Please help. I live in Poway, CA and had a 5 gal mandarin orange and meyers lemon put in 2 months ago. Used Bandini Citrus Food 16-4-8 I had (not sure how old it is) and put 1/4+ a little more around the trees and watered it in on May 4th. Now June 1st, the leaves on the lemon is curled, yellow and dropping from the bottom branches and a few fruit are turning yellow too. The mandarin tree has brown tops on several leaves and brown spots on the backside and turning yellow, also.
Water once a week about 4-5 gallons.

Went to Walter Anderson Nursery with photos and a twiglet in hand. He said I should water 5 gallons once a week. Said aphids were the problem on the speckled mandarin leaves and gave me a spray to use. I bought a water meter and put it in all the way and it said wet on it- watered yesterday and today (in case I over fertilized it).

My wonderful neighbor waters his same sized tree every 3 days and puts down about 5 gallons.

Is watering in 80 degree weather once a week 5 gallons enough?
Do you think the tree is hungry as the man from the nursery stated?
Any suggestions?

Overwatering is the quickest way to kill the tree. Citrus do better when the soil is drier than for most plants. Inground trees, once established do not need to be watered unless there is an extended drought. Getting them established, you need to let the soil dry until it is dry at least 2 inches deep.

I have very sandy soil that drains well, but I don't water more than once a week even when it is really dry in the summer--and that applies to my container citrus as well. In winter they go for more that a month without water.

Overwatering is the quickest way to kill the tree. Citrus do better when the soil is drier than for most plants. Inground trees, once established do not need to be watered unless there is an extended drought. Getting them established, you need to let the soil dry until it is dry at least 2 inches deep.

I have very sandy soil that drains well, but I don't water more than once a week even when it is really dry in the summer--and that applies to my container citrus as well. In winter they go for more that a month without water.

As for fertilizer, I use a cup of balanced fertilizer with trace minerals once a month on young trees, more on larger trees.

Thank you for the advice to let the soil dry out to 2" before watering again. I will use the water meter as a guide prior to next watering.
It is so confusing whether the problem is water-related, fertilizer, etc.

I cannot clearly see the tree in the first picture, but the tree in the second picture is greatly undernourished. Citrus are HEAVY feeders, and in your area the trees should be fertilized six times a year from March through the end of August. Do not use a fertilizer with an analysis higher than an 8-8-8 on young trees during years 1 - 3. The recommended formulations for young in ground trees are 6-6-6 or 8-8-8. The leaves in picture number two show that the tree is deficient in magnesium, and also probably nitrogen. For a source of magnesium dissolve Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) in water and apply it to the soil. Epsom Salts dissolves poorly in cool water, so use hot water. You should be fertilizing your trees once ever month. Apply at label rates. If you use 6-6-6 apply .8-lbs. each application, for 8-8-8 apply .6-lbs. with each application. Also, because your trees are quite young and have not been in the ground very long the root system is still limited, therefore you will need to water them more often than you would water an established tree.

Millet
(Edith Stine October 12, 1891 - August 9, 1942)

So- fertilize 666 or 888 every month for 6 months beginning in March thru August. Water more than an established inground tree as the roots aren't set.

What fertilizer do you suggest?
Do you like the "water when the top 2" become dry? rule?

"For a source of magnesium dissolve Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) in water and apply it to the soil. Epsom Salts dissolves poorly in cool water, so use hot water."

To get the leaves back, how much of epsom salt per gallon would you suggest?

I thank you guys so much for all your help. Couldn't bear to see this cute tree die

A tablespoon per gallon should do. If you can get a fertilizer with trace minerals (Wal-Mart here carries one), you will not need to do that after the symptoms are gone. If you do not find a fertilizer with trace minerals, you need to repeat the Epsom salts a couple times a yr.

A cup of fertilizer will be about 1/2 pound or a little more.

Thanks Skeeter. This morning I went to a citrus and avocado nursery, family owned, in Fallbrook, CA. Took the leaves and pictures with me.
He said it isn't magnesium but a lack of water which caused salt to come up thru the leaves. Said in June, a 1-yr. old tree should get 4/day (gallons) and be watered once a week. I was watering 4-5 gal. once a week. So he wants me to double the watering to 8 gal/week and see if it gets greener. Said to check the new growth to see that the leaves are shiny, not dull- a tip he said of lack of water. He said the commercial fertilizer vs. the Dr. Earth isn't a problem-either one is fine. I don't understand all the different opinions. Like I said, he is strickly a citrus and Avocado grower. So, I will water my trees when the water meter shows it is dry and see what happens. He told me to dig a shovel deep away from the ball and see if the soil is damp and earth smelling, not rotty.

Audrea asks....:What fertilizer do you suggest?

Answer: any fertilizer with the formula 6-6-6 or 8-8-8. These formulas should be rather easy locate. If you can't find those exact formulas, chose one as close as you can find, but NOT one that has a nitrogen level higher than 8 percent. As Skeet said, try to find one of those formula that also contains trace minerals. Look at the ingredients on the bag, to see if the fertilizer contains magnesium. Many fertilizers do not contain magnesium whether they have trace minerals or not. If you are not comfortable with fertilizer formulas, just ask at any garden center or nursery (I hate wall mart). - Millet

What brand carries a 666 or 888 formula? I can only find a 7-4-2 in Dr. Earth? I phoned Armstrong Nursery and they have in organic EB Stone's 7-3-3. They recommend a blend of 20-0-5 and citrus food 20-10-15.
How is one to know which one when there is such a huge difference!
I still can't find any 666 or 888

6-6-6 or 8-8-8 is the kind of fertilizer that comes in 40# bags. It is sold at any big box stores, like Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and even places like Target if they have a garden center. Hardware stores often carry it. You can use the extra on your yard or in flower beds. A 40# bag usually cost about $6-$7.

Audrey, after looking more closely, I agree with the nursery, that the tree does not have a magnesium deficiency. However, the tree's leaves show a deficiency in iron. The symptoms of iron deficiency in citrus is NEW leaves with dark green veins, on otherwise yellow leaves. Actually, I do not see much of any symptoms of high salts. Salt build up burns the leaf tips and margins., which I do not see any evidence. Again, because the tree is young and has not been in the ground long, the tree's root system is very limited in its ability to extract water from a large area of soil, therefore requires more water that normally given to older trees. - Millet

Sorry, Millet,
but I cannot see any symptomes of Iron deficiency, because the whole leaf has to be of a bright color, and not only the leaf tip. Younger leaves, I see close on the bottom of the picture, are also dark, in iron deficient plants they should be bright yellow or in severe cases nearly white.... but here they are brownish green, a good sign.

But what I see, I agree with the nursery, are salt damaged leaves. Not severe, but enough to induce yellow leaf tips.
I can see that symptomes here very often with lightly over fertilisized trees in containers...

So I see also a plant with a light salt damage. Only in more servere cases, the leaf tip gets quickly dry and you will also encounter the margins at the leaf tip get dry... but in light cases, the yellow leaf tips are a good symptome...

it is Monday, June 9th, and I have been using a water meter daily since last posting. It registers moist, around an 8. I won't water till it goes into the dry category which means I was over watering before. Deep watering and 7-10 days is what I have been reading. I tried to find 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 and haven't been able (Walmart-Target-Walter Anderson-) but I did find a 3-3-3 at WA and the guy told me to double the amount I lay down- do you all find a problem with doing that?

Leaves on the meyers lemon tree are not as cupped but still yellow puckering leaves.