Kaffir Lime Plant Leaf Drop

Question

I have a kaffir lime plant in a pot which I have had for about 3 years. Every summer it lives outside on my deck (central NJ) and I bring it inside in the winter. It has always been very healthy, producing lots of shiny new leaves and shoots. When I first brought it inside this fall, it dropped a lot of leaves, but has been stable until the last week or so. It is now dropping dozens of leaves each day, and if I gently touch it, lots more fall off. What can I do? Some of the branches are now completely bare. Should I trim them back? I can post a picture if it would be of use.

Answer 1

Leaf drop is usually associated with stress of some kind. It could simply be acclimating to its indoor environment. Also, if you have not fertilized it recently, I would recommend that you do that. Here is more information on fertilizing: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/fertilizing-citrus-trees-best-practices-for-citrus-fertilizing.htm

If you have fertilized, I would recommend that you make sure that you are watering regularly and deeply as leaf drop commonly happens due to watering issues. This article will explain more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lime/lime-tree-leaf-drop-why-a-lime-tree-is-losing-leaves.htm

The best thing you can do is just make sure it gets the water it needs. The leaves will grow back. Here is more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/tip-on-water-requirements-for-citrus-trees.htm