Reasons for Leaf and Fruit Drop in Potted Kumquats and How to Solve Them

Potted kumquats are one of the potted plants many people love. Not only are they attractive, but the fruit they bear is a dazzling golden yellow, and sometimes you can even catch the rich fragrance of kumquat. Although potted kumquats do not hold their fruit for very long, their graceful plant shape gives them rather high ornamental value. During the growing process you may run into leaf drop, so how should this be solved?

What to do when a potted kumquat drops its leaves

1. Kumquats need plenty of sunlight, because without light no plant can produce photosynthetic nutrients, and without transpiration there is no physiological circulation among the branches, leaves and roots.

2. Watering during the growing season should follow the natural pattern of sunny and rainy weather and the principle of “do not water until dry, and when you water, water thoroughly”. Overwintering is a dormant period; since evaporation is low and water demand is small, absolute control of watering is needed after moving the plant indoors. Just keep the soil slightly moist, to prevent waterlogging and root rot.

3. During the overwintering dormant period growth has stopped, so absolutely no fertilizer should be applied. During the growing season a mild, slightly acidic organic fertilizer is preferable. All plants fear concentrated fertilizer that “burns the roots”. Chemical fertilizers are inorganic, neutral or alkaline, and long-term use will make the potting soil compact, while improper application can very easily burn the roots and kill the plant.

4. To promote growth and more fruit, during the growing season the plant must be placed in a sunny spot to receive plenty of sunlight, while at the same time the flower pot must be shaded, to prevent the roots in the potting soil from easily exceeding 37 degrees under direct sun and suffering heatstroke and dying.

Reasons for fruit drop in potted kumquats and how to solve them

1. Reasons for fruit drop in potted kumquats

1. Insufficient nutrients

Kumquat is an evergreen fruit tree whose life activities continue all year round. In winter it also manufactures and accumulates nutrients and carries out flower bud differentiation, preparing for the next year. If fertility is insufficient, it cannot form flower buds, and even if it has flower buds it will ultimately drop its flowers and fruit.

2. Water imbalance

In the flowering period there is more rain, which hinders normal pollination of the plant and causes the flowers to rot, also leading to flower and bud drop. Long-term drought causes excessive water evaporation from the leaf surface, which leads to flower and fruit drop, and poor soil drainage capacity can also cause flower and bud drop.

3. Pests, diseases and wind damage

Insect pests and diseases are also important causes of flower and fruit drop in kumquats. Once pests or diseases are found, measures should be taken promptly; if discovered too late, even taking measures will be of no avail.

2. Solutions

Apply enough winter fertilizer before Minor Snow, apply a heavy sprouting fertilizer before the Spring Equinox, and if growth is poor during flowering apply an appropriate top dressing. In June—July, when the flowers fade and fruit sets, nutrients must be sufficient, and in August—September there should be plenty of water and fertilizer.

Why potted kumquats do not bear fruit

1. Fertilizer and water management for kumquats

Kumquats are generally fertilized once every 7 to 10 days, and the concentration should preferably not exceed three tenths. When buds appear and flowers open, care should be taken to apply enough phosphorus fertilizer to help fruit set. During flower bud differentiation, watering should be appropriately controlled, watering only when the upper young leaves are slightly wilted, in order to control excessive vegetative growth and promote flower bud differentiation. After flower bud differentiation is complete, the amount of watering should gradually be restored. Neither the flowering period nor the fruit-setting period is suitable for heavy watering.

2. Branch and leaf management for kumquats

How much fruit to keep on a kumquat depends on the specific situation (do not be greedy for quantity). Generally, within the same leaf axil, sometimes 2—8 flower buds are produced, and one may be selected and kept; on each branch keep 2 to 8 flower buds and keep 1 to 2 fruits. Pinching and pruning: kumquats send out new shoots several times a year, all of which can form flower buds. You can pinch when the spring shoots grow to 5—6 leaves, to promote flower bud differentiation and produce more flowers and more fruit. Carry out one pruning before the spring shoots sprout, so that the sprouting branches are robust and the shape is good.

3. Daily cultivation and management of kumquats

After the beginning of spring, as the air temperature rises, kumquats grow relatively fast and must be pruned. That is, according to the need to keep branches on the upper part of a round-headed trunk, select 3-5 main branches to leave interlaced on the framework, and cut off the other paired framework branches flush at the base. Then, according to the condition of the retained framework branches, strong or weak, shorten them separately: strong branches can be cut back leaving 4-5 buds, and weaker branches can be cut back leaving 2-3 buds. Regulate the growth of the branches, promote each main branch to send out robust spring shoots, and lay the foundation for flowering.

How to fertilize kumquats after picking

After the last batch of kumquat fruit has been picked, promptly clean up the orchard, removing all kinds of weeds and dead tree leaves and fallen fruit in the orchard, and bury or burn them deep outside the orchard. Around the tree canopy drip line, dig a ring trench 25~30 cm deep and 25~30 cm wide, then apply to each tree 15~20 kg of composted decomposed human, animal and poultry manure, 1~1.5 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (15-15-15) compound fertilizer, and 0.5~1 kg of compound biological bacterial fertilizer. After thoroughly stirring and mixing all the fertilizers evenly, spread them in the ring trench and cover with soil. After fertilizing, irrigate the whole orchard once with “racehorse water”, irrigating and draining quickly to prevent water accumulation, so as to speed up fertilizer dissolution and root absorption and improve the fertilizing effect.

Above, the editor has introduced some problems commonly encountered in growing potted kumquats, such as leaf drop and failure to bear fruit. Do you already know how to solve these problems? That is all for this introduction, and I hope the editor's article can help everyone.