How to care for your Tahiti Lime with brown-edged leaves and chlorosis

Quick diagnosis

Your Tahiti lime (Citrus × latifolia) shows two main symptoms:

• Brown, dry leaf margins consistent with sunscald or damage from water stress/salts.
• Yellowish areas (chlorosis) on new leaves or generalized, pointing to nutrient deficiencies —especially iron or nitrogen— or watering irregularities. No active signs of pests or rot are observed in the provided notes.

Most likely causes

• Excess direct sunlight during peak hours, which burns leaf edges.
• Irregular watering: dry spells followed by heavy watering cause stress and margin damage.
• Iron or nitrogen deficiency, responsible for chlorosis in young or widespread leaves.
• Salt accumulation in the substrate or use of hard water, which damages leaf tips and edges.

How to act: step-by-step guide

Placement and light

• Move the plant to a location with moderate direct sun in the morning and partial shade in the afternoon.
• Avoid intense midday radiation on exposed leaves, especially in summer.

Watering and substrate management

• Water regularly and evenly: check that the top 2–3 cm of substrate are dry before watering again.
• When you water, saturate until some water drains out and empty the saucer to avoid waterlogging.
• If you suspect salt buildup or use hard water, perform a substrate leaching: water abundantly, passing 2–3 pot volumes (for example, 2–3 times the pot volume) to flush salts.
• After leaching, use low-salt water if possible (rainwater or distilled water for subsequent irrigations if available).

Fertilization

• Use a fertilizer specific for citrus, balanced in N-P-K and including micronutrients (iron, zinc).
• Apply at mild doses following the package instructions; avoid overfertilizing, as it can worsen salt accumulation.
• If chlorosis affects new leaves, consider a foliar feed or iron chelate application according to the recommended product.

Environmental conditions

• Improve ventilation around the plant and avoid cold drafts.
• Maintain temperatures between 15 and 28 °C and moderate relative humidity (40–70%) to reduce overall stress.

Follow-up: 7–14 day checklist

• Observe whether new healthy leaves appear or if chlorosis continues.
• Check substrate moisture 24–48 hours after watering to adjust frequency.
• Monitor whether the brown margins progress, stabilize, or improve after changing location and watering.
• Watch for new signs of pests or rot; if they appear, act according to identification.

When to seek additional help

• If symptoms significantly worsen despite measures (more leaves affected, loss of shoots), consider:
  • Foliar analysis to confirm specific deficiencies.
  • Consulting a local technician or nursery for in-person diagnosis and product recommendations.

Quick summary

Correct sun exposure, stabilize watering, leach the substrate if salts are present, and apply a citrus fertilizer with micronutrients (especially iron). With follow-up in 1–2 weeks you should see improvement in new leaf development and stabilization of burned margins.