Your Calamondin is turning yellow and dying if the plant was improperly watered. Scale infection may kill your Calamondin too if you don’t respond in time. Drastic temperature fluctuations cause leaf drop in Calamondin.
Calamondin/Calamansi is commonly called the Philippine lime/Philippine lemon. The plant got its name as it is primarily grown in the Philippines.
Calamondin produces edible fruits but the fruit is quite tart, some people may like it while some might not. Calamondin tree is also used in landscaping projects as a replacement for hedge plants.
Why is my Calamondin tree leaves turning yellow?
Calamondin tree leaves turning yellow can indicate nutrient deficiencies, overwatering, root rot, cold stress, or viral infections. Check soil drainage, fertilize appropriately, protect from frost, and remove infected plants to prevent spreading.
Overwatering
Overwatering is probably the most common reason why the Calamondin tree leaves turn yellow. Calamansi likes water but not waterlogged conditions.
Overwatering stunts the plant’s growth and often leads to root rot. So, it pays to water your Calamondin tree consciously.
Make sure the soil is well-draining. Poorly draining soil also creates waterlogged conditions. If it sat in waterlogged conditions for a long time, repot it!
Check the soil with your fingers and water the plant only when the top two inches of the soil goes dry. Overwatered leaves turn yellow but are soft to the touch, not dry.
Drought
Calamondin leaves also turn yellow in drought conditions. You need to water the plant adequately so your Calamansi thrives.
Underwatered plants’ leaves turn yellow but are dry. This is a way to differentiate underwatered plants from the overwatered Calamansi.
How often should I water my calamondin?
If your Calamondin is in its first year of growth, water it once weekly. If it’s summer then water the plant twice a week.
Water your Calamondin deeply when you do water the plant. Check the soil with fingers and water when it’s dry up to 2 inches.
Nitrogen deficiency
Lack of sufficient Nitrogen in the soil is another reason for leaf yellowing. Philippine lemon plant needs to be fertilized in the growing season.
Liquid, organic fertilizer like Seaweed or liquid kelp would work greatly. Repeat the liquid fertilizer application fortnightly for the best results.
Get the soil tested if you’re unsure of the deficiency. Nitrogen-deficient Calamansi plant’s leaves turn uniformly pale and yellowish green.
The growth of such plants is stunted. If these are the signs your Calamondin plant exhibits then the plant is suffering from Nitrogen deficiency.
Zinc/Iron deficiency
Calamondin plants can also suffer from Zinc/Iron deficiency. Zinc/Iron deficient plant’s leaf veins are green while the rest of the leaf is yellow.
This is probably the most obvious symptom of Zinc/Iron deficiency. You can use a foliar spray with chelated Iron and Zinc to enrich your plant with these elements.
Calamansi leaves curling
Calamansi leaves curling can indicate water stress, insect pests, low humidity, nutrient deficiencies, or viral infections. Ensure consistent watering, increase humidity, fertilize, inspect for pests, and remove infected plants to prevent spreading.
Aphid, Mealybug, or Scale infestations are visible to human eyes. You should respond as soon as you see these pests on your Calamansi.
Cut and dispose of the infested twigs if the infestation is in the early stage. You can wipe the scale off your Calamondin plant using rubbing alcohol and a cotton bud.
You can find these pests inside the leaf curls if they are indeed the reason for leaf curling. The leaves become distorted.
Leaf curl is also seen in citrus plants due to a fungal disease called Leaf curl. It is ideal to prevent this disease as it’s hard to treat the infected plants.
Spray a copper-based fungicide in the autumn/winter to avoid leaf curl disease. Do this fortnightly until the bud burst time. Dispose of the infected plant parts.
Tip: Remember that some varieties of Calamondin are more susceptible to leaf curl than the others. Get a resistant cultivar.
Calamondin not flowering
Calamondin fails to flower due to excessive nitrogen fertilizer, insufficient sunlight, improper pruning, cool temperatures, or improper fruit management. Reduce nitrogen, ensure 8-10 hours of sun, avoid over-pruning, and pick fruits promptly.
Lack of moisture in the soil induces blossoms in Calamondin plants. You can do this to dry off the withered flowers.
If you do it right your Calamondins will come to blossom in two months. Make sure the plant stays in a place where the temperature is lower than 20ºC.
Outdoor Calamansi plants take two years to come to blossom but indoor plants take longer usually. This is because they aren’t in optimal conditions.
Indoor plants usually take more than two years to come to blossom. So, wait patiently if you’re growing them indoors, and try to provide your plants with optimal conditions.
Feed your Calamansi fertilizer once a month in the growing season. Cut the amount to half during the spring and winter seasons.
Feed your Calamondin a liquid fertilizer that’s rich in micronutrients. Feed it with a liquid fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 5-1-3.
Calamondin leaves falling off
Calamondin plant leaves start falling prematurely due to abrupt changes in temperature. Leaf drop is the most common issue faced by citrus plants. Calamondin plant also drops leaves due to a scale infection. Calamondin plants also drop leaves when they’re overwatered.
Temperature fluctuations
Sudden rise/fall in temperature causes Calamondin to drop leaves. Also, do not let the temperature rise above 15°C-18°C if possible.
Calamondin leaves will continue to drop until the temperature becomes bearable. An abrupt change in temperature is perhaps the most common cause of leaf drop in citrus plants.
When planting Calamondin you need to make sure that it grows in a place with adequate sunlight. If the plant lost a lot of leaves, water it less.
Scale infestation
Scale is a type of pest that sucks the sap of the victim plant. Scale infestation causes the Calamondin plant’s leaves to curl up.
Scale infestation also causes defoliation in Calamansi plants. You can brush scales off the tree using a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.
If the infestation is severe, spray Neem oil. A mixture of Cayenne pepper, Garlic juice, and lemon juice would work wonders as a spray.
Why is my Calamansi tree not bearing fruit?
Calamansi tree doesn’t bear fruit due to inadequate sunlight, excessive nitrogen fertilization, improper pruning, climate stress, young tree age, or lack of cross-pollination.
Sunlight
Make sure your Calamondin plant gets adequate sunlight. Calamansi doesn’t bear fruit when it doesn’t get adequate sunlight.
Remove any plants/objects in your garden that are shading your Calamondin. Plant your Calamondin in a sunny spot where the plant faces south.
Overfertilization
Calamondin tree fails to bear fruit due to overfertilization. The soil becomes alkaline and the plant won’t be able to absorb the essential nutrients.
Flowers may form but the fruit formation is hindered, this indicates overfertilization.
Let it dry
Watering your plant less just before two/three months of blossom time works wonders. This induces blossoms in Calamondin plants.
Do this until the plant’s leaves wither then resume watering. Do not let it die of underwatering. Also, apply fertilizer as per the need.
Indoors plant
If the plant is growing indoors then inadequate sunlight might be a problem. Indoor Calamansi needs special care.
Plant your Calamondin in a bigger pot every year as the plant grows. Do this in the spring season for the best results.
You encourage fruition in your plant by giving it more space to thrive. Roots will have extra wiggle room.
Calamondin dropping fruit
Calamondin fruit drops can be triggered by inadequate watering, excessive nitrogen fertilization, changes in light exposure, cold conditions, pest damage, or the age of the tree. Maintain even moisture, reduce Nitrogen, protect new fruits, keep warm, and control pests.
Did the weather change drastically? If yes, then this is the reason why the precious fruits dropped from the Calamondin.
If this is not the case then underwatering is probably the culprit. Underwatered plants’ leaves become dry and yellow.
You need to water your Calamondin regularly to prevent this situation. Water when the soil goes dry up to two inches.
Why is my Calamansi fruit small?
Calamansi fruits staying small can be caused by lack of pollination, nutrient stress, drought conditions, heavy shading, or disease issues. Ensure proper care and growing conditions for full fruit development.
Ensure there is a compatible pollinizer plant nearby for cross-pollination. Hand-pollinating flowers can also help improve fruit set and development.
Test soil and fertilize based on recommendations to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Maintain even soil moisture through drought periods.
Prune overhead branches for better light exposure. Monitor for pests and diseases and treat them promptly. With proper growing conditions and care, Calamansi fruits should reach full mature size.
How to save the dying Calamansi plant?
Follow the instructions below to save your dying Calamansi plant.
- Check for root rot and improve drainage if the soil is soggy
- Treat pest/disease issues
- Move the plant to suitable light and temperature
- Prune dead branches
- Fertilize and water appropriately
- Be patient for the plant to recover
Happy Gardening 🙂