Hello all,

I was mailed 3 Fruit trees and my post office screwed up and lost the shipment. All three trees were in the same box and somewhere for a whole month!

The seller sent me replacements and the arrived fine. However i would like to see if i can revive the first shipment. I am new to citrus trees and gardening.

The trees are Murcott Honey Tangerine, Limequat and Meyers Lemon.

They are short and small because they are grafted and mature.

What should i do to get their leaves back? or are they just gone?
I cant tell you that that they all were watered 2 days ago with Miracid - "water soluble acid-loving plant food" which has the rating 30-10-10

Thanks in advance for any help. If i get any results i will post with pics.

I think they have a good chance of being revived-- just don't over water and I wouldn't suggest anymore fertilizer until they start growing.

Skeet

maybe mist them or run a humidifier at times for them.

Hope they come back, but they look pretty toasted.

Should i do anything special for them like trim all the "branches" or repot them?

Don't do anything. Fert'd them was enough, you shouldn'tve while they were in shock. Don't transplant--- too much shock.

Forgot to say that I'd cut the dead branches off too. As long as it is still green, there's a good chance they'll come back...I hope they do.
Keep us posted!

thanks for all the helpful suggestions. how far should i trim the branches? big cuts? or just dead and dyeing branches?

I also haven't repotted them as suggested. If they come back to life.

So far i have then in a dark room with a compact 30w florescent grow light. The room is naturally very humid because I keep allot of fish tanks for breading african cichlids (fish)

I have the grow light on a 8 hour a day timer. should i up the time to 12 hours?

thanks again for all the help!

What is the temperature of the room?

Its easily 70-72 degrees and humid.

I have a question for anyone. When a tree lost all of its leaves like mine its really pretty useless to give it sun because it has no leaves right?

I found myself telling my mother in law that... and i realized it was an assumption.

cichlidman I would still give them filtered sun to bright shade. Once you see new buds forming I would put them in direct sun. The best way to get them going again is to give them some bottom heat.

I agree with Laaz.
When I put an ill plant in "ER" I make sure the roots are warm around 80*F (checked with digital cooking thermometer) give or take.. What to use to heat the roots?? there are many ways cheep to costly.. wrapping the pot in Christmas Lights (taping it in place) is a good temporary low cost way.. or water proof heating cables, warming mats etc... And I make sure the light is a bit filtered. I put car window tint for windows I can't otherwise cover to create a filter.. or move the plant back just out of reach of direct light... and usually I am very light handed at watering.. it is easy to over water a plant that is not consuming water like a healthy plant would.
Trim black/ dark brown/ dead branches to about 1/4 inch above the dead part. you can keep track of if more is dieing back this way.. I don't cut below the dead stuff so the plant doesn't have to put energy into healing a wound.
I also put a 1/4 teaspoon of 3% hydrogen Peroxide per gallon of water that I use to water the plant.. but I'm not sure this would apply to your case as most of the reasons for mine to go in ER is root rot.. Maybe someone with more knowledge will jump in and comment on this idea..
Good LUCK!!! I'm hoping for ya!!
Gina *BabyBlue*

I agree with Lazz and Gina as for the light exposure and trimming. There is chlorophyll in the stems-- that is why they are green, there is not as much as in the leaf, but a little light will help. At temperatures in the 70's and warm roots you should get some growth starting when it is ready.
Then you can give it more direct light as long as you keep the roots warm.

Skeet

wow thanks for the ideas. i will use them. however i think i may be failing to give the trees a chance to come back and i might know why now.

I discovered that the trees might have some kind of fertilizer pellets or something in with the "dirt" they are small green circular things and there is quite a bit of them. I picked one out and squeezed it and it popped and some kind of liquid came out. heres a few pics to help with the description.




what are these things? should i worry about them. thanks again.

cichlidman, they are a slow release fertilizer, common in potted plants, no worry there. Like you I have some citrus in my "fish room"- Africans also. The extra humidity seems to help. Good luck

I would leave them be. Don't disturb the roots while the trees are distressed or you may lose them altogether. Cut the dead branches off about a quarter inch past where the dead wood ends & let them be.