Lime trees with yellow leaves

lottie1, Mar 1, 3:40pm
My limes have been doing well up until about a month ago when the leaves starting spotting with yellow. Now the new growth seems to be all yellow. Does anyone know what I should do? Thanks
maclad, Mar 1, 5:31pm
There can be all sorts of reasons for this and a pic may help. If the leaves are green around the veins then it is magnesium deficiency. If yellow but green between veins then could be nitrogen deficiency but there are many other causes, mostly deficiency in trace elements. I would suggest a good feed of a citrus fertilizer with trace elements added and see how you get on.
retrogold, Mar 1, 6:39pm
They like a lot of food, I feed mine every season to stop yellowing and they soon pick up.
happychappy50, Mar 1, 7:11pm
Lack of nitrogen,I grew limes & found that if I didn’t give them regular feeds of nitrogen the leaves would turn yellow,if you have light soil all trace elements will leach quicker
misterwoody, Mar 1, 8:52pm
Yellow spotting on lime tree leaves followed by general yellowing of the entire leaf is typical of trace element deficiency mainly zinc, iron and manganese.This yellowing is called chlorosis. Limes are usually prolific producers and should receive regular dressing of a quality citrus fertilizer. Three applications between October and March each year once ground temperature is over 14deg.C should fix the problem. Excessive moisture or extreme dry conditions can also mimic mineral deficiencies. Ideally when planting citrus they should be placed in raised beds, or mound, of about 400mm high. This allows for good drainage but in saying this the soil must be kept moist. The feeder roots of citrus are very close to the surface (within the top 150mm) so anything growing under the tree, including grass, will draw nutrient away from the tree. Remove, or spray off, anything growing under the tree from the trunk out to the drop zone and cover the area with a good mulch. Prune citrus to form a vase shape (June/July when tree is dormant and no borer around). This will allow good light penetration and air flow, stimulate new growth, and reduce the risk of die-back and disease.
misterwoody, Mar 1, 8:59pm
Sorry but I forget to mention the use of nitrogen. Caution is required when using nitrogen, it can make the leave look nice and green, and hide other deficiencies. Also it should only be applied in small amount in spring if the new growth (spring flush) is quit yellow. Applications later than spring or in autumn can cause the rinds of the fruit to go puffy and prone to disease.
marte, Mar 2, 12:33am
I found that with Iron deficiencys, you can make a strong solution of Ferrous sulphate in water and wipe it onto one leaf only.
Both sides. And several hours later the leaf will be greener compaired to the other leaves.
You might have to do it several times and check the next day.

A boss of mine swore that it was his putting cast iron lathe turnings around the base of his lemon tress that made them produce such good lemons.
lythande1, Mar 2, 8:46am
Lumps of metal in the ground don't work.

Alkaline Soil: When soil pH gets above 7 or so, many plants are unable to absorb iron as well. This sometimes happens accidentally when gardeners over apply lime around acid-loving plants. Correcting the soil pH will improve nutrient uptake and may be all the fix you need.
Mineral Imbalance: Too much of a good thing can also cause problems. Your soil may have too much of some minerals, and not enough of others, which makes the solution a lot more complex. Simply adding iron won’t help unless you correct the overall mineral balance in the soil. This can particularly be a problem in clay soils, where nutrients are scarce and may not have enough organic material and microbes to be absorbed properly.
myboylollipop, Mar 9, 12:41pm
Get a boy child to pee around or close to the trunk of the tree.
maclad, Mar 9, 4:32pm
'If' this works it certainly won't close to the trunk as all the feeding roots are out at the drip line. Trees should always be fert'ed on the drip line not close to the trunk. There are many reasons for yellow leaves and as I stated dose of trace elements will cover a lot of them. Magnesium seems to be regarded as a solution to all leaf yellowing on citrus but, believe me, it is only one small factor. Google the topic and look at images.
owen106, Dec 10, 8:52pm
Girls can do anything!