I recently repotted my three lemon saplings into a mix of cocoa shell mulch and peat moss from the potting soil they had been raised in. Over the past few days I noticed that the leaves have started to wilt and brown a little bit. I feed them with 12-4-8 fertilizer with every watering. I use 1/3 tsp per 1L of water (approx 250 ppm) Below are some photos of my saplings.
All three:

Bottom left pot:

Bottom right pot:

Back pot:


The new growth in the last photo has shriveled and turned brownish on the end since the repotting. I am hoping this is just stress and that my trees will bounce back!

Please be careful with the coco shells if you have dogs. The shells smell great to the dogs but it is just like eating chocolate for them.

Nope, no animals around here besides humans

mrsquig,

I have tried cocoa hulls in the past, and, because of their cupped form, they tend to hold too much water in a container. The shell, when resting in the container concave up, will not drain and will form little puddles throughout the container. Combined with peat and heat, they quickly cause fungus/mold to form. I would be surprised if such a tender seedling would be able to overcome those conditions. I was hoping that they would work well, because we have an abundance of this product in Lancaster County, PA (home of Hershey's chocolate).

Barbara

I have been unable to find coconut husk chips anywhere around here (Boston's north shore). What should I do until I am able to find the CHC?

you can get CHC at Logees in CT. Check their website that is were I got mine.

mrsquig - It looks like transplant stress or root damage when moved. 250ppm seems high for saplings. Although I have never grown citrus from seed and that is only a guess. If they where mine I would move them down to 100-150ppm until on there 3rd or 4th leaf set. More importantly, watch the PH closely, as I assume you have a PH meter and if not I would highly recommend one(to anyone growing citrus for that matter). PH between 6.0 to 6.5 is ideal - consistency is key.

As a side note, be careful with CHC, it is notoriously hard to get wet, tends to dry out quickly and it's hard to tell when its dry(picking up the container is about the only way). I think using CHC would be ok for saplings but when the trees are large enough to be moved outside, you will notice CHC becomes more trouble then it is worth in my opinion.

Ryan, CHC is not hard to wet. Actually, they are among the easiest potting ingredient to wet that I have ever used. CHC that is sold to the agricultural industry, (at least from Crystal Co, ) has been washed and pressed dry three times before the Crystal Company markets them. As a result of the pressing, minute fissures are throughout the chip, making them absorb water like a sponge. My containers retain moisture for a week, even during June, July and August. - Millet (893-)

Some of the leaves are turning like a brownish black now. What should I do?

I think Ryan is correct, that the root system was damaged during transplanting. As small as the seedling is, I would not bother doing anything. If it makes it, it makes it. If not, you have two other seedlings that look healthy enough to grow on. The number one killer of citrus seedlings in the first 2 - 3 months is stem rot caused by rhizoctonia. To lower the changes of stem rot, water only in the morning, and then set the container is the sun to quickly dry the upper surface of the medium. Rhizoctonia is active in damp situations. - Millet (893-)