Four Winds Growers: A Family Business Supplying True Dwarf Citrus Trees
Four Winds Growers: A Family Business Supplying True Dwarf Citrus Trees

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Bloom Drop, Fruit Drop, Leaf Drop, and Twig Dieback

Fruit Drop
Fruit drop is normal, especially in hot summer months. If fruit or bloom drop is excessive, proper watering is often the solution. Extremely hot, dry, windy weather will trigger fruit drop. Be sure trees are well watered in these situations. Excessive fruit drop accompanied by splitting fruit is the result of too much water uptake. This happens in nature, but is exacerbated by erratic watering.
 
Leaf Drop/Twig Dieback
Leaf drop and twig dieback can be caused by lack of light. Citrus trees need a minimum of 6 hours of light. If growing indoors, it's possible that your trees will do better with a grow light for the winter. A sudden change in lighting can also cause problems, so be sure to move your tree gradually from one spot to another, or from inside to out.
 
If your tree receives adequate light, and experiences leaf drop improper watering is probably the culprit. Too much or too little water is equally likely to cause trouble. A lack of water can cause the tree to dry out and lose leaves, and an excess of water can cause the roots to rot, which leaves them unable to take water and nutrients up to the leaves. If you modify watering to provide even moisture, often the tree will recover, albeit slowly. A moisture meter is useful in determining an appropriate water schedule.
 
Should your tree lose all its leaves, don't despair. Prune the tree, improve the growing conditions, and it may put leaves out again.
 

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