Kumquat tree leaves curling

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by pantelis karaplis, Dec 2, 2007.

  1. pantelis karaplis

    pantelis karaplis Member

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    Hello,
    I bought a kumquat tree from a local nursery 6 weeks ago. I moved it inside from an unheated greenhouse about a week ago. The leaves have curled quite severely and they are crisp to the touch (like you can crumble them with your fingers). I suspect it was my fault in that I hadn't watered it for a few days, and bringing it in from a moist greenhouse to a dryer house may have not been good. I have watered it and am misting the leaves hoping it will revive. Will it recover, or...
     
  2. Jodi Chick

    Jodi Chick Member

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    Sorry- I don't know the answer to your question - but - I was hoping you could tell me what nursery you bought the plant at. My mother in law has asked for one for Christmas and I can't find one anywhere...

    Thank You in advance
    Jodi
     
  3. pantelis karaplis

    pantelis karaplis Member

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    I bought it at Wong's Nursery, 9360 Cambie, in Richmond.
     
  4. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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  5. Jodi Chick

    Jodi Chick Member

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    Thank You!
     
  6. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Not watering a citrus tree for just a couple days should not be a problem, unless the couple days are in reality a couple weeks. How cold did the unheated greenhouse get during the nights before you brought the tee indoors? If the wood of the trunk and branches remain green, the tree should have a good chance of producing new foliage. However, being a Kumquat, the tree will require a period of time at an elevated temperature before new leaves appear. Therefore, do not throw away the tree, and do not water very much at all, because without leaves the tree will not require much moisture. However, do not let the growth medium become dry.
     
  7. Gregn

    Gregn Active Member 10 Years

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    Millet, I don't have any kumquats in my collection.... So if they are similar to other citrus, are there issues when brining them indoors? IE they don't like dry air? Would leaving this it in the greenhouse been a better way to go? Maybe the plant is in shock?
    Greg
     
  8. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    I believe kumquats are more sensitive. A number of mine died while the other citrus were seemingly unaffected under the same conditions. The situation continued until the humidity levels were raised.

    I don't think the OP's problem is directly related to a lack of humidity. When I experienced leaf loss the fallen leaves, minus the petioles, were healthy looking unlike the curled and crispy ones on the OP's tree.
     
  9. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I really do not know the relation between humidity and kumquats. My kumquats have always been kept in my greenhouse, which is very humid. However, in China (the native home of kumquats) the kumquat grows much farther north. Other citrus are native to southern China which is tropical/subtropical with very high humidity. I am not certain what the humidity level is in the Peking area. - Millet
     
  10. shibumi

    shibumi Member

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    I had a similar problem, leaves on my potted kumquat tree (which had been growing beautifully) began curling. I had found some cotton scale on the tree and sprayed. The tree returned to normal a couple weeks later. Then, very suddenly, the leaves curled again and dryed out. They were crisp to the touch and began falling off in large numbers. I decided all I could do was repot the tree and hope for the best. At repotting I noticed the top couple inches of soil were moist but deeper down, at the root ball, it was quite dry. I had been following the "once a week" watering regime (and I cheated and was watering twice a week). At the time of repotting the upper braches were dry, dry, dry. They snapped at the slightest touch. The tree trunk was also dry, so much so that it was "springy" when bumped. There were virtually NO signs of life left in the tree. As nature is resiliant, I decided not to give up. For the next month I watered my potted stick daily and really saturated the soil to be sure the water was getting down to the root ball (which was also bone dry at repotting). To my amazement, I have beautiful new shoots growing from the trees trunk. The top is totally dead now. I'm expecting a full recovery. I also have a potted meyer lemon and dwarf orange which I decided to increase the watering for (daily watering now) and they are BEAUTIFUL! I finally have a new batch of lemons coming in. Lesson here is that potted trees need more water and more regular watering than trees in the ground.
     
  11. skeeterbug

    skeeterbug Active Member

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    When you water, you should water so that at least 10% of the water comes out of the bottom of the container. Do not let the container set in this water--if you need to have a saucer under the pot, put some feet on the pot or set it on some rocks to keep it above the water. Watered properly, it should hold the plant for at least 3-4 days if not more than a week. There are a lot of factors affecting water loss from a container--the atmospheric conditions (humidity and temperature), the size of the tree, the size of the container, the type of media, the type of container, exposure to sunlight and probably a couple more I have not thought about. The point is a fixed watering schedule is a recipe for disaster.

    I am glad that your tree is coming back. Your example shows that it is much better to underwater than to overwater. Watered properly, I would not think that a container citrus needs water every day, although with good draining media that has lots of airspace, it may be possible to keep it alive.
     
  12. Laaz

    Laaz Active Member 10 Years

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    Was the greenhouse shaded ? Is it now in direct sun ? Taking a tree from shade to direct sun will cause the symptoms you describe.
     

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