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What does it mean when the leaves of my citrus plants (calamondin)are curling up? Is it true it means it's underwatered? Thanks

Ah, let me correct that. The calamondin leaves are NOT curling up, they are curling down, as in folding down and looking like rolled leaves? Also they are starting to feel like thin plastic leaves now and well, I've harvested fruit from this plant, so I'm sure it's not artificial!!! I also forgot to mention that I shifted from Summer Formula Citrus fertilizer to Winter Formula Citrus fertilizer at the beginning of October, and it was only last week when I noticed the curling leaves! Can someone tell me what is happening?
I'm enclosing some photos...Will welcome all comments!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24118673@N02/sets/72157608129722072/

Hey-- I wish I could help but I'm struggling with citrus issues, too. If I had to guess, based on the photos, I'd say overwatering. Hope someone else replies so I can learn, too!

One thing comes to mind, though. You say you just switched fertilizers. That suggests that you might have also brought the plant from in from the outside. Did you?

Sorry I can't be more help.

papito may come along. he's my best bet for potted citrus problems. he knows so much more than i will ever learn.

Any more info on the watering regime or how often you fertilize? Have you checked for pests? I have read mites can cause leaves to curl how yours are.

Watering is a difficult issue, and can cause curling of the leaves. How exactly are you watering? Are you letting it dry out at all?

I would sponge down the leaves, just to make it look more aesthetic :) The leaves when clean will be beautiful and glossy :)

Oh, and if that is a water tray on one of those pics, remove it ASAP if it is sitting in water. Water trays are a massive citrus killer. Should only be used when filled with gravel and a bit of water added to increase humidity, with the plant not sitting in the water.

Info Citrus Leaf Curl.

Very good point.

You need to cut down on fertilizer during the winter months. Resume fertilizing in the spring. Also, during the winter months, you may need to provide grow light or from shop lights [fluorescent light with 40 watts twin tubes of one cool, one warm.]

What color are the spots on the leaves?

The closest I had been to your place was Bern; [and further on, at Luzern & Zurich].

Thank you all for your kind advice. I will check for mites and will polish off the leaf stains. They're just water stains because instead of watering the citrus yesterday, I decided to just mist the leaves.

But should I really stop fertilizing now? I'm using Citrus Winter Food that came highly recommended. I fertilize once a week as per instruction, and as you can see, I have numerous new leaves coming out from the plant.

And yes, it's a water tray, but did you notice that it is filled with garden stones and rocks? So the pot is actually never sitting on water but on top of the stones. Is that not advisable as well cause I read in a website that it's the right thing to do. Besides, I try not to overwater, so there is hardly anything spillage into this tray everytime I water. In any case, most of you said overwatering, so I will still try to let the soil really dry out before the next watering session.

PS to Papito, I live about 1 hour from Bern, and 2.5 hours from Luzern and Zurich. Have you heard of the Montreux Jazz Festival? Well, we're right in this place where it's held annually. You can google it... hmmm, Switzerland is beautiful indeed!

Hi Bettybp,

The water tray you have is really good then...I just wanted to make sure the plant wasn't sitting in water as I couldn't quite tell :) It will be good for humidity in the winter!

You may be fertilizing to much. Does your citrus require watering every time you fertilize? I would cut the fertilizing in half - either use half the strength or, preferably, fertilize only once or twice per month, give the little thing a rest :)

Have you ever flushed the container? Three or four times a year, pour water into the pot. About five times more than it could usually hold. So, if you could fill the pot with 3 litres of water if it were empty, water your citrus with 15 liters of water. This is really good for the roots, because it flushes out salts from fertilizer that build up, and if you have been fertilizing weekly, salts will be building up and may be contributing to your problem. Don't feel you are to blame with this, you were following the instructions. I did the same once with my summer feed. The instructions to water weekly was far too often, and my citrus suffered.

Do you live in a hard water area? The patches on the leaves are quite s residue, and if that is form misting once your water may have a lot of salt in it, which again isn't great for the plant. Maybe try using rain water if you are in a hard water area?

Hope it perks up soon, its a nice citrus :) All the best,keep us posted!

Oh, and just to add, each time you water, 10%-20% of the water you use should drain out of the bottom. If only a few drips come out, chances are the whole rootball isn't being saturated, which leads to drying roots which can't function properly, and as a result the leaves suffer.Let it dry out a little before watering, top 2-3 inches soil dry, then really saturate it and give it a good drink :)

First a comment, then a question.

Comment: Because I've just gotten three 2-3 year old citrus trees, I've been posting and poking around the forum for other post about citrus. They seem to be spread out all over the place. I wonder if either a "citrus" sub-forum or a citrus thread (like the chili pepper thread) would be a more efficient way to help us newbie citrus growers? I think I'd like the thread idea because, if it worked like the chili pepper thread, it seems like all the experts visit the post on a regular basis. Although a sub-forum has the advantage of being easier to skim through-- identify previous posts relevant to the question at hand. What do you all think?

Questions: One of the difficulties I'm having with my new citrus (Meyer improved lemon, cocktail grapefruit, and Mexican thornless lime, all 2-3 years old from Four WInds) is knowing what to expect, especially with respect to time-frames. So, for example, and let's just say under optimal conditions (we're pretending), when would I expect to see new vegetative growth on my little trees? Assuming a bit of leaf drop is normal in the first couple of weeks after having gotten them, when would I except to see that stop? Nothing I've uncovered on-line, or in my books, covers these sorts of questions, and unlike the garden plants ( peppers, tomatoes, etc.) that I've potted up and brought inside, I have no experience with citrus, so if anyone has a resource they could direct me to, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

There is no cut and dry answer I'm afraid. Expect growth to be slow over the winter.

Citrus don't grow like other plants. They go through stages. So you won't see foliage grow for a while, but the roots will be. Once the roots have grown, they will stop, and the foliage will grow to balance the roots. They swap between the two for certain periods of time, so just because you don't see growing leaves, don't think it isn't growing.

You tend to get flushes of growth in the spring, when the days start getting longer and the weather warms up a bit. I experience growth on my citrus quite often after having 'flushed' the container with a large volume of water to leech out any salt build-up.

Expect up to 6 flushes of growth per year under the ideal conditions. It is usually somewhat less, since many of us cannot achieve the perfect environment. 4 flushes is not uncommon per year. It is just patience I think. I go months sometimes with no foliage growth, then they suddenly explode into life!

I agree with your comment. Citrus would be better under a sub-forum

And just to add, my meyer stopped dropping leaves about 3 weeks after purchasing it. Just let it do what it needs to do and support it with the best possible living conditions you can offer it :)

Thanks for all of this information, aesir22. Very helpful. I am by nature a sort of love 'em and leave 'em alone sort of gardener, but that attitude tends to diminish with every $$ I spend on the plant! The citrus were (for my point of view) a serious investment!

Lol I'm quite sad in that growing citrus is my passion. I also have tea and coffee seeds germinating :)

My tahiti lime has just started to flower and the first bloom opened today, Smells great! Can't wait for fruit lol