Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
My miniature orange tree has dried, yellowing leaves that are falling off daily. I water it twice a week and lightly fertilize once a month. There doesn't seem to be any infestation. Is there anything I can do to save it? Paulette
Answer
It's tough to say for certain
because yellow leaves can be caused by a few things,
either not enough fertilizer or too much water - either from
insufficient drainage or overwatering. Since the leaves
are also falling off, I'd suspect it's related to your watering.
Either too much or too little water can cause the leaves to
fall off. Excessive water also causes the roots to rot which
prevents the plant from taking up essential nutrients. Lack
of sunlight can also cause leaf drop - citrus plants need
8-12 hours of sunlight every day which is a problem during
the short, cloudy winter months. You would benefit from
using supplemental plant lights during the winter to make
up for the lack of sunlight. Citrus plants like deep, but
infrequent watering. It's fine if the surface soil is dry as long
as the pot hasn't completely dried out. Use your finger to
check the soil moisture at the roots; if still damp,
delay your watering. Watering once a week
should be about right. Also, make sure your pot has good
drainage and don't put gravel in the
bottom of the pot. Instead, elevate the entire pot
above a bed of small stones so the water can
drain completely and not backup into the soil
in pot. Citrus plants require lots of nitrogen. There
are many citrus fertilizers available; make sure
you look for one that has a NPK ratio about twice
the amount of nitrogen (N) than phosphorous (P)
or potassium (K). Another suggestion for the
low humidity winter months is to mist the leaves
periodically. Good luck and let me know how
you make out.
View As PDF
To view a PDF of this article, please
click here.
About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
