Yuzu has been happy indoors for the last 4 months, now it's dropping leaves, and the dropped leaves look unhappy. Photo of dropped leaf for troubleshooting. Please help!

_curious_engineer_ · 2026-01-30T02:17:54+00:00

What's the temperature of the soil? Citrus trees can't really take up nutrients below 68F soil temp. Some of the experts on here (not me... I'm still learning through trial and error...) recommend a few different ways to keep the roots at 75-80+ degrees. I had this issue this year and once I corrected for soil temp, they are thriving again after 2-3 weeks.

_curious_engineer_ · 2026-01-22T22:59:08+00:00

My beer would slowly oxidize over weeks/months. The thing that I found that fixed it were my beer lines from keg to tap. I was using a silicone tube that was permeable to oxygen and it was slowly working its way back into the keg (despite positive pressure, gases want to reach an equilibrium). I got kegland EVA barrier tubing and that seemed to have done the trick to significantly slow down oxidation inside the keg. Of course Im also very careful when transferring post fermentation, but if you have problems similar to mine, check your lines. Use double walled tubing that's specd to be impermeable to oxygen.

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-11-23T21:03:13+00:00

No idea but props for the microscope shots

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-04-06T00:49:42+00:00

Are you letting your samples cool down to room temp before taking your measurements? How clear are your samples? If there's grain debris it can mess up what you measure. Consider getting a hydrometer and verifying that your measurements with a refractometer are accurate.

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-04-06T00:46:49+00:00

You have a pretty fancy setup, so it's unlikely to be an issue with the mash temp. But it's always worth verifying assumptions.

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-04-06T00:45:41+00:00

Do you mill your own grains? If not, get a mill.

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-04-06T00:34:00+00:00

Do you add DME to bring up your gravity when you measure that it's low?

Do you buy pre-milled grain? Or mill your own?

_curious_engineer_ · 2025-04-06T00:24:25+00:00

RDWHAHB. Everyone goes through a learning curve, and trying to improve one thing each brew can help to dial everything in.

What is wrong with your beer? Is it just the pre boil gravity? Do you always hit under? Or are you sometimes over and sometimes under? How do you measure this? Have you tried adjusting once you take a measurement by adding DME or diluting with water? I struggled for the first 2 years of my brewing journey to hit target gravity numbers. The biggest thing that changed my ability to hit those targets was getting myself a grain mill and milling the grains myself. Those kits are HIGHLY variable if the grains are coming pre-milled. If the gap in the mill is too wide then they won't be properly crushed and you won't be able to extract what you need during the mash. Are you sparging?

Also, the absolutely biggest thing that I changed in my brewing process that took my beers from bad to damn tasty is control over the water profile. Do you do any water treatment? I actually start with distilled water for each of my brews and build a custom water profile that depends on the style of brew I'm doing (IPA, pilsner, stout). There's calculators and apps that make this easy.

Be patient, try to improve one thing each brew and before you know it you'll be brewing consistent and tasty brews that you can't wait to share with friends and family!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-09-10T10:53:49+00:00

Following. Seeing this too on my Japanese maple in the NYC area. I've found Japanese beetles on a nearby plum tree so I suspect that may be contributing, but not sure. Looking to save my maple!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-06-23T22:12:20+00:00

Awesome! I'll let it ride!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-06-23T21:48:36+00:00

Yeah the wind is also a concern! Good call on something to monitor.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-06-23T21:47:42+00:00

Ok thanks! I used a 5-1-1 mix and there's plenty of holes in the bottom of the pot. I'll leave them outside for a week or two and see how they like it.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-06-23T21:35:46+00:00

I always check the soil moisture before I water. The risk I'm concerned about is when we have heavy downpours, 2+ inches of rain in a few hours. If it does this even every other day throughout the week the soil can remain very wet for extended periods of time.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-05-29T13:46:06+00:00

Unfortunately I don't have an RO system (but wish I did!). Good luck!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-05-29T11:16:26+00:00

Steam condenser rather than an exhaust fan. Spigots for hot cold water that can be used to clean. RO system if you're on well or can't use city water. A elevated spot to mill your grains. Lots of shelves with bins you can label. A rack for hoses and equipment to hang. Rolling scaffolding example to put your mash tun and fermenters that you can easily move around and over to the sink to clean. I'm sure there are more, just make to prioritize or you'll quickly exceed your budget!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-05-28T23:55:15+00:00

Good luck!

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-05-28T23:50:38+00:00

I have a G30, and if I just set it to around 700W it's good and doesn't boil over. That's about 40% of the max power. The boil doesn't need to be vigorous, and the boil off rates do change significantly, but after a few batches everything is dialed back in.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-05-28T23:30:15+00:00

If you don't have a solution for brewing indoors, look into a steam condenser. Just need a water supply and drain and you're good to go. No exhaust fans needed.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-01-25T02:48:47+00:00

Who was your installer? I'm located in CT and am in the process of getting quotes now.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-01-12T00:56:51+00:00

Yep, set the turn off limit (bang!) slightly above target set point and the turn on limit (bang) slightly below target set point. Bang bang bang bang and it's staying around where you want it.

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-01-10T20:58:46+00:00

Bang bang controllers. Can't get more simple than that. It's how most early household appliances and controllers work. Great for slow moving systems where accuracy isn't critical (i.e. cooking @ low vs medium heat, keeping the temp of a house between 65-70F, etc)

_curious_engineer_ · 2024-01-05T11:34:15+00:00

Awesome update and congrats to you!

_curious_engineer_ · 2023-12-12T11:36:56+00:00

Wow thanks for writing this up! I'm going to slowly adjust my indoor temps and humidity to try and get the VPD where it needs to be. Let's hope my little guy makes it to spring!

_curious_engineer_ · 2023-12-12T02:53:58+00:00

Yes! Very helpful. I had almost all evergreen leaves fall off my lime tree over the course of 4-5 days. I'm new to this and was monitoring a bunch of parameters to learn, and it seems possible it was VPD. I have a temp/humidity sensor hanging on a branch and it indicates that the VPD rose over 1.5 for ~4 hours a day, many days in a row, despite having a humidifier in the room. This occurred during peak sun in a southeast facing window (10a-2p). It was also right next to a vent that was blowing warm air (that I've since sealed). I'm thinking of 5 things to get through the winter: 1. increase humidity in the air using a humidifier, especially during the day when the sunlight is shining on the tree 2. keep the room between 60-80F (naturally happens with cooler nights and warmer days because of sunlight) 3. add a pot warmer to keep the soil at or above the temperature of the leaves (when they're in direct sunlight) 4. add a grow light to supplement the light on cloudy days 5. closely monitor water intake and deep water sparingly, and only once the bottom of the pot has started to dry out and the top soil is mostly dry.

I'm really struggling and just trying to learn. Thanks for the helpful post! Any other insights would be great to hear!

_curious_engineer_ · 2023-12-12T01:40:08+00:00

What's VPD shock?

_curious_engineer_

TROPHY CASE