I've been trying to help others with their citrus' with all the info you all have armed me with. This guy has had this tree from seed for about a year. He says that two weeks ago, the leaves wilted, started turning white, and dropping but only at the top. He has it in a contained environment which is very humid, and he said the only thing he did was remove it from there for a day when he saw it looking weird. When he returned it to it's home, they perked up, and the white leaves slowed in dropping but didn't stop.

Help me out here, we've gone through his soil drainage, how often he waters, even ferts. He's lacking good ferts, but still he shouldn't be having this problem with what he's using. Everything seems ok...?

Then he posted a picture........and I really don't know, but I have a feeling he may have a variegated lemon on his hands. I look at the photos, and the white doesn't look like a problem to me, as striated as it is, but what do I know? Can anyone confirm or deny my suspicions that this may be a variegated guy? I confirmed he grew it from seed. From what I read, variegated plants can come from a seed of a normal plant via mutation, not just seed from a variegated parent tree. Haven't confirmed if he knows what type of plant the seed came from, but with the mutation factor, looks like it doesn't matter right?

Here's a photo...not great but hey...

It should recover. Those white leaves looked like sunbleaches in a very dry environment. Happens to plants that are exposed all of a sudden to very new environment, it takes time to readjust and responds by pruning itslef some of the leaves.

Really? But the leaves started turning white while in that aquarium contraption it's in, with the open side of the aquarium covered with plastic to keep humidity in. Odd.

I will tell him, thanks for the super fast reply!

A better Hi-Res photo would help. It does not look like a variegated plant. If it was, it would have the variegated leaves as soon as they emerged. If they were normal green and then quickly turned white it is a sign of stress from something. If this is the case I would check the PH asap. Also check the root zone for anything out of the norm. How long has this plant been in the same container & soil ? ...

Joe is correct in that a plant grown in the shade & moved quickly to full sun will cause the leaves to turn white. The next set of leaves that emerge should be back to green.

See Laaz, I wasn't sure about that, cause I have a african violet I started from a leaf, and the mom was very variegated. Well, the variegation in the A.V leaves only started to emerge after over a year into growth. I thought perhaps this could be the case in citrus, but I saw someones variegated flying dragon here, and the young one had white in the leaves right off the bat.

Are you thinking maybe poor pH is causing problems in iron uptake ?? I will ask him about sudden sun lite and how long it's been potted for now. And I'll ask him to carefully look at the root system.

I guess I am learning by trying to help others now, cause mine are doing good and I ran out of problems to ask about. lol.


Thank you!

Hi Ecomtl. It is very possible for a plant to start producing a variegated sport (Limb), but I have never seen different limbs all over the plant start producing variegated leaves.

It is also possible to have a variegated seedling from the start. I have a nice variegated sour orange from seed.

The Flying Dragon is mine and yes it produces white foliage, but it is that way from the start. It doesn't turn from green to white.

Almost forgot. Spidermite damage can also turn citrus leaves almost white.

I'm alergic to the term spider mite. Ugh

I hope he doesn't have these. They kill my crotons no matter what I do. They are persistent basts.