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

2 Examples of leaf drop when bringing your citrus plants in for the winter.

[mulefan]

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

[kws]

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…

[frederickburrell]

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

[andreeward]

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

[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.

[adinahicks]

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.

[SamMTL]

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.

[Magnet]

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.

[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.

[mistyriennett]

Every year my lemon tree loses most of her leaves when I bring her indoors.
I got a 3 arm sunlamp off of Amazon and low and behold she is a happy camper with so many leaves now.

[monicacruz]

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 🙏🌱😊

[terrychrist]

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

[MS-fxyf]

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

[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 🇮🇳

[mayan]

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.

[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.

[dandeleona]

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.

[paulvanreenen]

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.
❤

[jtfpxbt]

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.

[ThatBackYardLifeHWGAC]

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