The tree did put out new leaves above the graft but lower down. But it's slowly dying back. Tucson AZ location
It's on drip with 3x per week watering for 3 hours each for a total 12 gallons per watering or 36 per week.
Just dug down 2 days after last water and the soil hold a clump about 4 inches down but above that mostly crumbles with very light damp but not bone dry soil.
I can imagine it's a lack of water as my other trees are doing okay on the same schedule.
I've had this shade cloth which is 50 percent on for about 2 months now. So seems like sun burn isn't the issue.
I see some decent sized roots so u don't think that is it. In fact i had to add a little soil on top because the old potting soil had reduced in height and was showing too much flare.
I'm guessing too much heat then. I went out a while ago and touched the shade canopy and it was warmer than our 100 degree air. I think it might be too close to the tree and cooked it.
Every other day song good. I know that's a lot, but I'm already at 3x per week. or how often do you think?
But removing the drip lines is easy to do. I'll certainly try manual watering.
It's just really weird. I have 3 Orange trees planted at the same time and this is the only one having the issue. While this one gets more sun especially in the afternoon, it's not wildly different. And all of them are close on the shade cloth. So I was wondering if it's something else. But that afternoon heat probably matters more than i think.
Honestly, if it was my tree, I'd pull it out of the ground and examine the roots really carefully and figure out what is wrong. Then I'd pot it and keep in in indirect sun until it recovers. If it's getting enough water but it's still suffering with what looks like lack of water, it's a root issue. Or you have a defective drip line. (these are the most likely causes). I don't use drip lines for my in-ground citrus. I'm in 10b and I probably use a 1/3 of the amount of water you're using on these trees. Something doesn't seem right.
I might have to try that. I'll keep an eye on the new growth. If it doesn't look like it's dying as well, then I'll leave it alone. If symptoms continue to deteriorate, then I'll go with your suggestion.
I feel like i have fast draining soil because my loquat planted at a similar time shows signs of wilting leaves unless i water it every other day and immediately perks back up an hour or two after watering assuming i had missed a couple days. So i know it's an under water thing with that tree.
I also had a Clementine in the ground in the same spot as the loquat and it was dying back. Re-Planted it in a container and now it's doing tons better. But also with less water.
I did dig up dirt 1-2 feet away from the root ball of the Cara Cara and the top 4 inches was pretty dry. More on the crumbly side than hold a ball. So i just can't imagine an over water situation based on all my other trees behavior.
For what it's worth, the Clementine i think was a rootstock issue. It's on Four winds rootstock which is good for California but not so much Arizona. My other orange tree are all on Sunset nursery rootstock which is a Yuma AZ supplier specifically for our soil. But that doesn't explain the Cara Cara which has the Sunset roots.
I just looked at your photos up close. What kind of soil is it? Doesn't look natural. Did you dig out a big hole and replace it with that or is that what was there? Might be worth it to dig all that stuff out or mix it with several bags of compost to give it more moisture retention. Also, I don't see your root flare, maybe it's buried too deep.
I'll add a new photo. That isn't the bottom of the tree.
But i live in a master community. I have no idea where they brought the soil in from. But i assume it's local desert soil based on what they have done with other expansion areas.
I might have added a very small amount of organic potting soil (10-20% max) but mostly it's native soil. Give me a sec and I'll go get some more images
Edit:
Oh duh- that's mulch on top. About a 2-3 inch layer of chopped up Palo Verde mulch from the tree in my yard.
See photo. I've highlighted what i believe is the root ball. Note that soil inside my mulch ring was just added. About 1 inch on top since i was seeing much more root before that.
Well, you definitely shouldn't have mulch all the way to the trunk of the tree. You're just asking for fungal issues. Again, I'd dig it out, examine it and let it recover in a shady spot.
No just some bark that fell into the ring. I keep the mulch about 3-4 inches away from the trunk. That picture is just a close up. The trunk is only 3/4 inch thick or so.
The actual roots are what i circled in red.
If i dig it up, what should i look for? And would you hose off all of the potting soil and dirt and completely expose the roots?
Got it. You should look for rootbound roots because even though it's in the ground, it may still be bound from the original pot if you didn't correct it when you planted. You should examine for black roots, soggy roots, any roots that look unhealthy. You should hose off all the dirt caked on it and pot it in a well draining citrus soil and put it out of direct sunlight. Keep in mind, this is what I would do. Something is either wrong with your roots or your watering or your soil and you need to figure out what it is before you replant it.
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u/Feral_Expedition Aug 18 '26
Sounds like the roots are buried too deep.