Q.
I have lime, orange and lemon trees growing in large individual pots. I have mulch on the soil, add citrus fertiliser a couple of times a year and keep them watered. I notice with the lemon tree especially that some of the green leaves have turned quite yellow. The tree and new lemons look fine. Any suggestions please, or is this normal?
A.
- Yellowing leaves is usually a sign of nutrient deficiency or insufficient feeding, it is also common for citrus leaves to yellow and drop with a change in season.
- Yellow leaves can be caused by a lack of magnesium, iron or nitrogen so regular feeding with a balanced citrus fertiliser is required.
- Plants use up fertiliser as they grow and nutrients leach out of pots and containers quicker than in the soil, so regular feeding is important.
- A controlled release fertiliser is recommended for plants in pots and containers, such as Tui Fruit, Citrus Tree & Shrub controlled release fertiliser. Apply in spring and again in late summer.
- Controlled release fertilisers release nutrients for up to 6 months dependent upon temperature and moisture. If too cold or too hot the nutrients stop releasing; if there is no moisture the nutrients don't release.
- Boost plant growth and correct nutrient deficiencies with weekly supplementary liquid feeds over the growing season, for the best results use Tui Citrus & Fruit Superfood liquid fertiliser.
- Yellow leaves can be a sign of insufficient or inconsistent watering. For citrus in pots water approximately 5 litres of water every 2-3 days in the growing season, you may need to water more regularly in summer.
- Mulching around pots is beneficial to help conserve moisture, use a quality mulch such as Tui Mulch & Feed, or top up the pots with Tui Citrus & Fruit Mix. Citrus have fibrous surface feeding roots that could easily burn if the wrong mulch is used or if fertiliser is over applied.
- Check for signs of sap sucking insect pests such as white fly, scale insect and aphids. Your local garden centre will be able to recommend the best product to control insect pests.
- Try a balanced fertiliser, weekly liquid feeding and increase watering to start with, if there is no change in 6 weeks, apply Tui Epsom Salts which is source of magnesium, mix it in a watering can and apply as a soil drench.
Read the Tui Citrus Grow Guide
More citrus frequently asked questions
Post a comment
Why have the leaves on my citrus in pots turned yellow? Comments
I have a similar problem with my potted mandarin. Can seaweed soaked in a bucket of water then adding a small amount to a bucket of water give the same results? How much Epsom salts do you add in Spring?
Josette Howell
Hi Josette, you would need to soak the seaweed for 24 hours to get the salt out of it and then leave it in the bucket to soak for a few weeks before using the seaweed liquid. I would not recommend doing this with container grown citrus as there is no buffer in a pot like there is with soil if the salt concentration is too high from the seaweed, which would burn the roots. I would use Seasol. I would add one teaspoon of Epsom salts to 5L of water for container grown plants. Also use a balanced fertiliser such as Osmocote Tree, Shrub and Citrus controlled release fertiliser for container grown citrus. Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team
jenna