Yellow leaves on Cumquat

[Ladybugs]

Good morning Workshop Community,

I purchased my cumquat plant a little over a year ago and at first the leaves were plentiful and they were a vibrant shade of green, it even grew fruit. However over the last 6 months or so I’ve noticed that the leaves have turned to yellow, leaves drop often and there is very minimal leaf growth. Any new leaves that do grow seem to turn yellow as well. 

Does anyone have any insight into what could be the cause and how I can address it? 

Pic below. 

Many thanks 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Ladybugs. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for your question.

If you could provide a few more details about the plant's care, I trust they will assist our members in offering some advice. How often and for how long do you water? Does the pot have drainage holes in the bottom? Have you applied any fertilizer, and if so, what type? How much direct sunlight does the plant receive each day?

I suspect that the watering regime and/or drainage issues could be the culprit. The plant is also potentially lacking nutrients and needs to be fertilised. You might like to read through this recent discussion by @Rach23 about yellowing leaves on their citrus.

Once we know a few more details, hopefully, our gardening experts @Noelle and @Adam_W might be able to diagnose the issue.

Mitchell

[Ladybugs]

Hi Mitchell,

Many thanks for your response and also forwarding me the link to the discussion with Rach23 - I will have a read through this.

Please see below the responses to your questions -

How often and for how long do you water?

Once a week and until water drains from the bottom. For a while, I had only between watering every two weeks but when I noticed yellowing of the leaves I changed this to once a week about 2 months ago. 

Does the pot have drainage holes in the bottom?
Yes it does

Have you applied any fertilizer, and if so, what type?

When I initially planted it in the pot (approx a year ago) I added Ferticote Fruit Citrus and Shrubs as well as Osmocote Plus Organic Fruit and Citrus. More recently I purchased Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food and have applied this twice, following the measurements in the instructions 

How much direct sunlight does the plant receive each day?

It is on my balcony in a corner spot and receives sunlight throughout the day, but direct sunlight usually in the afternoon only. 

Thank you all for your assistance. 

[redracer01]

Hello @Ladybugs 

The only other thing that comes to mind is that it might have outgrown the pot. Perhaps it's time to transplant to a bigger pot to accomodate the enlarged root system? A fresh new home for your maturing plant.

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Ladybugs,

I presume for the first six months after applying the Ferticote Fruit Citrus and Shrubs and Osmocote Plus Organic Fruit and Citrus, the plant was fine? The Ferticote feeds for six months and the Osmocote for five months, so if these were both applied in the first six months, that is a fairly heavy amount of fertiliser. If you have subsequently added Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food, I'd say that lack of fertilisation is not the issue. As @Noelle mentions in the other discussion, you might like to try Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate) at the rate of 1 dessertspoon dissolved in 9L (standard watering can) of water. Now that we are entering the cooler months, reduce your watering and only water if the top five centimetres of soil are dry.

Was there anything that occurred before the yellowing of leaves starting? Perhaps you moved the plant's location?

Mitchell