Citrus Leaf Drop SOLVED! Why it happens & how to fix it.

[@mulefan74]

Having nearly offed two lemon trees bringing then indoors, I learned a few critical things. 1) roots need to be over 70 degrees to function properly. This is a big cause of nutrient loss in colder climates. The roots cant function and provide nutrients. Leaves turn yellow and eventually dont get enough nutrients and drop. Solution in cold climates is heating pads for plants. 2) root rot occurs in colde temps as the pathogens can gain hold, killing the roots and eventually the plant. Keep pot warm. 3) nutrients can be sprayed onto the leaves to supplement the lower ability of the roots and less sunlight. 4) they really need a greenhouse of some kind to keep humidity and enough sun. 5) they dont like cold tap water, if possible collect rainwater and use at room temp 6) grow lights Otherwise the plant is constantly dying off in winter and coming back in summer. These plants are super picky. They want 80 degrees and humid sun

[@michalolszewski1315]

This is strange, I noticed something else. They do not like overheating pot in winter. I am losing some leaves after a sunny day when the pot gets too hot standing on the windowsill. I noticed that the plants in a white pots do better because they are not getting “baked” or if I setup a shield in form of a wooden box or a bigger pot around. When I started to shade the pot and protect roots from the heat shock my winter leaf fall is less problematic. Perhaps the roots just hate temperature swings.

[@susanrand512]

I solved this, leaves falling, plant not getting enough nitrogen, simple fix that worked for me was Epsom salt, sprinkle a teaspoon around the inside area below your pot rim and a little around the tree. Good luck.

[@cornelistreur7049]

I think the biggest factor is keeping the humidity and temperature levels consistent. Don’t let the plant bake through a window with low humidity. Yes I agree keep it in more of a greenhouse atmosphere.

[@kws1957]

I bought a cheap citrus tree almost without leafs. The leafs continued to fall off and then I washed the roots throughly removing the parasites living there. I repotted the plant with no leafs left and it stood like this for about 2 months and when I saw no new growth I was on the verge to throw the plant in the dust bin, but my wife noticed that the stem was still green and after a few weeks the plant sprouted new leafs and now she has practically resurrected from the dead. I’m happy that I didn’t throw her away. Mysterious are the ways of the Lord. It’s also very important to control the pH value of the water and the soil. Now I try to water my citrus and fig trees with a pH of 6 till 6.5 and hope to do it right… You can reduce the pH value of the water used for watering (my pH value here in Bavaria is about 7.5) with the help of a few drops of vinegar or coffee…

[@meru7591]

mysterious indeed. It is His plant not mine

[@mohd.makhdoom5407]

Thanks for the elaborate answer buddy. I'm in perth western australia and soil here is highly alkaline..it's a challenge to keep it acidic

[@frederickburrell1554]

I found out that my citrus do better in pots where the can become a bit root bound. If the pot has a lot of soil compared to the roots it will definitely lead to root rot. I have dwarf and regular citrus varieties and I treat them all the same way and leave them in the pot until I see I have to water them more than normal then I know it's time to repot them. Not much leaf drop even after bringing them in for the winter in zone 7. They continue to bloom and even fruit indoors over the winter. Thanks for your video

[@toosense]

This is correct, I find my citrus trees fruit more as well when they are in slightly smaller containers. Idk if it’s because the roots utilize more of the fertilizer or water.. maybe both. Great comment.

[@antonette8093]

I’m in zone 8A. The first year I brought my Meyer Lemon tree indoors and it lost ALL its leaves. Brought it back out in the spring and did beautifully. So this winter I decided not to bring it indoors but instead brought it into a screened porch because it was full of blossoms. It was in the sun during the day for 6-7 hours. We had a cold spell right before Christmas and it lost all its leaves and blossoms despite covering it. It’s still out on the porch but I can see new baby leaf growth. It’s a little fighter. Next winter I plan on wrapping the pot for warmth, LED Christmas lights, and fabric plant cover. 🤞🏻

[@SysterYster]

Citrus trees are very sensitive to over-watering, so always make sure they're dry at least an inch into the soil before watering again. I use perlite in my dirt-mix, and it's really great! But it does float up to the top after a while as it's very lightweight.

[@Magnet54]

Glad to have this website. Great info. My Meyer lemon tree experienced the very same things, however no root rot. I did transplant into a larger pot and once it went back outside new leaves are appearing! This plant is indeed very temperamental! PS: I did add some epsom salt to boost the magnesium nutrient.

[@andreeward5879]

This is just a nice little message suggestion: it took first 4 minutes to say basically the same thing and not say much. Try to organize your storyboard and focus on points. :) thank you for the video and hopefully you don't take this negatively I am giving feedback and grateful you posted

[@sonicbrush]

I took it negatively. People with no videos to show for shouldn't criticize, no matter how well-meaning you say it. She didn't make the fatal mistakes some content producers make with their audio volume either too loud or soft or being drowned out by background music. She also didn't do a 10-minute intro and just went straight to the meat, albeit too wordy for you, but not for me. She didn't sound like she was reading a script and instead sounded loose relaxed and friendly. These videos are not easy to make and I admire those who do and feel generous about their information-sharing. Armchair quarterbacks.

[@dianagaunt7304]

Unnecessary comment. I learned a lot from this video and the speaker has a very pleasant voice

[@adinahicks7213]

Thank you! I re-potted a lemon tree just now. I made the mistake previously of using regular potting mix. The soil was too alkaline so I bought potting soil for cactus and citris. I used Terracotta this time and just lightly watered. I am hoping this will solve the problem and I can produce leaves that won't yellow and fall off. I also took your suggestion to use a smaller pot. I checked the roots and found no evidence of root rot. To be safe, I sprayed the roots with 3% hydrogen peroxide before planting again.

[@SamMTL514]

You are right correct. Most likely it is root rot issue. I never repot my citrus tree in the winter/fall. Best time to repot your citrus tree is late spring or summer. Also, I never water my citrus unless the 1st inch is bone dry. Finally, if you plan to use potting soil, add amendments like sand tree bark, and perlite.

[@tvanbrown]

Another issue that results in the same symptoms is burying the root crown, especially with citrus. The top roots should be at absolute grade level.

[@MS-fx5yf]

Try looking up Four Winds Growers’ 5-1-1 potting mix. Try strictly sticking with orchid bark (fir bark), as fir bark typically last longer than just pine, and it has that really low ph that citrus are after. Lowering soil ph to the proper ph range, for a citrus - is critical… along with excellent drainage, of course. Keeping your soil ph in the range it needs, allows the roots to uptake the nutrients it has evolved to, which means there are little to no deficiencies. Since we’re dealing with potted plants, this means you have to provide those nutrients (not just NPK, but also trace nutrients), but as long as the soil is in the proper ph range - the roots will be able to utilize the nutrients properly, instead of the nutrients being bound up and just running through the pot. In short - whether your citrus is in the ground or in pots - good drainage and soil ph in the ideal range is critical; once these

[@cassdoesallthethings]

How does one know if the soil ph is ogg?

[@BdogPi]

I have a Meyer lemon tree I have grown since seeds from a grocery store. Had it going on 4 years now and some of the leaves are falling off and drinking up. I have transplanted it twice and it's now in 12 in pot. I think I'm going to take a look at the roots. Thank you!

[@kyleesalsman7614]

Are you going to cut off any of the leafless branches, or will they start to grow leaves again?

[@user-jt6fp3xb3t]

Did you manage to bring them back? True about the soil moisture and leaf drop. The roots definitely need a lot of air, they are quite thick and sturdy. I have a weird hack that seems to have worked -- I pulled my Meyer out of its plastic pot and repotted it into a terracotta one -- I incorporated a lot of diatomaceous earth (really fluffs, lightens), perlite, -- AND -- cut up SPONGE, into the mix. I feel the sponge holds moisture but at the same time holds O2 so the roots can breath. My Meyer has overwintered just fine and is putting out new growth now in February with longer day length. The chunks of sponge were about half an inch square. I also have a hunch that adding the right type of mycorrhizal fungi into the soil would do wonders as well.

[@brianmosley3203]

Apply Cal-Mag. Plant can't uptake nutrients. So it begins to decline.

[@dandeleona4760]

This isn't your problem here, but not many people know over fertilizing plants actually dehydrates them even when adequately watered. Root chemistry is designed to flow into roots in the presence of light fertilizing. When too much fertilizer is added to soil, the direction of water flow changes, such that roots shrivel from dehydration when water is PULLED from the roots instead of going into them. In this instance, there can be wet soil all around, but the electrochemistry prevents water entering the plant as it should until the soil is 'balanced' again. This is why professional growers say, "OBEY bag instructions". Most people just grab a handful thinking it's slow release, and some grab two because 'more is better', thinking if fertilizer is organic it's slow release, and there won't be any problems. This water 'theft' is why they call it fertilizer 'burning'. Symptom of over fertilizing is also leaf drop, brown roots turning to black (root rot), yellowing and browning of leaves, salt buildup on the soil surface as it dries out, and stunted plant growth. Because roots can't absorb water, the soil stays mucky, and when roots turn black with root rot, it seems like the problem is some kind of microbial disease or fungus when it's just water held in soil by electrochemistry. Root rot repair needs root rinsing, changing soil to a NON-fertilized potting mix/soil, then lighten up on feeding by reading the package. Generally NEGLECT is better for mandarins and lemons since citrus actually do better when left alone. Water when dry only, let it wash right through to the pan and then dump the pan or raise the pot on river stones. Better yet, water in the bathtub or sink, leave it there to drain, and when it stops weeping runoff water, put it back on a pan and back where it was to dry out again. I live in zone 5 and grow citrus in a Southside backroom that drops to 40F in the winter. They do fine. In fact, MOST overwintered plants do fine at 40F because they're relatively dormant. In addition, citrus don't like an arid cold room, preferring the same kind of humidity we like to breathe as humans. Too much dry air, and leaves tend to curl to preserve their water content. If the air is TOO dry, they drop leaves altogether to cut their losses.

[@jeanettevorster9293]

Banana peels cut small and put in container with water for 5days. Then use the water for 🍋🍊 and roses. Great results. Do this at least once a month.

[@monicacruz4407]

So useful, thank you. Going to check the roots of my Citrus australasica (caviar citrus) which has terrible leaf drop and also some die back. It’s in a terracotta pot on a terrace in Mediterranean climate, it did really well thought the summer, but just suddenly wasn’t happy. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙏🌱😊

[@Suzee_in_da_sky]

Thank you so much. My Meyer dropped leaves a few months ago but some are back and it has a fruit but it won’t grow. I think I will prune it soon and change pots to what you have. Thank you again for your help.

[@bigboldbicycle]

Any update on this? I have grown lemons from seed several times and they usually die after a year. I currently have two plants in a tiny pot, about 8 months old and doing well so far, fingers cross they survice this year.

[@abc_cba]

It's a year old video, can you do a compilation video with all the citrus plants you own ? Also, the care, lighting, nutrition, etc as separate sections of your video ? Subscribed. Love and prayers from India 🇮🇳

[@mayan3678]

Thanks for Video! One thing I’ve learnt from having citrus in pots, as they are shallow rooted. I alway cut and put one layer of fabric weed mat, then add a 2 inch layer of pumice to the bottom. Then I mix in extra coarse pumice to potting mix, and put a layer of straight pumice on top of soil to prevent fungus Gnats. I alway watered my trees with a weak solution of liquid fish and seaweed solution to water. And too top it off I pinch the tips, of my branches to get more lateral branching, making sure to pinch to a outward facing leaf.

[@paulvanreenen6986]

Ma'am My mother was a well respected horticulturist. She taught me a little known truth to prevent plants sulking. Mark N on every plant. If you move them... Make sure they are back in same compass position. Fungus gnats will cause root rot and subterranean maggots. Add a good hand full of earthworms to that plant. They will consume all the rot and fertilize that poor plant back to sparkling health. ❤

[@paulsweeney9342]

my eurika lemon was doin great lovely green leaves, but as lost near enough every leaf. most of the branches are dying back. repotted in good draining soil. do you think there's much chance it will survive

[@JazzyGems111]

I've been growing a lime plant indoors for over 3 years. It bears so many blooms/fruit and as soon as the lime grows to 1/2 inch, it falls off! Should I keep it out of the sun?

[@DayTradingDojo]

Im new to citrus, but I did grow weed professionally for about 5 years. When a friend ran a test. (growing out the plant outdoors aka veg) He then went to flower the plants indoors under 1000 watt halogen lights. The plant put out like 1/20 of the buds had it flowered outdoors. Basically even with the best lights at the time, we could not get the plant to perform once they have been accustom to a the sun and its full light spectrum from ultra violet to the infrared and everything in between. So yes taking the plants indoors will shock it dramatically and each species may react differently.

[@Rukhsanasadaqat786]

so in simple words it was because of over-watering.?

[@mohammedsharif6393]

Have you washed roots in plain water or anything else please help my lemon plant is just like yours the pink one

[@441rider]

Lighting inside is not bright enough maybe, I use 3 LED cree lghts for my 16 citrus fruit trees in Vancouver.

[@hudharizzy795]

I bought a one year navel orange dwarf plant and it was doing great and lushed green . -. As it’s spring I kept it out in my balcony and it started to fall off all the leaves and turning yellow and the steams are turning brown . Any help would be appreciated

[@denisemalong9531]

I’m in Ohio, it’s starting to yellow and my first calamansi dropped today. I’m not sure what else to do and since it’s November, should I repot or what are other suggestions?

[@MrPotatoPoo]

i’m seeing my pink lemon tree drop leaves but it’s throwing a ton of blossoms too…is this typical? a nutritional requirement of the blossoms or something?

[@andywhite960]

On our BBC Gardener’s World tv show here in the UK Monty Don did a quick piece on lemons recently. We get milder Winters over here but it’s still too cold for lemons outdoors. Said it’s v easy to overheat them in Winter so keep them either in a greenhouse or somewhere else under glass but with no heating. Seemed to be working for him!

[@MariaDiaconu-fe7ps]

Hello, thank you very much for sharing your experience. In my case, my lemon looks very healthy. The leaves have the proper dark green color. It is giving flowers, has 2 fruits, but is loosing the leaves. Leaves look very healthy , no yellow, they are not curl. Yes, I have replanted it also in a big pot. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Maria

[@MS-fx5yf]

Cont’d - criteria are met, along with sun and proper watering - citrus trees are like monsters. If their leaves are not super dark green - it’s time to start testing the soil, and evaluating your care.

[@terrychrist1383]

I'm a new supervisor 👍 God bless you and your family 🙏❣️🤗

[@michalolszewski1315]

My pink lemon always loses a lot of leaves during winter. They survive winter better in cooler temps and hate when we run a fireplace but do better if you mist the leaves. Overwatering when they switch to winter dormancy is the worst thing you can do. So the best place is bright but cool room, moist air and only slightly humid soil.For watering I prefer using rain water melted snow or distilled water whenever I can. In February when they start waking up forming new flowers I gradually increase watering.

[@ThatBackYardLifeHWGAC]

Hello from Zone5,Thanks for sharing this fellow gardener 🤗👍🏽keep up the great work 👏🏽

[@randydeshane9991]

I put Monterey Dr. Iron in my mandarins tree after it dropped about 1/2 its leaves after turning yellow. The mandarin is in a 25 gallon container and has now greened up excellently and has a lot of fruit.

[@ashlifestyle3225]

Any suggestions what you need to do when you have yellow roots on lemon plants. Thank you

[@VMSawicki]

I believe yellow roots are what you want. The black roots are rotted

[@ZukiGrL1]

What potting soil did you use?

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

Use a cactus soil blend and fertilizers for plants that like acid, like blueberries rhododendrons and azaelias. Generally a bit higher in N than phosphate and potash but will also have some iron and sulfu,r maybe magnesium. A small handfull of gypsum in the soil mix wouldn't hurt as it is a pH neutral source of calcium.

[@paulastafford1642]

This just happened to my lemon tree last week, I thought I had a virus. She had 3 small lemons on her . I'm going to try to repot her. She dropped all her leaves rapidly. Thanks for your video.

[@DankDadReviews]

I had to buy a greenhouse for my lemon tree. It was too big to come back into the patio slider.

[@ScotianSouthy]

Why are citrus grown from grocery store fruit not likely to bear fruit themselves?

[@janatlmb2770]

So what you guys say it's easier too overwater rather then dry them out. My rosemary and olive these all in pots drink n like crazy I have to water them every day

[@kohyangchi4307]

You Didn't Tell Us The Outcome Of What You Did . Did ALL The 🌿🍀🌿 Leaves DROP OFF After That ? 👀 🤔 Hmmmn 😬 - - Yaks

[@downbntout]

Frustrating is right! Thank you so much!

[@chilam8955]

Hi from Canada, thanks for sharing info about dropping leaves from citrus plants👍beside dropping leaves problem, I also have to deal with scale insects on my citrus plants and not successful to eliminate them so far. Any suggestions? Subcribed and liked already.

[@shawnhinds4230]

Very informative I grow citrus trees as well, i got one tree that have all citrus 🍋🍊 grapefruit white, Ruby red grapefruit

[@bangmonsta]

Did you employ grow lights to keep your citrus indoor? If so, which one? :)

[@carlingas666]

Hello, wondering if I can be given some advise. I planted key lime from seeds from limes purchased at the store. I planted them a year ago. Everything fine and we’re growing fine to about 3 inches total. Left them like that through the winter. This spring I decided to re pot them to bigger pots and have them stay there permanently. So I re potted. Everything fine til the leaves started to dry on its color. What I mean on its color, I mean that they stayed green not turning yellow and they were drying. One by one this was happening to the plant and the leaves would drop until the whole baby tree was left without any leaves and died. Now this is happening to my second plant. It only has four leaves left. My question is is the soil too rich? That’s the only guess I have of what’s happening. Should I have used soil mixed with regular dirt to make the soil less rich? I’d water the plant every day. Was that also a mistake? What can I do to save the plant I have. Help !!!! 😔😔

[@MrBobCavanaugh]

Watering every day is a huge mistake. A good soaking about once a week is best. Also be sure to monitor soil PH. Citrus like acidic soil. Most tap water and well water is alkiline with PH in the 7 tó 7.3 range. Get it down to 6 to 6.5

[@acidfridays9138]

I reppoted my lemon tree like 2 months ago, roots were looking healthy but he was loosing leaves. He lost almost all its leaves, they i found out he has mealybugs, i treated it of them and now he has new baby leaves. The problem is i went to see how he is doing and touch a bit its leaves, and some of the babies fell too 😢 i still dont understand why also the new leaves are falling

[@flamingokid50]

Darn! I want to post a picture but can't. I have six lovely, healthy citrus trees, all have only ever been indoors, the little blood orange dropped every single leaf and is stark raving naked, sitting right next to lush ones. Im pulling him from his pot today to check the roots. I only bought it last July - not long - but Lowes is being very stinky about their plant guarantee, and knows nothing about what might be wrong.

[@downbntout]

Update please?

[@CesarAquino-ej3zd]

Use sand

[@innerjon]

Repot in a more sandy type soil like Top Pot from Laguna Hills nursery in California or you can make your own. Then you can water all you want without worrying about root rot. No Organic matter in the soil No root rot.

[@mattmcghee1137]

It’s all about the soil!

[@noclicheplease]

Drainage, geo fabric grow bags and FYM once a month will do the trick.

[@terrychrist1383]

Coffee grounds and crushed eggshells are also good for citrus plants.

[@brendanwarrick4978]

Egg shells = calcium Secondary nutrients also include sulfur and magnesium. Coffee grounds = 2 percent nitrogen, 0.06 percent phosphorus and 0.6 potassium Primary nutrients: nitrogen is used as plant leaves structure, phosphorus is used for root structure growth and potassium is used for flower/fruit and transport of nutrients throughout the plant. But the real key is to have the correct ph so all those and the macronutrients are available

[@joshuavazquez5534]

@@brendanwarrick4978 nice stats

[@brendanwarrick4978]

@@joshuavazquez5534 thanks, just trying to help others understand the relationship between nutrients and plants.

[@joshuavazquez5534]

@@brendanwarrick4978 Yes and its good to know the stats of organic amendments like woodash and compost, incase we cant rely on big box stores anymore

[@humility-righteous-giving]

i heard somewhere that it takes 6 month's for it to become bio available for the tree, i guess better later than never

[@hepptino3194]

Thanks for this video

I have killed several lemons trees huhuhu

[@humility-righteous-giving]

you need to overwinter outdoors in a plastic cover and a heat source that keeps it above freezing ,i use 4 incandescent bulbs connected to a thermostat

[@Mark-ve5ly]

Your seedling trees will fruit. It just takes. 8 to 12 years for the tree to mature and the fruit may not be the same as the parent maybe better or maybe worse grafted trees fruit in two to three years some times in only one

[@heidicao9629]

My trees have the same problem 😔

[@lionellloyd9003]

Citris cannot have to much sun. Citrus can be hard to grow.

[@meenavaswani1689]

I grew from store bought lemon & lime last spring indoors. They really did well in summer. Am zone 5a Canada. Now lime plant just shedding bright green leaves. Will check the roots per your suggestion.I sprikle cinnamon/ tumeric on all plants. Idip the roots on them too. Thanks for your tips.

[@humility-righteous-giving]

no one addresses climate change shock, when you take it out this spring ,you may get scales (a nasty pest) i had this issue with my citrus and after trying different things ,i came up to spray it with castile soap water for the first 2-3 weeks outside, every couple of days ,now i just keep it outside wrapped in plastic with a heat source(incandescent light bulbs) that turns on when its below freezing point ,my tree is like 10-12 years old and last growing season was the first time i did it ,it grew like never before witch i attribute to it not going through climate shock twice a year

[@humility-righteous-giving]

in plastic only in winter, i remove in spring and spray with soap water

[@dwightmann6297]

It take to 5 to 6 years to give fruit

[@jerryantonies5334]

Looks like a magnesium problem

[@orlandojacobs676]

I think if you got to the point your video would do better. You talked about the same thing 15 times and never got to the actual reason I clicked on your page. Get to the point love

[@tonymaddock]

5,000 words which could have been in 100 words

[@brendanwarrick4978]

Lemons are more susceptible to over watering then most other citrus varieties.

[@Area-cf1gt]

Ph is wrong its drawing the moistire out of the leaves to balance. I use inert pool filter sand mixed 50% potting soil then watter 2 times a month with 2 T spoons magnisium mixed in a gallon of water. Thats how i saved my lemon plant lol now to figure out how to keep it alive.

[@slicktmi]

So 50%potting mix 50% filter sand?

[@1cleandude]

I think that’s what he’s trying to say!