Hello all,

So I have this fairly new citrus tree. It had been in the ground for about 2-3 month or so now and its about 5.5’ tall. Its of the Semi Dwarf variety and not supposed to get super large, as city of Phoenix does not allow regular size new citrus trees anymore (Water conservation.) It is outside in the really sunny spot.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed that leaves started to curl up. Then I noticed that they started to yellow. Yellowing especially noticeable on the older large leaves. It seems to be in the middle of the leave with outer edges still green, for now.

I was digging around the tree, while installing a drip system. And soil seems to be most as little as 2-3" below the surface. I know citrus likes to dry up between waterrings but does it like to TOTALLY dry to like a desert dry?

I did get some Mircle Grow Citrus-Avocado food. Sprinkled around and worked into soil some. Turned on drip and put maybe 6G of water into ground. I am afraid to water more as i am not sure if tree being overwatered or what. It had been 110+ here in Phoenix and i watered last 1 week ago and yet soil is still moist. Kind of gets me concerned :_( I also fertilized with some generic Home Depot stuff about 30 days after we had it planted.

From what i know soil here is terrible - clay and rocks. My landscaper dug up a hole and planted a tree in there surrounded by some planting material. Possible hole is not big enough for a tree and it is staying too wet?

Here are some pictures. They a bit old and tree looks even more sorry now :+(








I am really concerned and do not want to loose my tree to something. Would you guys help me to figure out what is up with this and how to remedy it, please? All and any comments are welcomed.

Thank you.

Eugene

If only the old leaves are affected I wouldn't be too concerned about it. It is probably sunburn. More than likely the tree was grown under shade cloth. The sudden move into direct sun will burn the leaves very easy. If the new growth is doing fine then just keep an eye on it & it should recover with much of a problem.

In you part of the country it would be hard to over water this time of year unless you filled the planting hole with something other than what you dug out of it (Causing the water to pool up in the hole...)


Welcome to the forum.

Thank u for welcoming and reply.

The hole is surely willed with some nicer stuff then outside of it. But it IS moist, even though i can not understand how it can be with temps this high. Should it be bone dry b4 i water it?

Eugene

Not bone dry, but you don't want it wet either. When you plant a tree in the ground you want to backfill with the same soil you took out of the hole otherwise the hole will act like a pool and hold water. Clay soil as you have will definitely act as a pool if you backfilled with a potting mix...

Makes sence

What can i do now? Replant? Its really "Deadly" time here now. 117 degrees on 4th. What would you suggest?


Also, i head its best to mix "Bad" soil with some nice planting mix. Sounds good?


Thank you for yur replies.

Eugene

I think Lazz is right about the sunburn, but I would not replant right now--just make sure you don't over water and let the soil dry at least 2-3 inches down before rewatering. Also, it is not necessary to work the fertilizer into the soil, citrus trees have shallow roots and even shallow cultivation can damage them.

What is the absolut minimum i can water it?

Seems like its drying out little by little. Outter edges of the hole seems to be pretty dry. But center by the trunk still shows WET on my gauge and does feel moist. I do have to insert gave about 6-7" into the ground for it to show most WET, less then that and it shows 1/2 wetness.

Eugene

If I were you, I would cover the tree with a home made shade canopy to protect its leaves from the intense heat. I live in Phoenix, and in direct sun, shade has a tremendous impact on the ability of a newly planted tree surviving our intense heat. dont get fancy, just provide shade in the hottest hours of the day. You only need this shade in late June, July, and most of August and only for young trees. I also noticed the decomposed granite you have at the base of the tree. those rocks heat up the soil, and that also has an impact on the tree and its ability to cope with the heat. It looks good, but isnt ideal as far as optimizing citrus growth. When it comes to water, thomeowners in phoenix overwater their trees and end up drowning them. Our alkaline, heavy soils hold water well. I believe you said you use drip irrigation. Most citrus enthusiasts in the desert create basins around their trees and fill them continuously (30 Minutes) until they can stick a metal rod in the soil easily to a depth of two feet. Drip irrigations, unless used properly, will provide shallow irrigation that accumulates salt in the soil. From the picture you sent, I think you have sun and salt burn on your leaves. Try watering twice a week during the summer to a depth of 2 feet. Deep, sporadic irrigation that is allowed to dry out work best. In contrast, in the Winter you can water once a month. If you insist on transplanting, November is the time to do so here. Why transplant though? Citrus love the sun as long as you provide water in the proper manner. Also, dont fertilize your trees out here for at least a couple of years. The fertilizers again are salt based and these damage the roots of young trees. Good luck.

Hello Patrick.

Thank you for replying to my post.

I am totally NOT insisting on transplant. I do not want to do it at all.

So you say shield it. I can do that.

What do you sugest about the granite? Pull it off and leave soil bare? Put some chips down?

Now about my drip. It is not done exactly how most people have it - one 4GPH emmiter saturating soil on the timer 20 min every day. No Sir. I made a ring from the hose about diameter of top of the tree and put 6 1/2G emmiters on that ring, about 20" or so from each other. I layed it in the ground aboout 3" below the surface, doing it this way would allow me feed water very slowly over extended period of time (Few hours) and saturate the soil through. I have a on/off switch for the tree and can cut the water to it if its not needed. I can stick a rod in the nice soil around the tree easily all the way down to caliche floor, but not on the outside of the hole where it only goes down a few inches.

I am 99% sure my landscaper just took the tree from the box, stock it into hole and put some more potting mix around to support it. Weather it is good or bad way is a little to late for me to worry now

But it totally puzzles me why soil which has not been watered for over a week is still moist. You can see it, feel it and gauge shows it too. This just puzzles me. I am NOT overwatering at all. If anything i am under. From last weekend my tree seen maybe 6G of water. I keep checking and checking and soil seems to be wet, so i am not watering it. Am i doing it totally wrong (Which is suerly possible)?

Eugene

PS: I also sent you a PM.

Shade is very important for the first year or two of a citrus tree in the desert. You can get an additional 6 to 12 inches of growth per season and have a much healthier tree.

I was trying to figure out your math, and from my takeoff, it appears you are underwatering. Your tree looks like it has about a 4 foot canopy. You should provide at least 20 gallons of water per week, all at once, or at least until you can stick a metal rod/ rebar into the soil at least two feet.
20 minutes of water every day will not work with our heavy soil and salty water. I water mine 40 minutes, with the hose bib slightly open after I fill the basin fast initially. When it's 120 degrees, you might have to water twice a week to keep the tree from stressing out too much. Your still going to have some sunburn on some leaves, but thats expected out here. Also, you should paint the trunk of your tree so it doesnt get sunburn. I paint mine white, but I see lately where there are some browns especially made for matching bark.

Im more interested in a healthy citrus tree than an attractive ground cover, so in the summer I fill my citrus tree basins with grass cuttings to keep the soil from baking around my trees roots. When it cools off in the winter, I remove the mulch so the soil warms and the tree trunks wont get foot rot.

Your tree looks fine, and I have seen far worse recover nicely. Good luck.
Patrick

Eugene, Patrick seems to have some good advice that comes from experience in your area.

I just thought I would add some info on the shade-- I am using a shade cloth to cover my seedlings from the intense Florida sun. Citrus actually reach maximum photosynthesis at just 1/3 of the intensity of full sun. You can get shade cloths in various levels of shade-- I think the one I have is about 50%-- I think they also come in several colors-- mine is green-- I have seen black.

Skeet, I have always thought of Florida's sun as being weak, not intense, due to the fact that Florida is located at sea level and in a humid atmosphere. The overall highest intensity of sun in the USA is in Colorado, due to our elevation and dry atmosphere, which is why there is such a large greenhouse industry here. My greenhouse is located at 5,440 feet, therefore the sun's rays have 5,440 feet less atmosphere to pass through than in Florida. In Colorado one sunburns very quickly, and unfortunately Colorado has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the country. Though the sun is intense, the altitude helps some in reducing the heat. - Millet

Guys,

EXACTLY i am trying to underwater the tree but soil is moist for weeks. THAT is what is puzling me.

I will build some kind of shade cover for it. Thanks for advice.

Anything else i can do?

Eugene

Millet, you may be right to some extent, and clouds make a lot of difference as well, but when the sun is near directly over head on a clear day it is pretty intense. I can tell you the peak intensity is a little above 2300 umoles/M2/sec based on the measurements I have made over the years.

Eugene, after you get some shade, if your tree has some tender new growth, it will show a little wilting when it needs water. Older growth does not wilt much and if the sun is really intense, the new growth will wilt even when it has water.