I have a couple of key limes now, after I killed one last year. When I brought them inside, they received the proverbial shock and shed half of their leaves. By isolating them and not watering at all, I managed to stop the leaf loss. Now I have a weird problem: one pot shows dry on the moister meter and the other one shows wet, not just moist. I have not watered for a month now and I am scared to do anything. I was happy with their bloom and I learned here today that it may be stress bloom. I used potting soil specially marketed for citrus. I added some more stuff for drainage. I think the soil is good. The pot that shows wet is plastic, the other one clay. Does that make that much difference? Should I not worry about watering or fertilizing at all? How do I know that they are back to normal? By the way they don't have enough sun and I am planning to buy some lights tomorrow.
The fact that they don't have sun is probably one of the reasons that they have not lost any leaves. Most winter leaf drop is caused by sun-- direct sun on the leaves while the roots are cold (below 60F). Your tree will do fine without extra light if you keep it cool, it will be dormant, but will keep it's leaves. If you are going to give it extra light, you need to heat the roots to at least 64F otherwise you are just wasting $$. Skeet
My advise is to throw away your moisture meter, it will get your tree in trouble. The first step in watering is to use your fingers. You can feel the moisture level in a pot easily by just poking your finger into the soil surface a couple inches. With a little experience you will be able to tell when your tree needs water. Rule number one: Never water out of habit! Always check the "soil" before you water. As a general rule, water very little or not at all on cloudy, cool days. There is usually no need for it, except for seedlings, which need constant moisture, especially if they are on bottom heat. Clay containers "breath" and dry out much faster than plastic containers. If the pot is still wet after one month, then the container is either to large for the tree's root system, or the growth medium contains to much fine organic matter, such as peat moss. However, never let the "soil" in your containers completely dry out (except for cactus and other special plants) Besides the obvious stress that wilting causes plants, dry soil increases the concentration of salts that naturally accumulate in the growth mix. This will cause the tips and margins of leaves to burn. - Millet
Thanks, Millet and Skeet. Your advice is always great. My problem was I used to surf the net and get more and more confused. I think my restraint in not watering too much has helped. Other than some branches lookiing dry, I see growth and leaves look fresh. One question though: I have not added any fertilizer since October when I bought the limes. Do they need any now?
You can fertilize container grown citrus year round since it will be protected from cold. Most people cut the winter rate in half, but it should be fertilized regularly-- slow release with trace minerals is best. Skeet
