Dwarf key lime tree

[synclinorium]

I've sort of hijacked this thread and turned it into my miscellaneous citrus growing thread. Right now I have two Meyer Lemons (1st year and 3rd year), a Kaffir Lime, and a Key Lime. I have zero experience with fruit trees, so this is all an experiment. My original post:

On a whim, I decided to try growing a key lime tree earlier this year. It's just a rooted cutting, so I don't expect fruit from it for a while, but I planted it a month and a half ago and it hasn't done anything since. No new growth, no change in leaf color, no wilting, nothing. It's almost as if it's one of those fake plants in the doctor's office. I've had it outside when the weather is good and still nothing.

 

[queequeg152]

is it rooted can you tell? i tried to root a ZEE(?) plant and it took absolutely forever in a peat soil.
anyway here is a flow chart i use to try and diagnose deficiencies.

so according to the chart... iron or sulfur?

 

[HawaiiAl]

give it some citrus fertilizer 1/2 strength every two weeks till you see new growth than full strength, mine always starts to turn yellow about every three months, give it some food and it gets good and dark green. hope it works it did for me.

 

[synclinorium]

Well, it had roots when I planted it. I'm thinking I might repot it with better soil. This was marketed as a citrus mix, but there's an awful lot of peat and retains moisture forever.

Iron or sulfur does seem to be most likely. Not sure if any trace element foliar sprays...

 

[synclinorium]

Yep; I dug up the plant and over half the roots had rotted and the bottom of the pot was soggy and compacted. I added a third vermiculite to the mix and mixed in some organic citrus fertilizer; hopefully that helps.

 

[Exavier]

They need to drain well, but need lots of water. With our we try and get them root bound and in the dry season then repot. As now is starting rainy season, most cheak to make sure ours are not sitting in water. They are fun to grow, but always something or another going on with them. But we do get LOTS of fruit from them even though all ours are small. There more bushs then trees. We trim them alot.

 

[synclinorium]

I'm assuming it's a water-related issue as foliar sprays and trace element fertilizers haven't been helping. It'll be better once it's warm enough to put it outside, but as it is the pot is a bit large for the plant so it takes a while for it to dry out, meaning I can't water it as frequently.

 

[Exavier]

Put in a smaller pot. I find if our are wet for 1 week strait they get root rot. By can't stay dry for long. Root rot is the only trouble we have with them here. We find they don't do much for 3 months at a time. They Grow, Flower, Fruit, Recoup. The one that is a year round fruiter does the most. The others don't do much most of the year.

 

[synclinorium]

I added a few more members to my citrus collection. The key lime is being stubborn as usual. I'm hoping with it in a pot more suitable to the current rootball size it will be a bit more responsive. I'll pot up if and when it ever outgrows this little one.

The two heavily pruned plants are both Meyer Lemons, 1-year and 3-year, both of which are already starting to show new growth a few days after being potted.

The larger one is a Makrut Lime. I just received and potted the Makrut, so I'm waiting to see how it responds. It's quite beautiful, I like it just for its aesthetics. Never tried using Makrut Lime leaves in cooking before.

 

[synclinorium]

Still too small to photograph, but oddly enough I think a blossom is forming on my key lime. Strange for a young cutting, I would think. Still waiting to see growth, but at least it's something.

At least the Meyer lemons are coming along nicely. New growth sprouting up everywhere. I've been trying to stick them outside so the leaves are already adjusted to sunlight by the time they fully form, but the weather hasn't been cooperating. Two nights of consecutive frost advisories, and daytime temperatures barely getting past 60. Sigh.

Soon, soon.