Hello, I've successfully kept several plants in my apt in Boston, MA for a while now and this weekend received a calamondin as a gift. The plant was purchased by a friend from a reputable nursery. Only a few days after purchasing it, the leaves are curling, and the few buds are turning brown. I do not know the potting mix, but the soil was very dry when I got it and the pot was light. I watered until, as millet suggested, ~10% of the water added drained out the holes in the pot. The soil is now fairly dry, but as I said, I do not know the potting mix and the leaves are already curling up. The room is warm, but I know the soil will be cooler so I have kept the plant in a low light area, as millet and JK have suggested during the winter months. It's currently in a 10-inch pot, unknown potting mix, holes in the bottom of the pot, sitting on a dinner plate. the plate is dry, just there to keep soil off my floor; i watered the plant from the top. there are a few buts, no flowers, and a few small deep green fruits. suggestions??? I have read several posts on in this forum, but they deal with older plants, not troubleshooting a brand new plant. and now, the nursery my friend purchased the plant from isn't local and i feel kind of bad asking her to bring it back. thank you!
Low light environment. That means the soil temp must NOT go above 54F. Is this the case? If the temp is above 54F, the roots will be working to some degree, and the low light will made it unhappy! You don't know the potting mix....is it sandy? peaty? bark chips? little pebbles? Any info will help. How dry is it getting between waterings? Don't forget, be wary about underwatering through fear of overwatering! Brown can indicate salt burn - do you fertilize much, or do you live in a hard water area? How is the humidity in its environment. It will want a high humidity level, and the air in our homes is usually drier than desert air!
the mix appears to be pretty sandy, the water runs through it very quickly, but i think that might be because the plant was very dry when i first received it. no obvious bark chips or pebbles. How dry should the calamondin be allowed to get? I know millet has said the #1 cause of citrus death is overwatering. There are also a lot of visible roots at the top, stringy, slightly orange-brown in color, but i think JK said that was normal and didn't necessarily need to be covered up in a previous thread I've only had it ~5 days now, so I haven't had a "between waterings." the leaves are not turning brown; some are starting to get a little yellow in the middle where they're curling, but not at the edges. I don't know if i have "hard" water, but when i watered it after first getting it i used general purpose, high-nitrogen, schultz-brand liquid fertilizer diluted in water, same stuff I use for all my other plants (jasmine to succulent). the room isn't particularly dry or humid, but my jasmine plant, which usually likes high humidity, has done fine in the same room.
