Question on lime tree

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

You can force your citrus to bloom by letting them get very dry....to the point the leaves droop and curl. Scary, but it works.

Same thing when first planting fruit trees to cut it back down to barely a stick 2 1/2 feet tall.

But they do grow and grow vigorously

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I've had indoor potted citrus lose so many leafs that they look like they are dying but they always come back.

If citrus is in pots, watering is critical. The trees don't like wet feet and if you let them get too dry, they will drop their fruit.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

One thing about indoor citrus: they need dark to rest at night. If they are indoors, you probably have grow lights on them. Turn the lights off at night so the tree can rest.

I checked moisture daily and fed weakly every time I watered.

They do need to be pruned often to control size and bushiness.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

One thing about indoor citrus: they need dark to rest at night. If they are indoors, you probably have grow lights on them. Turn the lights off at night so the tree can rest.

I checked moisture daily and fed weakly every time I watered.

They do need to be pruned often to control size and bushiness.

They don't have grow light but sitting next to a sliding door exposed to daylight.

But it's interesting that you mentioned that. I had overwinter citrus trees in garage before with 24/7 grow light.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

They don't have grow light but sitting next to a sliding door exposed to daylight.

But it's interesting that you mentioned that. I had overwinter citrus trees in garage before with 24/7 grow light.

The interesting thing is that it’s been fine for two years, so I wonder what the problem is now.

[steiconi]

When did you last repot it?
The pot may be full of tangled, cramped roots and sour old soil.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by steiconi

When did you last repot it?
The pot may be full of tangled, cramped roots and sour old soil.

That's a good point. I was just thinking to repot it before this happened.

[mingna]

Repotting may help, since it sounds like the tree was struggling prior to pruning. May also be due to an indoor pest infestation that is still present in the soil. So new soil along with sterilization of pot, or new pot altogether, may help. But the tree is probably under a lot of stress already, and repotting may stress it further, so caution is advised.

Perhaps take sample of potted soil for chemical and microbial analysis first. Also can try scraping off as much as possible and refilling with fresh soil if that’s an option.

[mingna]

Edited: oops I misinterpreted the repotting suggestion as just exchanging the soil but keeping the pot. Please disregard my comment in that case, other than my thought your pruned tree may be under too much stress for the procedure.

And to clarify, my comment about scraping off the soil referred only to removing as much of the top layers as possible while leaving the root area undisturbed, in order to minimize stressing the plant further and/or removal of surface soil pests. Followed by replenishment with fresh, citrus appropriate soil.

You can also run a quick home pH soil test to ensure it’s optimal for the tree.

It took my dead-looking, pruned lime and lemon potted trees about one year before I saw new growth, without doing anything else other than the pruning.

Upon buying my house, I inherited what I believe to be a citrus tree that was heavily infested with leaf miners. I heavily pruned it over 3/4 and removed all fallen leaves and the surface soil surrounding it. I thought what was left of the tree was probably dead (it looked it) and left the remaining bare stub for eventual removal. But it surprised me with vigorous renewed growth the following season, leaving it larger than the original size and now pest free, so long as I treat any infestation early.

Btw, out of all my lemon and lime trees, I’ve found the kaffir lime tree to be the easiest to grow wrt rapid, vigorous growth, minimal care, and pest resistance. The fruit is not as abundant and not really meant to be edible, but the leaves are great as flavorings in a variety of Asian dishes. Ymmv if growing indoors in pots.