ailing orange

Hello good folks. I wonder if you could give some advice as to what is happening to my poor orange tree. The leaves are looking as if they
are burning, I know I am doing something wrong but don't know what.

dinky~

Is the ground there as dry as it looks? Hollow out a depression around the trunk, and water. When the tree is stressed it'll shed any leaves it cannot support. And, the baby oranges that are starting to yellow will be droping off as well. There usually are many more babies started from the blossoms than the tree can nurture. Also, transplanting is stressful.

I used to live in Imperial Beach back in the late 50s. Are you fertilizing it?

dinky,

Are you using fertilizer formulated for citrus — one that contains the micronutrients citrus need? Your orange tree appears to be suffering from Manganese deficiency. Use a foliar spray that contains chelated micronutrients iron, zinc and manganese.

The soil under the tree looks dry, but to make sure, you need to see if it's dry a few inches below the surface. Hill a ring of soil around the dripline to form a water basin. You don't want a depression near the trunk for two reasons: One, citrus have roots very close to the surface and digging would injure them. Two, depressions that encourage water to drain toward the trunk also encourage diseases of the trunk that can kill your tree. Many citrus problems involve watering — not enough, too much, irregularly. Water deeply to encourage roots to grow downward.

Mulching underneath the dripline keeps the soil cooler and discourages weed growth. Citrus don't like competition. Keep the mulch away from the trunk, though.

Thank you all for your replys. I certainally will address all the issues you brought up. Thanks again

An update:
Hi folks just wanted you to know that your good and kind advice was taken.I used my 3 in. augar to drill around the trees drip line to about 7 or 8 inches deep and then backfilled the holes with a mixture of potting soil, blood and bone meal. Th ground at about 4 inches was damp. I then dug in the mixture in the first 3 inches of topsoil and made a watering basin.I use 15-15-15 as a fertilizer and then i have a Citus Growers Mix that i mix with Miracle Grow for a folage spray.
Judy: I moved here in 1960 and the place has really changed-- some good -- some bad but I still like it. Can you imagine that just about any house now goes for 6ooK ???
Thank you all again take care

Are you serious? I remember the year we lived there. The year the water came over the wall. We got about 2 feet of water in our house. My brother had to literally use his whole body to keep the door shut. We were so scared. I was about 7 at the time. I haven't been there for years, but the street we lived on was Dahlia St., just off the beach. I remember losing a shoe in the slews. I wonder if those are still there. I had alot of fun there. I miss Cali in some instances but I sure like living where I do now.

Your tree looks like it's doing lots better. Good job!!