Need Help with Citrus

10 years ago

Hello, I am in need of some help with this citrus. I have tried to get my citrus to thrive by using one of Al's mixes. I don't know if I messed it up or if it's this pot. The pot seems to have a small drainage hole at the bottom and the soil doesn't dry out for a long time.

I used this same mix and pot for a meyer lemon and I thought it was bugs of putting it out too early, but I am beginning to think it's the soil or pot.

So now I have a mandarin in the same pot with the same soil...but the same thing is happening

Here are the healthy leaves:
{{gwi:584977}}

The not so healthy leaves:
{{gwi:584978}}

This what the soil looks like:
{{gwi:584979}}

This is what Al's recipe calls for:

"5 parts pine bark fines
1 part sphagnum peat (not reed or sedge peat please)
1-2 parts perlite "

I used
-Pine bark fines
-Perlite
-Turface

I think I read in another thread about turface, and substituted it in. Is this wrong?? (It was about a year and a half ago sorry)

I need the help of somebody with more expertise!! Thank you! :)

This post was edited by palmcitrusbananavaz7 on Sun, May 19, 13 at 11:15

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Comments (6)

palmcitrusbananava
Original Author
10 years ago
Doing some further reading I just found this

"If you were going to use Turface in the recipes I suggested upthread, you would use it in place of the perlite."

Sounds like I messed up the soil...
yakkwak
10 years ago
"A small drainage hole in the bottom".... Is that a ceramic fired pot? Pretty but will rot your plant...no efficient way for the water to exit the pot. Don't know of a way to drill drain holes without cracking it. Buy cheap plastic pots.
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meyermike_1micha
10 years ago
That soil is just fine for your citrus if it drains well and is drying out evenly, but curious as to whether it does or not? The bark size and distribution of them is what concerns me. It looks like the perfect set-up for smaller particles settling to the bottom and the larger on top while the bottom stays wet much longer than the top.
Is this happening?

Did you wet your mix first and mix it then use it?
How often do you have to water?
How long does it take to dry out?
Did you add lime or gypsum?
Do you use a fertilizer with calcium?
How often do you fertilize, how much, and with what kind?

Mike

This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Sun, May 19, 13 at 13:10
palmcitrusbananava
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes I wet the mix first.

Well it's outside now so watering is minimal because of the rain we've been getting (tried covering it too because of all the moisture)

It takes a good amount of time to dry out probably like 2 days completely (though it's hard to tell with the rain)

Don't add lime or gypsum or fertilizer, because it hasn't even been planted for more than 2-3 weeks. I thought you were supposed to let it get established before fertilizing?

I think I'm just going to move it to a clay pot.
ssmdgardener
10 years ago
Lime or gypsum AND a CRF (control release fert) is mixed in with the soil. Right now you have a mix that is just holding the roots and water in place without giving it any nutrients at all.

It also looks to be planted too deeply. No root flare?

What ratio of bark, perlite and turface did you use? You may want to stick to the 5-1-1 ratio of bark/perlite/peat. You can play around with customized mixes when you feel more comfortable, but it's good to stick with a well established recipe when starting out.
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
10 years ago
Do you have a moisture meter? I use a cheap one called a Soil Sleuth. Google that.

It's simply a notched plastic stick that you put in the soil. Twist, and the notches catch soil. NOW you can see what is going on down there. Is the soil damp enough or too damp!

And agree that clay pots aren't the best.

Good luck!
Suzi