Growing things: water is the elixir of tree life

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Q: My main concern is our beloved 7 meter tall lime tree with a 15 cm trunk. After several years of decent growth, this tree, for the past three years, has produced little growth and only colony-sized leaves. Still, the whole tree always shed its leaves. Google concluded that this was a “small leaf” variety, so my concerns were minimal. Someone in the trees told me that he was stressed and that this was normal in the driest summers.

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Unfortunately I didn’t get the hint about the water so this spring there were leaf buds but nothing happened and the tree remained bare until June with the exception of the suckers coming up from below. I had almost given up, but my wife suggested watering the roots aggressively, which I did (with fertilizer tablets). Also, this year I had changed the outflow of our sump from around the tree to another location, and I realized that this missing source of elixir may be a factor.

I noticed signs of life a few weeks later on some lower branches and now there are about 10 branches that have come out with active growth. One of them is an upper branch, with a fuzz of leaves. In fact, a few days ago (it’s October!) I noticed flowers blooming on about five different branches.

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I recently did another aggressive root watering session (without fertilizer) due to the encouragement I received from the previous one, to prepare the tree for winter (I have done this in previous years).

Two questions:
1. Most of the tree is still in what I hope to call “idle” mode; Is there any hope that those parts will recover after a season of inactivity?
2. Does the fact that the tree appears to be “out of sync” for about three months damage your winter preparations, further hurting your chances of survival?

TO: Your email might be the standard question on the importance of watering trees. Many gardeners seem to ignore trees as part of their watering regimen. The evidence of the hot summer and lack of water that affected your tree is evident. You may have started the watering process just in time. It is very difficult to predict whether your tree will make a full recovery. However, the signs of life you are reporting are encouraging. This is especially true with the growth you are seeing at the top of the tree.

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One thing I must say is that trying to save a tree that is suffering from a lack of water should not involve the use of fertilizers. You are not trying to stimulate growth and stimulate the tree right now, you are really trying to bring it back to life. In the spring, when you start watering again, give up the fertilizer until you see that the tree has revived. It is quite possible that the “inactive” parts of the tree can return. As for your second question, I have no way of predicting whether the tree will be affected during the winter by the late revival. Giving it water until it freezes is a very good idea. So it’s just a matter of waiting.

Q: I brought a mandevilla from outside that was very good. Since I brought the vine indoors, the leaves are turning yellowish. How do I care for this plant during the winter months? It is in a very large pot and near the window. How often do I water my plant?

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TO: The good news is that caring for your mandevilla vine indoors is not complicated at all. The yellowing of the leaves is normal for this plant during winter. You mentioned that it’s in front of a window. It should be a bright window, but the plant should have indirect light. Remember that mandevilla vines are dormant during the winter, so you need to keep the soil on the drier side to avoid root rot. Water the plant when the soil feels dry to the touch.

Learn more by emailing your questions to [email protected], reading previous columns at https://edmontonjournal.com/author/geraldfilipski or my book Ask jerry . You can also follow me on twitter @ justaskjerry01.