How to revive Tahitian lime with disappearing bark and yellowing leaves?

[Dazza1]

Hi! The leaves on my Tahitian lime are yellowing and the fruit is smaller than that on its neighbouring tree. The damaged tree is the near one in the pic. The bark appears to be disappearing, but I cannot see any pests. Any ideas how to correct? I fear if I don’t do somthing soon I will loose the tree. It has been planted for 13 years.

  

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Dazza1. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about lime tree care.

It’s worth noting that the average lifespan of a Tahitian lime tree is around 15 to 20 years, so at 13 years old, your tree is approaching its later productive years. However, with the right care, it can still thrive for several more years.

The disappearing bark is concerning, and from your image, it looks like it could be the result of animal damage—possibly gnawing from rodents or possums. Is there any chance of wildlife activity around the tree? Look for telltale signs like scratch marks, droppings, or chew marks nearby.

The yellowing leaves and smaller fruit could be a stress response, possibly linked to the bark damage disrupting nutrient flow. It could also be due to nutrient deficiencies, particularly nitrogen, magnesium, or iron. I'd recommend applying a citrus-specific fertiliser to help address any imbalances, along with a dose of trace elements if the yellowing persists.

Keep the tree well-watered but not waterlogged, and consider applying a seaweed solution to help reduce stress. If animal damage is confirmed, installing physical barriers or tree guards might help prevent further harm.

Let me tag one of our gardening experts, @Noelle, for her thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Noelle]

Hi @Dazza1 

The overall appearance of your Tahitian lime looks, in my opinion, a combination of age-related symptoms and other possible factors as outlined by Mitchell.

Generally if it's rodents or possums chewing on bark it would be on the younger branches and would result in the green wood under the bark being exposed. To me it looks more like general decline due to age or maybe lack of nutrients.

Citrus are remarkably hardy so perhaps a reasonably hard prune in late summer to reduce stress on an under-nourished tree may be beneficial - you certainly don't have much to lose.

Follow Mitchell's advice re feeding and watering to give the tree every chance of a fighting come-back.

[Dazza1]

Thanks Mitchell and Noelle!

I’ll try feeding it up! And a heavy prune in a couple of minutes months. I don’t think it’s possums, so potentially it is age related. Interesting that the other one, planted at the same time is not near as poorly.

cheers

Darryll