Help - sick Orange Trees - Perth Australia

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by stratman, Sep 16, 2009.

  1. stratman

    stratman Member

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    Hi - we are in our spring and my orange trees are looking really sick ! Last season we had our trees go really sick and a lot of leaf curl and leaf drop. The fruit had a lot of brown scale (which was sprayed for) and as soon as the summer heat hit the trees dropped lots of leaves and fruit ! Trees are well watered in good soil and drainage ? Every season up till last the trees had wonderful fruit and looked healthy.

    This year we have had no heat AND more rain than last 7 years BUT trees are already looking "yellow" and minimal flowering and fruit buds ? ALSO - have a fair bit of witches brooming ? Only change against good fruit years is a lot of schrubs have been planted in same beds - could I be suffocating the trees ?

    Can anyone help ????

    David
     

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    Last edited: Sep 16, 2009
  2. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Did you feed them with citrus food and water it well in???

    I have a lemon tree (think it is Myer) in amongst a junge of plants. It is thriving. Full of fruit and never been fed or watered. About 8 yrs old now. It is in good soil and well mulched. Maybe yours got very hot feet in summer.

    Liz
     
  3. stratman

    stratman Member

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    Hi Liz - thanks for your reply - yes they have been well fed and watered - we tried extra water and fertiliser everything last summer
     
  4. thanrose

    thanrose Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Stratman, I'm in Florida. We try to keep any plants away from underneath citrus for two reasons: reduces pests from insects to rodents, and reduces competition for nutrients and water.

    I'm guessing from the leaves appearance that yours are not getting enough fertilizer.

    Have you cut into the roots to plant the shrubs? That could be it, as well. The leaves look undernourished and if the root system has been damaged that would do it. If that's the case, then you should probably prune back selectively to reduce the burden on the recovering root system. In my home orchard, I'd remove any flower or fruit until the roots are really reestablished. And I'm a pretty laissez-faire gardener.
     
  5. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Thanrose I would agree re the need for feeding. I have one in a pot I looked at this morning that has similar leaves to the pics of Stratman and I know that one is hungry as it was a rescue I have not got around to fixing up.

    Liz
     
  6. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    First of all you need to remove all of the under growth, that is presently growing under the tree out to the drip line of your tree. It is NEVER a good idea to have anything growing under a citrus tree. Plain bare ground is always the best situation for citrus. You say that you have fertilized the tree. Did you fertilize just once this season? Citrus are VERY HEAVY feeders, and require a LOT of nutrition. Did the fertilizer you used contain trace minerals? Below are the nutrition requirements for citrus growing in the ground.

    1-year old citrus tree requires 6 applications of fertilizer per year.
    2-year old citrus tree requires 5 applications of fertilizer per year.
    3-year old citrus tree requires 4 applications of fertilizer per year.
    4 year old and OLDER citrus trees require 3 application of fertilizer each and every year there after.

    If your tree is less that 4 year old do not use a fertilizer with a nitrogen content stronger than 8 percent. Your tree is showing symptoms of various mineral deficiencies, including nitrogen, manganese, and probably others. Without going into the amount of fertilizer to apply with each application, you can use the search function on this forum to obtain all the information you will require. Search using the word "applications". Your area is now going into the winter season, and I don't know the type of winter weather that Perth- experiences. If your area experiences freezes, and you apply fertilizer your tree will produce new growth, and the tree will therefore not become "dormant", which protects the tree against the cold. If your area does not freeze you need to fertilize your tree properly. Lastly, remove all the dead wood from your tree, and DO NOT APPLY any type of wound paint to the cuts. Good luck to this tree. - Millet (1,217-)
     
  7. stratman

    stratman Member

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    Thankyou for this feedback all - I have cleared all the plants out from under the trees an loosed the soil around the base (was compacted) I have now fed the trees (two days ago) BUT have noticed this morning another drop of leaves !!! We are in our spring at present NOT fall.

    I will prune dead woood off BUT should I cut flowers and fruit buds off for this year to allow tree to recover for one seaon?

    ALSO - should new growth underneath the main canopy be pruned off ?

    The trees are 20 years old and my soil is quite rich and well drained.

    We have very dry and hot summers here in Perth

    Again appreciate all your feedback

    David
     
  8. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    There is not need to remove fruit or blossoms. As you are going into the Spring and Summer months, be sure to fertilize the tree 3 times equally spaced out during the season. A 8-8-8 or a 10-10-10 fertilizer is a good formulation for a 20- year old tree. - Millet (1,214-)
     

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