What is wrong with my Clementine, I think:)

So my wife purchased either a clementine or mandarin orange tree about three months ago online, she can’t remember which one. When it arrived I put it in citrus fertiliser, put it on the window sill (good sunlight) and didn’t water it too much.
It’s been like this ever since, no bugs that I could see but the leaves just aren’t right and I don’t know what the problem is. In contrast the lemon tree (from seed) that the kids are growing right beside it is thriving.

Any help would be really appreciated, it’s out of my league.

Blessings

peter

 

Hello, have you still got some citrus compost kicking about? I'd take it out of that pot, tease the crust off the top of the rootball very gently, have a look at the roots to make sure that they're healthy then re-pot it in a bit of fresh compost without disturbing them, if possible. If you can get hold of horticultural grit or pouzzoulane, a thin layer on top will stop the surface 'caking'.
Something's been nibbling the leaves, probably a tiny snail, the best time to catch the culprit is at night.
Citrus prefer to spend the winter in a cool, light, frost-free place and summer out of doors. They like regular water but good drainage, so the pot needs to stand on feet or pebbles and never be sitting in water.
Give it a feed of Miracle Gro once a month through the winter and once a week in spring and summer and you should see a big improvement .

 

I'd be inclined to leave it alone for now and repot in spring.
Don't think that you can expect growth at this time of the year.

Carry on doing what you are doing for the time being and maybe give a bit more water when the days get longer.

 

Doesn't that depend where it's kept over winter @pete? If it's frost free or warmer, with good light, there's no reason to wait. It looks as though the compost has been allowed to get very dry and then has caked on the surface. At the very least, I'd take that crusty layer off and top-dress with fresh compost and a layer of substrate

 

I think its a matter of choice really, but I dont like repotting something that is standing still, if no new shoots then I doubt its making new roots if you get my meaning.

Light levels are at their lowest now and will be for a while, so without longer days I'd prefer to let it just be a bit dormant for the time being, as long as its not dying.

Yes a top dressing of the pot might open up the compost a bit and let some air in there.

 

Thanks folks. I suspect I haven’t been watering it enough because I had read not to give it too much water, this was bad for the roots. I will get it on some small pebbles and water more regularly. Can anyone give me an idea how often and how much during the winter. Help me out, what is substrate?

blessings

peter

 

Hello Peter, the idea with citrus is to keep the compost just damp but to ensure that any excess water drains away. I wouldn't like to lay down hard and fast rules because so much depends on the compost itself and the temperature the plant is kept at. Try a teacup-full of water once a week. If the pot is still heavy and the first inch or so of compost is still wet after a week, reduce to once every ten days or even once every 14 days. You'll get a feel for it
Substrate is a material like grit or pouzzolane (little pieces of volcanic rock) that you can spread on top of the compost to stop a crust forming. It helps retain moisture and repels nasties that munch It can make it a bit more difficult to judge how damp the compost is underneath, though.

 

You could try watering from the bottom, stand the pot in a saucer of water for half an hour then take it out and let it drain for half hour.

Sometimes when you water from the top the water can run straight through without actually wetting the compost properly.

 

Again I so appreciate the replies. I will take it out carefully and replace the compost. I will stand it also on some pebbles. Water more and be cognisant of any munchers.
I’ll be back with a picture in a month or so.