Citrus trees failing - can anyone help please?

Folks

We bought in December and the back garden had 2 lemon and 1 orange trees, very healthy with great fruit. Prior owners had done a good job.

Not being here full time, we've hired someone to look after the pool and garden, however the trees are now looking very pale, sparse and the fruit has dropped, looks poor in colour and often blackened.

The gardener is blaming the soil quality, and he's added stuff (and can't find any translation I can understand) and saying it's not lack of water - there's a watering system in place. It's very vague and he may well know what he's doing or there's some communication problem but I just don't know.

Looking for advice or a tree whisperer to come in and help revive and provide the right solution to keeping these trees beautiful, if still possible.

Can anyone help please?

Thanks
Alan

Be brutal and remove any new growth, new green shoots and branches. Cut back on height also.
This is the advice given to me by a Spanish friend and it worked with orange lime and lemon trees. Also add this fertiliser every 7 days, you can get this at most garden centres
Best of luck
Brian

Thanks Brian, that regime will start today, something has to change!



Cheers
Alan

Hello
Your citrus trees probably needs some iron treatment can also be bought in the local garden center it's a 20 days treatment.
The iron powder you blend in the soil, very easy and very effective for your problem

Kindly regards
Arild

Thank you both also Martin and Arild, the gardner says he's applied the iron and citricos and says there's something wrong with my watering system, the trees aren't getting enough water he says. Conflicting info to say the least. He's been good at the heavy work, hedges, palm trees etc and is a really nice guy, he's going to reapply the treatment in a couple of weeks, he says that's when it's due again. Will see him again tomorrow and ask explicitly about how they water the trees in the field as you say Martin, see what he says.

Thanks all.

Martin the artist wrote:Also don't over-water.
We used to have ours on watering system but it stopped fruiting.
Were told by Spanish neighbours to do like hey do in the lemon groves, and only water every 2 or 3 months, but when you do to really flood them.

Martin, we don't live here all year round (usually 2 months in Spain and 2 months in U.K.). Do you think I would get away with watering them only when I'm over here?

maria elena wrote:

Martin the artist wrote:Also don't over-water.
We used to have ours on watering system but it stopped fruiting.
Were told by Spanish neighbours to do like hey do in the lemon groves, and only water every 2 or 3 months, but when you do to really flood them.

Martin, we don't live here all year round (usually 2 months in Spain and 2 months in U.K.). Do you think I would get away with watering them only when I'm over here?

Yes good idea!
I have an abundance of lemons constantly on our tree and we are only in Spain 3 times a year -We have no irrigation system and only water once as I leave Spain if there has been no rain while I'm there. I put one full watering can of water on the tree 3 times a year, that's all. I believe that nature looks after the indigenous water retaining plants in Spain.

Jan

Thanks Jan