Pest Infestation? My orange tree is dying - help

[sunandwaterfalls]

I think my orange tree has some kind of pest infection. Leaves are daily curling and falling off. I've repotted it, moved it to a south facing window, it's not overwatered but still it is dying. I can't see any pests with the naked eye but looking at the leaves something is wrong. Can anyone help identify the matter? And even better a solution?

What sort of soil did you use, and how long ago was it repotted?

So we have citrus soil which we repotted it in last week. We bought it at Xmas as a gift and it was dying from the start. We have been trying everything the supplier recommended to keep it alive. They feel there is an infestation of some kind. But we can't see anything other than on the leaves.

Soil infestation

Time to ask for money back. They’re saying infestation because they can say that’s your fault

I've tried to get money back but they won't. They blamed plant location etc. But it's definitely infested IMHO. Now they are saying Spider mites - does this seem likely?

You're going to have to pull out of pot with a brush clean off roots, treat open a brand new packet of the right soil, I'd treat that too. Repot, put sand on top of the soil so anything left can't dig their way out. But that's just me.

The sensible thing to do would be to bin it and start again unless you paid a fortune for it.

Nothing to suggest it in the photos. You’re looking for a very fine dusting under the leaves, and perhaps fine webbing at the growing tips.

Scale insect is likely on citrus and there’s no sign of that

It cost £60 so don't want to bin it! So what could be the infestation in the soil? We have put specialised grit over the soil for now.

Those black spots in the second picture, do they rub off?

Citrus is notoriously known for getting mealybug, and those black spots look like sooty mould.

Have a look at the leaves above and for any white fluffy areas.

I bought a small lime tree that was reduced & all its leaves had black spots. I thought it was sooty mold so tried to treat it at home, but the black didn't come off.
I repotted it in citrus soil & put on our south facing window. It lost all its leaves, they all curled & dropped. But I kept going, watering every week with rain water & it got new leaves.
I put it outside last year in early summer & it got flowers, then brought it back inside in October. It now has a tiny lime on it & seems very happy.
So there is hope!

I wonder sometimes how the plants are stored once they leave the wholesale green houses.

So I can rub off the black spots, and I can't see any fluffy white stuff or any obvious infestation or mites. The leaves first curl and then drop off. About 8-10 a day.

This is so disappointing. I hope it is resolved given all advice here.

Meanwhile we’ve grown a beautiful lemon tree from a pip. It’s thriving on a SW windowsill. Why not try growing pips as a fun backstop.

A friend with a conservatory has lemons every year, she's had it for twenty years it produces lemons her fig tree outside has produced figs. But she has a gardener who keeps a weather eye on everything.

Occasionally I've sworn at a house plant saying last chance buddy and cleaned off the plant in a warm shower using the hand held over and under thoroughly protecting soil with polythene bag. 😂.

I've had basil on the kitchen window infested, that's a soil problem.

We once had to start again with all our tomatoes because the John innes type stuff was infested.

Badly.

They spend years being grown in a warm country, they then get uprooted, shoved in a pot, and then shipped to Holland where they spend months in quarantine in a greenhouse, recovering from the journey and being checked for pests and diseases. During that time they are looked after well.

After that it all goes pear-shaped for the poor plants, they are loaded onto trucks or shipping containers, left in the pitch dark for days or even longer, unwatered and very likely at the wrong temperature. They then have to go through customs and then on to the importer, who is probably a wholesaler themselves. Then the orders are shipped to the retailers, who have them for however long, and eventually they end up with you. Chances are that at some stage of that journey they have spent time in an unheated environment. In the middle of winter. That is really not ideal for a plant that likes a warm mediterranean climate all year round.

@sunandwaterfalls By the time your plant got to you it was already stressed, and you then went and disturbed it all over again by repotting it.

If I were you I'd spray it with a multi-purpose insecticide/fungicide, keep the soil just slightly moist and move it to a light, cool room at around 16 degrees, away from sources of heat such as radiators, and away from bright sunlight and draughts. Then leave it in peace and hope for the best.

Ok @Yamadori the supplier's advice was - repot after a month! and move to south facing window with sunlight! and somewhere warm! You're right, it was probably a v stressed plant.

In fairness, it first started to fail when it was in a cooler, less bright room (its first location) so I'm not sure about moving it again.

We have sprayed it now but I'm really not convinced there are bugs.

Any raised bumps underneath the leaves or on the branches? If there are, try sliding them off with a fingernail

Even orange trees have a winter dormancy period in their native lands, even if it isn't as low as it would be outside in the UK. They need a rest. Repotting is advised when plants are healthy and just coming into active growth, can regrow any lost roots, and is able to make use of the nutrients in the new compost. For citrus in the UK that means probably May, depending on the weather. If the plant isn't actively growing and you repot it into a larger pot, then all it does is sit and sulk with its feet wet. It isn't using the water in the extra soil to photosynthesise, so it stays soggy and that can cause root rot.

I suspect that your plant was already really struggling when you received it, but the symptoms were yet to show.

Do you have any pictures of the whole plant OP?

It has lost well over half its leaves. As you can see there are lots of dead branches. The curling leaves will have dropped off tomorrow.

It's lovely! But can see what you mean about the curling leaves.
Tbh if it was me, I'd probably cut off all the fruits to give the plant a rest & focus on leaf formation. But not sure what others think?

I’d be really interested to hear what people’s thoughts are on it. I really want to save it as it was bought as a gift.