Question
Hi
My ornamental orange tree has been healthy for 25 years; I grew it from an 8-inch seeding sent as a promotional by an orange-flavored children's syrup.  The tree now stands about three feet high from the soil.
I re-potted it as it grew, the last re-potting being 6 months ago into a name-brand potting soil with 'fertilizer included'.  For the last 2 months the leaves have been curling, specifically the new growth leaves.  I sprayed it with a multipurpose insect spray if it were to have insect infestation not visible; and several weeks later sprayed it with a fungicide spray in case fungus was the culprit.  Neither worked and the leaves are still curling.  
While moving the pot indoors , the tree and root ball came out in my hand, but the root ball is only 5-6 inches deep which seems very shallow for such a large plant.  Could the roots be rotting?  
The pot has no drainage holes, but has plenty of rocks to allow drainage away from the plant into the base, although I can't be sure if the water is actually really draining out as there's no way to tell.
Can you offer any advice?  I love my plant!

Thank you

Answer
Dear Maureen,

You have done really well to keep your plant for 25 years and I can well understand your feelings now that things are going wrong.

Ref your worry that the roots could be rotting.  When the root ball came away from the pot did you investigate the roots?  Were they brown and mushy?  If so then they are rotting.  If only part of the roots have rotted you could cut these off.  You must let the roots dry out before you put the plant back into its pot with fresh soil.
You say the root ball is 5-6 inches deep which does seem rather small but I wonder what size pot the plant is in?  Perhaps the pot is too small for the plant?


I would definitely use a pot with drainage holes so you can keep tabs on the water and throw away any excess which is still in the tray after say half an hour.  The surface of the soil should become dry in between waterings.

As regards leaf curl my first thought was insects but if the leaves are still curling then it could be sitting in a draught or have been overwatered.

Have you been feeding the plant since you repotted it?  Usually there is enough fertiliser in new soil for a couple of months and then you should resume feeding.  Also mist the plant ocasionally but especially when the flower buds are opening as this helps to "set" the flowers which then, as you know, will produce fruit.

If the weather is warm where you are I should put the tree outdoors first of all in half sun for it to acclimatise and then move to full sun as they do like to be kept warm.

I do hope that you manage to find out what is causing the leaf curl and the advice I have given you helps you to do that.  Good Luck

Diana