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dourbest

Small calamondin

dourbest
10 years ago

Please help. It's my first year growing citrus. I know calamondin are supposed to be small, but this can't be right. When I purchased the tree it had some nice "regular" sized calamondins on it.

What am I doing wrong?

I bought the tree in June and repotted to a bigger black pot in full sun. Fertilized with Dr. Earth.

Thank you...

Comments (13)

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    I went through your past history to find out you are in so. Ca.

    If you are still there, that black pot is way to hot. you should be in a white pot instead.

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Those fruits are not full size; they are probably being aborted, as the tree can't support them. Are you giving it enough food?
    A photo of the tree would sure help.

  • dourbest
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi. Sorry it took so long to respond. Here are a couple of pictures of the calamondin tree.

  • dourbest
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Side view.

  • dourbest
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It it too late in the season to repot to a lighter colored pot?

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Your tree looks healthy enough; I suppose it is just dropping fruits that it can't support. I would give it a bit more food and maybe more often.

  • dourbest
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Johnmerr,
    Thanks. I was told to fertilize only once in April so I was hesitant to fertilize again.

    Also, I bought a moisture meter and was told to water only when it read dry. By the time The meter reads dry, the leaves are already starting to curl in. Should I go ahead and water when the top 1 inch soil is dry?

    Thanks for your help.

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Those moisture meters are somewhat unreliable. Calamondin grows abundantly in areas where it NEVER gets dry; so I would water it a bit more often; and fertilize it at least 4 times per year in container. Some here prefer a dilute fertilizer every time they water, sometimes known as "weakly weekly". At any rate, it seems obvious your only problem with this tree is a lack of food.

  • cal-novice
    10 years ago

    Hi!

    I'm a first time owner of a dwarf calamondin tree and a novice gardener. I live in a condo in Toronto, Canada with no balcony but with floor to ceiling windows with southwest exposure. I would like to repot my plant using a pre-packaged soil mix, is Schultz all purpose good enough? Also, the lady at the nursery said I could use those stick type fertilizer is that better than using a liquid fertilizer like Schultz. Sorry I don't know what zone I'm in.

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    cal-novice - - It does not mater what zone you are in if it is and indoor tree. If the tree goes outside for the summer, you will bring it in when the temps drop below freezing. If it is an indoor tree, no worry. I can not answer the other questions. I do prefer the liquid fertilizers.

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    10 years ago

    dourbest, you should be fertilizing 4 times a year. Tree looks very healthy, and yes, looks like aborted fruit, which is normal for young trees, and for calamondins, which set a lot of fruit. The black pot can increase heat to the root area, but we have a gazillion plants in black pots out here at every nursery you go to, so probably not an issue. However, I don't use them because they're black and because they're ugly :-) Good size pot, though, for the tree canopy.

    Cal-novice, better to start your own thread, as your questions are different and the topic is different. You want a better draining potting mix, and never use fertilizer sticks, completely worthless. Better to use a liquid fertilizer formulated for citrus. Most container citrus folks on this forum use Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro. Excellent product, proper NPK ratio and contains all the micronutrients as well.

    Patty S.

  • cal-novice
    10 years ago

    Thanks Everyone.

    Patty S. I wanted to start my own and thought I did sorry about that.

  • liszey
    10 years ago

    Cal-novice--try Al's "gritty mix" for your tree. Been growing mine in it for years and it is very happy. Check out the famous gritty mix and water flow/retention posts in the container gardening forum for a recipe from member Tapla. Good luck!

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