Hi Again! I would not worry about the particle size of the perlite.I read an article on perlite.They did a test with different grades of perlite and found that even fine grades of perlite achieved nearly identical properties.Its more important that your mix is uniform,blended thoroughly.
I have found,that as long as your moisture meter doesnt stay on saturated then you should be ok.This mix you have should breathe and so does your terracotta pots.As long as you keep water away from it,it will dry out for sure. Keep it outside in the fresh air and maybe get some sun to help dry the top but not all day sun.My trees are directly under the eaves of my house.I have had it hammer down with rain and they dont get wet at all!! What i have noticed is its depends on the wind direction.The back of my house is north facing any form of northerly wind will blow the rain in towards my pots.Then i move them under cover.I also loosen the top two inches of soil,being careful not to disturb any surface feeder roots.This aerates the top two inches and helps the soil underneath to warm also.You could also do this.I have found skewering the soil right down to the bottom of the pot with a probe like on your moisture meter.That leaves air pockets through the soil.Like you do to your lawns with a fork.I dont know if this is bad and can damage roots but it helps to aerate the soil,especially
its its compacting.You are going to have to wait it out.Dont water again until the pot is either very light or very low reading on your moisture meter.Then you want to keep the soil moist reading consistently,especially in winter.Although,there is a pwt on all mixes,i find even at the bottom of my pots its not saturated there,if the top of mix is kept on moist.That means the roots might well be happy to go down there. It might be a week or two before you see an improvement in the moisture in your soil and the roots to start taking up some water.If the pots are on feet,you can put them in big saucers with water in(the pots must not stand in this water!),so the water can evaporate up around the tree and provide humidity.Your trees need humidity but not wet roots.Hp further down the track.What you need now 1 is the mix to dry and2. no leaf drop and 3.no activity on top.If there is nothing happening on top for the next few weeks,do not fret! the roots are doing something! If the above 3 things happen,then you could have a recovery on your hands.Let us know what happens,cheer .p.s the perlite wont hold water much but the bark will.

One month update:

Both the lemon and lime trees now have much better drainage. I don't want to mess with the roots too much but I have been able to see some new whisker-thin white root hairs on both trees when I brush back the soil near the surface.

There has been no growth. The lemon tree, which got this topic started because of its deeply curled leaves, had all of the leaves curl and shrivel. Only in the last few days have a few of them started turning brown and falling off. While I fully expected all of the leaves on the lemon to be lost, I'm not sure if seeing them finally turn brown is good or bad. I guess they have to fall off some time.

The lime tree still has most of its leaves but they aren't a healthy green. Maybe a yellowed green with a hint of mottling.

Both trees have been watered infrequently, even in our Northeast heat wave over the last two weeks.

I haven't fed either tree since repotting back in mid-June. Is there any reason for me to continue holding back fertilizer at this point now that I'm seeing some root hairs grow back?

Thanks!

Wrong,there has been plenty of new growth,under ground!Dont feed! It sounds like your tree is making a recovery.It will recover at root level first before it does anything on the top.In fact top growth is a reflection of how the roots are feeling. Just carry on with your infrequent waterings.I know a lot of people dont like moisture meters here but i like the one i have.As long as your mix does not read saturated for 48hrs or more,you will be ok.If it does,then root damage will occur.Try to keep your reading in the middle(moist) and test at root level,not on the surface.
The old leaves are a result of past abuse.You should start to see some new shoots coming soon.Let them get established.Dont feed the moment you see them.There is probably enough nutrients in your mix to get them going.
I would wait with the feed until,they are getting very excited on the top.
Then scratch some slow release on top(half of the recommended amount with a little blood and bone),water that in. I have trees growing now and thats all i do.Every two months while actively growing.Too much fert can kill your tree.
Instead the nutrients reverse.Instead of the nutrients going into the tree,the trees nutrients go into your mix.I think its called reverse osmosis but im no scientist! Let those roots do their stuff and then the top will come to life but dont burn ur roots.Sounds like the roots are taking up water and with it nutrients,be patient.Remember,you only feed a happy tree,never a miserable one!!!only stresses the tree.cheers

Hi Jerobi,
I've often fussed over plants and have had them die as a result, so this is the voice of experience talking... After reading all three pages of this saga I think it would be best if you had your trees outside in partial shade, and then JUST FORGET YOU HAVE THEM!
lol, yes, I'm serious! In a month you'll remember them and be surprised to find they are just fine.
Quit fussin', leave the soil, pot, roots, and limbs alone. Don't even peek! Really, if you don't quit fussing and changing soil you will kill them!

how are your trees dood?

I grow a lot of bulb plants in pots and this is the time of year I'm emptying pots and starting to store for the winter.

For quite a while now I've noticed that the pots that have an excess of perlite actually stay wetter than other pots.

My thinking was that it was a certain plant that needed really, really good drainage so I didn't kill it, but I ended up doing just that because I put too much perlite into the soil mix.

Just thought I'd add that warning!

Susan

Hey mate,sorry to hear about your trees. I have 3 trees in potting soils in terracotta post 27cm.I have 4 trees in plastic containers about 8 inches across the top.Two are in a barky coarse mix.One is in a perlite combo=
70 %Perlie/ Terracotta mix(coarse medium bark),the other a 80% perlite and 20 % Terracotta mix coarse like above.Both these trees are around 1 metre tall and look like they are in small pots.
The two in the perlite mix drain beautifully.When fully watered start drying out the next day and stayed evenly moist throughout our rainy winters we get in New Zealand.There has been no leaf drop and they are on their second flush of growth now.I put some slow release fert,high in nitrogen on the top.I did this in early spring,when new growth appeared.
Now summer has come.I sprinkled a little epsom salts on the top and have been feeding with half strength liquid blood and bone.These two are going for it more than any others i have.There is no sign of roots coming out the bottom of the pot.I believe the roots grow slowly on these dwarf citrus and would rather be a little crowded than have too much room.The two trees are "Lemonade" and "Tangelo"
They do need light frequent feeds when in growth and the fert is absorbed and stored by the perlite.I do have one tree in a terracotta that is going well but i have a tangelo in a terracotta that has been dormant for ages.
The tub mix i am using with the perlite,has water storage crystals in it but is chunky(bark) and not a fine mix like you get with potting mixes.Potting mixes compress to easily.
This is the mix i am going to stick with.I have killed many trees before finding what is right.Try again.My trees get sunshine but not heaps of it though.Early morning to late afternoon.Early morning to 1pm is good sunlight.Go for it again.Young trees are fussy.You will find most fruit trees like to stay evenly moist.My cherries just produced well with yummy cherries in my tubs.The same mix as above!! Last year i killed them from being too wet.EVENLY MOIST !