Eureka Lemon Problem (forum)

au0rey starts with ...
Hi all, I have this eureka lemon tree which I bought from daleys and planted last Oct.

It is mulched and given citrus fertiliser twice so far...during planting as well in early spring. Fed it seasol too. When temp went over 40, I also put up a white cloth over it and it was fine.

It was doing well till recently had a bit of yellowing leaves. I thought it has iron deficiency since it happened to my kaffir lime in the ground, so I gave it a round of iron chelate. Things looked the same so I fed it another round of chelate and some aquasol mixture.

Now it is looking worse than ever..with very light leaves (u can compare leaves of original tree and existing tree)which feel really dry and unfleshy to touch...it looks lifeless as if all the juice in the tree has been sucked up vampire style...

Was wondering what I have done wrong. I hope i have not poison this tree to its death. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3
Picture: 4

Time: 21st January 2010 1:54pm

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au0rey says...
Pic 1 & 2 existing state. Picture 3 & 4 during planting in Oct 09 and on 6 Jan.

Time: 21st January 2010 1:55pm

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Charles cant spell says...
I might be wrong again but isnt that just hte new growth. New grow leaves are lime green then darked with age?

Time: 21st January 2010 2:55pm

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About the Author Charlesstillcantspell1
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Brad says...
I'm with Charles. it looks ok to me. Maybe with the shade you had, it grew larger surface area leaves that are now feeling the heat a little?

Time: 21st January 2010 3:07pm

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About the Author Brad2
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Wayne says...
Me to, it's a fine looking tree

Time: 21st January 2010 3:30pm

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About the Author Wayne
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au0rey says...
Hi all, to me the two trees are different. The tree put on a fair bit of leaves and even had two tiny lemons dropped off. But now the existing leaves on the tree are paper thin, dehydrated and completely yellow compared to the original greener and more succulent leaves.

Compare Pic 3 and 4 with pic 1 & 2. See no difference though you cannot feel the difference?

If it is lack of watering, it is completely ridiculous because it gets lots of water from me, rain and it is mulched well. Fertiliser wise, I use it cos i understand citrus are hungry and thirsty. Well unless the eureka lemon tree is meant to become like that...which is weird to me haha...

Time: 21st January 2010 4:33pm

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au0rey says...
Hope i am not confusing anyone.

Sorry when I meant seeing the difference, i meant the leaf colour has changed. The leaves also feel very dry..you notice that in pic 1 & 2, the leaves are droopy looking..it just doesnt look right to me..

In pic 3 & 4, the leaves are greener and healthy looking, more erect and fleshier to touch. I seriously can feel the difference by touching the leaves.

Is there such thing as poisoning the tree with the fertilisers I have given it?

Time: 21st January 2010 4:38pm

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Brad says...
au0rey, look at this photo off my-edibles. its a blueberry but it clearly shows younger growth being lighter in colour. None of my citrus photos are up to it

you'd see more like a burn if the fertilizers had harmed it. Some plants you don't want too much new green growth (weak and sappy growth invites problems and can't support fruit), but you don't have that either.

Don't overwater it or now damage it with kindness - its doing fine. There doesn't appear to be any more flush of growth so its possibly now semi dormant for summer. If it were a nutrient deficiency you'd see much clearer yellow, rather than green.

Time: 21st January 2010 5:06pm

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About the Author Brad2
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au0rey says...
Thanks guys...i will continue to monitor then. Given it a lot of TLC so hope it wont die on me...

Time: 22nd January 2010 10:56am

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amanda says...
Hi au0rey - I reckon it will be fine too - just use dilute seasol - little and often and wait until you feel the tree has recovered before you do anything else.
Personally I avoid foliar sprays of any fert's or trace elements in the summer here - it's too hot. Maybe wait until the weather cools down and address any problems then.
Your tree will be fine until then.

Time: 22nd January 2010 1:37pm

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About the Author amanda19
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au0rey says...
Hi Amanda, I am relieved to hear Brad say that if my tree is poisoned it should show burns..well no burn sign...

I will give it some seasol via roots and hope that it will be fine.

Thanks everybody for your contribution!!

Time: 23rd January 2010 10:09am

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amanda says...
Hi au0rey - no not burnt. I had a similar thing happen to my citrus when I sprayed with zinc sulphate cupla summers ago. I chose a cool day but even then it must have been too hot following.
It doesn't happen when I do it in winter. The leaves went just as you described - sucked lifeless!
This is because all fert's are "salts" and water will move out of the leaf to balance (remember osmosis and such? the movement from high "concentration to low" etc?) While the fert' is applied with water - this rapidly dries leaving the fert' salt on the leaves. Maybe best in low temps and/or high humidity.

Time: 23rd January 2010 12:10pm

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About the Author amanda19
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au0rey says...
Could be the aquasol and iron chelate doing that to my lemon tree (because before those applications, the leaves looked a little hungry but definitely not that the existing. However, I did not foliar spray, I root fed...

Time: 23rd January 2010 3:31pm

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au0rey says...
Hi all, I have given my lemon tree Seasol...looking not much better...notice all the shrivelled looking leaves...i will just see what happens to it...
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 25th January 2010 11:03am

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amanda says...
Oh au0rey! Not good! what kind of soil do you have?
Looks like the roots are dying - so the tree not getting enuf' water to the leaves. Dig down and have a look what's going on down there?

Time: 25th January 2010 12:21pm

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au0rey says...
I have clay soil...This' strange because it was growing perfectly fine in the first few months...And it transplanted from daley's bag to the soil very well. You mean roots can show problem staying three months in the ground later? :( Gotta make my DH do the digging then..sob sob...Thanks Amanda!

Time: 25th January 2010 3:56pm

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amanda says...
Hi au0rey, yes unfortunately...trees can get root rot, collar rot etc anytime. My loquat was 3yrs old when it succumbed to a stem/collar canker.. :-(

I can't be sure it's your problem (as I can't see) What do you feel about it? Is your soil poorly drained? have you been giving it too much water? over feeding? When the leaves went funny did you water it even more maybe? More fertiliser?
Have you had this kind of problem b4?

Maybe u should grab one of those moisture meters too?
I'd be tempted to throw shade cloth over it for awhile b4 you dig it up..u never know - it doesn't look too far gone yet?
Take some pics of the roots etc if you dig it up hey?


Time: 25th January 2010 8:40pm

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About the Author amanda19
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au0rey says...
My apricot moorepark had drainage problem and transplant shock right after planting at same area...

I am really not sure about the lemon since it transplanted fine and the roots should have established by now? Yeah I did water more since it is very exposed to sun and wind. It could very well be roots being sick...

Thanks Amanda, I will have a pic once DH digs it up. :)

Time: 26th January 2010 8:30am

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Araich says...
Hi Audrey, we have the heavy clay of Brooklyn (West Melbourne) and almost everyone here kills their lemons. Water is the culprit. The planting hole acts as a bowl and a heavy downpour or some extra love (watering) can cause them to defoliate. I have tested drainage and found water at 50cm deep almost unmovable (fails to drain over 72 hours).

Given that, I suspect you have a root problem too. I would back off watering completely except perhaps 1-2 litres on the surface weekly or less. Mine (8-10 months in the ground) get nothing for months. They survive on rain and subsoil moisture. With good mulch.

You'll probably loose all those leaves but don't prune branches and it'll probably sprout again.

Unless it is some fatal infection. It would be worth searching for citrus root rot fungi.

A short term cure might be to lift it into a pot and put it in partial shade for a few months.

Time: 27th January 2010 8:22am

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About the Author Araich
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au0rey says...
Thanks Araich for your contribution! I will google on the fungi thing...Everything from soil onwards looks perfectly alright before this 'wilting' happened, so could well be roots. The leaves are not dropping yet but just really dry and no more like before...


Time: 27th January 2010 5:49pm

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