yellow leaves on a kaffir lime tree

hello everyone,

does anyone have any advice on what to do with my kaffir lime tree? it's got alot of leaves, and is grown in a container. i kept it outside all summer (i'm in PA, zone 6b), and the leaves all turned yellow. it doesn't seem to have any insect damage, and its growth isn't stunted in any way. maybe it needs nutrients? what kind? is it too late in the season to fertilize?

i'd be grateful for any advice.

thanks,

joy

After doing some searching it seems that there is very little information on the care of kaffir limes. Most sources talk about the various recipes for the compound leaves. An interesting variety - I think I'd like to have one!

How long have you had the tree? Can you contact the supplier and ask for suggestions?

If the yellowing began before the plant was brought inside (which I'm assuming has been done) then the location change is not to blame. Was there any change in watering, or did the container receive a lot of sunlight (heat) recently?

Does the tree have any fruit or blossoms on it? My citrus trees (tangerine and Meyer lemon) are inground, so a comparison may not be practical, but I have noticed that there is some yellowing and leaf drop after fruiting. Then new leaves appear soon after.

Citrus trees are generally resilient, and do recover. I won't comment re fertilizing without knowing more about how long you've had it - there are pros and cons. Yuska

eskinola, my suggestions come from experience with citrus in general, not with kaffir lime in particular...but here it is anyway...

How have you been fertilizing? Citrus are heavy feeders and container citrus prefer fert that approximates a 5-1-3 ratio. Could your citrus be N deficient?

Citrus are prone to Fe, Mg, or other micronutrient deficiencies as well. I fert with 15-9-12 3-4 month Osmocote at the "medium feeder" rate, and then I supplement with 30-10-10 Miracid with watering when the trees are actively growing. I periodically add Epsom salts (Magnesium sulfate) and use Micromax for micronutrients every 16-18 months.

This link has some nice information on citru nutrient deficiencies and it might help you sort out what you need: http://www.ricecrc.org/reader/citrus/h2311.htm

Hope that helps. SB

thanks for all the advice. it could be very nutrient deficient. i haven't fertilized it since spring.

joy

Stressbaby, thanks for that advice! I'd been looking for "citrus fertilizer spikes" for my potted lemon & lime trees, hadn't found any, and was trying to figure out what N-P-K ratio they would appreciate! Mine definitely need a boost... if they start putting out new growth (which they do even inside in winter sometimes), I'll remember to break out the miracid for them too... poor starving things!