Valencia Orange Tree Leaf Problem

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by botz, Jun 14, 2007.

  1. botz

    botz Member

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    Location:
    whitby, Ontario Canada
    On May 25th 2007 I purchased a 6ft valencia orange tree in a 17" black plastic pot at Humber Nurseries in Toronto. This orange tree was stored in their tropicals greenhouse. The tree already bloomed and oranges were forming 2 oranges the size of a little bigger then a golf ball and a whole bunch of small ones (total orange apprx 18). It looked like the were a lot more that the buds fell off, I know they can be sensitive.
    I took the orange tree home and placed it in my backyard on top of my patio stones, my backyard faces southeast sun all day. I gave it a good watering. The last 3-4 days I must of lost about 3 dozen leaves off the tree. The leaves were smooth pale greenish yellow colour. What could be the problem? The fruit on the tree is OK and growing.
     
  2. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Denver,Colorado USA
    ..........I know they can be sensitive.........

    The buds did not fall off because of the sensitivity of Valencia Oranges. All citrus trees normally discard approximately 98 percent of their flowers, and 90-95 percent of the small fruitlets that originally develop. A citrus will only retain the amount of fruit the tree is capable of bringing to maturity. As for the leaf problem. If your tree's black container is receiving direct southern sunlight all day and the container that the tree is growing in is setting on hot patio stones, the tree's growth medium and therefore the temperature of the trees root system surely must be excessive, reaching temperatures of 130F +. My guess is the roots on the sunny side of the container have been damaged, if not killed, from being greatly over heated. The container needs to be insulated , or at least painted white to reflect the sun. Get yourself a soil thermometer so that you can regulate how hot the container gets. Try to keep the container at or below 95F. Another common reason for leaf drop is over watering. When you water, water well then don't water again until the top two or three inches of the potting soil is dry. However, unless you have been constantly watering the tree, I believe the problem is a over heated root system. - Millet
     
  3. mcagrant

    mcagrant Member

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    Location:
    West Indies Jamaica
    thanks for the information, it will greatly help me
     

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