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nattayam

HELP! my kafir lime tree

nattayam
18 years ago

I need your help with my kafir lime tree. I have had this tree in the 16-inch pot for 4-5 years. It's about 3-4 feet tall. I left it outdoor. It used to be very healthy.

Right after labor day weekend, many leaves (half of them) were dry, twist and fell off. Only half left on the tree. Today, I saw leaves are twist and going to dry again. They are no signs of new leaves or shoots. I really don't know what's wrong with them. I'm sured that I put citrus fertilizer and water it well.

It used to be infected with scales. Now, I didn't see any scales on the tree.

Could you please help me diagnose what 's wrong with my kafir? What should I do to fix this problem? I'm thinking to repot it in bigger pot. Shoud I do that? How can I repot it?

Thank you in advance.

Comments (13)

  • birdsnblooms
    18 years ago

    Natta, do NOT repot..Your tree is in an adequate size pot now..maybe a little too large.
    When the plant had scale, did you use insecticide?
    When you fertilized, did you use the correct dossage? Too much food burn leaves/dry them out as will insecticides.

    Inspect plant for scales, again..Make sure all are gone..They suck juices out of leaves..If any are present, you can pluck off w/finger and thumb.

    Hosing the leaves w/o aiming at soil might help. If any bugs are on tree it'll wash them away, cleans leaves and helps with humidity.

    Did defoliation start after your brought the plant indoors or while outside?
    What do you mean when you say the leaves are twisted? Do you mean they're deformed? If so, it's possible scale had something to do with it.

    Do you have a pic of your tree? If so, can you post one?
    It's hard to dianose when there are so many reasons a tree has the problems you describe.

    Again, I wouldn't repot..if anything, you can add fresh soil on top of the old.
    Don't keep soil contantly wet..let dry between waterings.
    What type of soil is in the pot now? It should be well-draining.
    If you've a mister, (sprayer) mist daily. I'd also remove yellow/brown/damaged foliage.
    When a plant is stressed, it's not a good idea to fertilize or repot..There is a hormone w/50 Vitamins called Superthrive. I'd buy a bottle and give it a try. It works great for stressed plants.
    Hope this helped, Toni

  • garnetmoth
    18 years ago

    if you did over-fertilize, you might need to give it a good soaking. My generic acid fert with trace minerals is 1 tsp per galon, came with a scooper.

    Toni is right, more info and a pic would help a lot.

  • nattayam
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Hi,
    Thank you for your responses. I will take pics today.

    Thank you again.

  • birdsnblooms
    18 years ago

    Would love seeing your pictures..Toni

  • suzannesks
    18 years ago

    natta..I have also used Superthrive for many many years and it does work wonders.I use it as a last ditch resort at times.My neighbor is a Horticuluturist and " The leading garden writer for the Pacific Northwest" and she stands behind this product.It's a must have for your plant medicine cabinet:)Toni's right on here with the rest of advise.***Suzanne

  • birdsnblooms
    18 years ago

    Suzanne, it's great hearing someone else agrees ST works on plants. If only more people experimented, they'd too know its results.
    What some don't understand is, it sometimes takes a few applications before results are noticed. It's not an instant cure, but does help stressed plants fairly quick. Toni

  • Millet
    18 years ago

    nattayam, your tree has been in the same container for 5 years. Although a 16" container is not a small container, it is also not a big container. Five years is a VERY long time for a tree to be in a 16" pot, unless you have done the proper root pruning. Does your tree need repotting??? Maybe yes, or maybe no, I certainly don't know, nor can anyone know the answer to that question, except you. It is VERY EASY to determine if the tree does, or does not need repotting. Just slip the tree from the container and take a look at the root structure. Usually a tree the size of yours would be fine in a 16" container. But then again, the reason that the tree is only that tall could also be that it became root bound some time ago. It is very simple to find out.- Millet

  • nattayam
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    hi,
    I got my kafir pics. It might be a stupid question to ask. Could you please tell me how can I post my pics here?

    Thank you

  • ginabug
    18 years ago

    Nattayam, E-mail them to me and
    I will post them for you if you're still
    having problems. Gina

  • birdsnblooms
    18 years ago

    Nata, I agree slipping the rootball out of a pot is one way to check a plant's roots.
    You can also inspect dainage holes to see if any roots are growing out of the holes..and if it's really rootbound you'll find roots on the top part of soil, too.
    If a plant slips out of a pot w/o using something to loosen soil then roots are filling the pot..
    Watering is another way to tell..If you find yourself watering the Kafir every other day then the plant is rootbound.
    Since you're in z9, checking and repotting shouldn't be a problem, since your plant is more likely to grow faster than someone living in a lesser zone. 6 and under..

    But, repotting isn't always the answer..in fact, in many cases, ppl tend to repot and feed when something goes wrong w/their plant. This can make matters worse.

    Have you seen anymore scale, and when did you last use insecticide? Some insecticides can dry leaves, especially if too much is applied.

    Repotting can sometimes cause plant to go in shock, therefore, more leaves will drop. Toni

  • Millet
    18 years ago

    I would just add, that it is very common for containerized citrus plants to have some surface root growth showing. This can occur whether the plant is root bound or not. Lastly, when was the last time you flushed out the soil? The problem that you describe sounds like a soluble salt buid-up. Especially as the new growth is also showing the same symptoms. - Millet

  • nattayam
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Hi,
    I posted a message and kafir pics last week. I didn't know why my message didn't go through. Here what I posted last week:

    First two pics were taken last year. It looked very healthy. The rest of them were taken couple days ago. I used to live in San Francisco (Zone 10) and I had to keep my kafir tree indoor. The first two pics were shown when my kafir was in indoor. Now, I moved to suburb of SF and I'm in Zone 9. My kafir has been outside since 08/04. I tried to look all over the tree, I couldn't find more scales. When it was infected with scales, I used alcohol mixed with soapy water to spray them but I did only twice. I cut the infected stems off.

    I saw some spider webs today but I didn't see any spiders. I hope pics that I am going to post will help you to diagnose.

    Thank you again, Nattaya

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kafir's pics

  • birdsnblooms
    18 years ago

    Natta, from what I can see, the leaves on your Kaffir look green and healthy.
    So, are all scales gone?
    Now there's webbing? Ok, does it look like the common house spider webb or a fine webbing?
    Have you checked for spider mites? Toni