Update on my Satsuma: It lost about 1/3'rd of its leaves (mostly on the top branches) and then QUIT dropping. It continues to blossom and each branch is loaded with them. Some are showing signs of fruiting - what is the correct term? Anyway, am concerned that this amount of leaves won't be able to support all this blooming/fruiting. Should I pinch some of the newer blooms off for the long-term sake of the tree? It seems to like the very bright window it is next too, being taken outside for the couple of warm days we've had, the humidity pot, very little watering, and the misting 2x a day.

Do not pinch off the blossoms, it will simply encourage more blossoming. Wait until the fruit is about bb size, and if it does not drop on its own (citrus will set more fruit than it will take to maturity, and normally drop excess fruit), you can remove the fruit at that time, if it hasn't already dropped. A few photos of the tree would be helpful, as opposed to just the leaves. I take it your Satsuma is potted. Satsumas are very cold tolerant, but I don't know what your zone is (not in your "Zone" section), so don't know if you are in an area of Texas that is possible for in-ground citrus. Skip the misting - waste of time. Just be sure your citrus is potted up in well draining mix (search for "511" mix on our forum), and that you're watering enough to keep the soil moist, and fertilizing frequently with a good citrus fertilizer. Most of our experienced container citrus folk here on the forum have found success with DynaGro's Foliage Pro, 1/4 strength in winter and 1/2 strength in spring summer and early fall, along with Osmocote Plus (must be the "Plus" formulation which contains micros).

Patty S.

Thanks, Patty. Yes, the Satsuma is potted. Attached is a pic taken before the blooms went crazy but you can see the leaf loss. We are in zone 8A (N. Dallas, TX); the nursery said not to leave it out overnight until after Easter (even though it is one of the most cold-tolerant). I will get the feed you recommend & increase watering just a tad. Thanks!

I had a very similar problem with my Meyer. I had tranplanted it into 5-1-1, was using Foliage Pro at the recommended dosage, and about 1 month later it started dropping leaves. It could have been attributed to moving it from an eastern to southern exposure, but my guess is that it shedded some of its leaves to conserve energy for the flush of growth the tree is currently experiencing. I have hundreds of buds right now and a whole bunch of new growth that's popped up in the past few weeks. I have no idea if there's any merit to that, as I said it could be due to the new location, and could be dropping low-light leaves and growing full-sun ones, but I found it odd that the leaf drop coincided so well with the buds. In any case, I'm not too concerned in either of our cases. I see the buds and new growth as good signs, and as the days get longer and warmer I expect the growth to accellerate!

The leaf drop could be due to several things - re-potting shock, not enough light or change in light levels, as well as over or under watering. Also, this is naturally the time citrus drop mature leaves in anticipation of spring leaf flush. I would make sure you have any light issues resolved, and make sure your tree is being watered properly. You didn't mention what potting mix you used, so make sure it is not retaining too much water, and conversely, is not drying out to the point of becoming hydrophobic.

Patty S.