2. Humidity level (in the air). Some people check the soil moisture a couple inches down by sticking a finger into the medium. I prefer to gauge the amount of moisture by the weight of the container; if it's relatively light compared to when it's freshly watered then it's time to add more. As mentioned earlier, the roots will rot in a waterlogged medium. This can be prevented by not over-watering and by using a porous medium. The latter can achieved by incorporating ingredients such as bark nuggets and perlite to the medium. Some people prefer to use coconut husk chips (CHC) instead of a soil based medium. Outdoor citrus seems to tolerate a wide range of humidity levels but I think lower levels indoors can have a detrimental effect on some varieties. I lost a number of kumquat trees and a calamondin (which is a kumquat hybrid) before I adjusted the levels up.
