Calamondin flower buds not opening, leaves yellowing

9 years ago

I have a calamondin, planted it about 2 years ago, it has been doing well, is in well draining soil, in a sunny position 5 - 6 hours of ful sun per day. I live in Cape Town, Bellville, South Africa, we are blessed with a medditaranian like climate, although this winter has been abnormally wet and cold to a point where we got a little bit of hale and frost - nothing major, and none of my plants suffered any frost damage as far as I can see. We are in the last month of winter now and it is still winter conditions, but more like what we are used to now than the previous two months. Our under ground water is higher than normal, but once again all my plants, that are all plants that like well draining soil, are all doing fine. I dug "the hole" and filled it with water and it drained pretty rapidly (about an half hour to an hour) even with all the rain that we have got this winter. But as i said it has been an abnormally cold gray winter.

My Calimondin somehow decided to cover itself in buds about a month and a half ago, they are all sitting pretty but not opening, and the leaves are starting to loose their shine and yellow a bit, it has a few fruits from last year's season, and they are growing fine. The tree is still pretty small, about 90 centimeters high, planted in the grownd, no pests that i can see, but we are prown to having major ant problems here althoug not this time of the year. And I can't see any of them, although that is not to say they aren't there.

I haven't given it any kind of plant food or verteliser this winter, because i was told not to by my local nursery.

Please help,

I do love this tree like you would love your child :-) and i would hate to loose it.

Thank you

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Comments (6)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Can you post photos of your tree? That is very helpful for us to be able to help diagnose the issues. It may just be your lingering winter, and the tree is just "waiting" for temps to warm up. Are you fertilizing? If you're heading into spring, and anticipate warmer temps, this would be the time to fertilize your little tree. And, you should be fertilizing about 4 times a year, with a fertilizer formulated for citrus. The NPK ratio should be as close to 5-1-3 as you can get, and should also include all the micronutrients as well. Ants will not harm citrus, but, if you see ants in your tree, it is because they're being attracted to other pests infesting your tree that secret honeydew, which the ants like to eat. So, they will actually "farm" those sucking insects (aphids, scale).

Patty S.
Nandi323
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi Patty S. :-) I wil send a picture in the morning, and thank you so much for your helpful comment!

I have been to afraid to fertelize, somehow, different opinions on how, what and when to fertelize, and all the harm the wrong fertelizer can do, has scared the living daylights out of me! I haven't fertelized for about 6-7 months now, and with all the rain "washing away all the plant's food" i am sure it is about time again.

I wasn't too worried about the buds not opening as, as you said, the temps have been low, but the sudden yellowing of the leaves got me worried about my little one. I also wondered if i souldn't maybe get rid of some of the buds to get rid of some of the stress on my plant, but somehow something is telling me that if that was what was bothering the plant it would have gotten rid of them it self?

I wil try and fertelize it as you recomended, maybe that is all the little guy needs. Thank you once again for the kind ear, and advice.

I will send a picture as soon as posible.

Kind regards.
Nandi
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Nandi323
Original Author
9 years ago
I forgot to add, i did check for aphids and scale and there is none. There arn't any ants at the moment that i can see, i was just worried about the roots and any honeydew secreting buggies that might be hiding there due to the constant wet weather. How would i check for that without harming my little one's roots? It doesn't much like you mucking about in it's roots, doesn't even like other plants comming to close - or maybe that is just my over protective and over active emagination :-) .

Anyway, thanks again :-)
Nandi323
Original Author
9 years ago
This is the little one, not a great pic, but it is the only one the little one wanted to stand still for :-) ( was a bit windy)
Nandi323
Original Author
9 years ago
This is the little one, not a great pic, but it is the only one the little one wanted to stand still for :-) ( was a bit windy)

{{!gwi}}
Nandi323
Original Author
9 years ago
I see it has aborted some of the flower, quite a bit of them since yesterday.
I gave it a ferteliser today. Will see how it goes.

Thank you once again for the help