Okay I’ve bought 2 orange trees and a lemon tree about 3 -4 months ago. I’ve repotted them all into huge containers, mixed a special soil mix, with sand, citrus soil, compost and I used a layer of rocks at the bottom for drainage. I’ve got a thick layer of mulch on the top. Which should be optimal for growing citrus according to the many YouTube videos I’ve watched. I gave them all the same amount of fertiliser, same amount of sun/water. Now here’s the weird part. The first orange tree is growing fine, it went through a growth spurt and got heaps of new growth then stopped after that. The second orange tree has not grown at all, no new leaves, the new leaves on it are still small, and it looks all shrivled up, the leaves are still green and there’s no yellowing but the leave are compact compared to the other. The lemon tree had had no new growth at all and the bottom leaves are starting to yellow and drop. I’ve given them pellet fertiliser and coffee grounds, water once every 3 days. Why are the results so inconsistent. I have a dwarf lemon next to them in the same conditions and it’s growing rapidly. With lots of new growth. Any help is appreciated thanks the trees are in order as I’ve spoken about them, you can see in the image the difference between the two orange trees, and the yellow leaves on the lemon tree and the healthy dwarf lemon.
P.S. note from editor - no image supplied (must have forgot to attach it)
The key here seems to be the compost that you added - composts are notorious for harbouring curl grubs which then feed on plant roots and although rarely kill them, it does inhibit growth. it might also explain why some plants are doing better than others. Apart from that the plants you purchased will all be in different stages of life and growth. Some being ready to sprout, others just entering a quiet spell. Generally if the leaves are green (even if a bit small) then the plant is OK. Yellowing is a bad sign of nutrient deficiencies, as is leaf-drop. I'd suggest a bit more patience.