oh, also, i received it through the mail about 3 months ago, and still haven't gotten around to re-potting it. so that may be it, i suppose - can pot-boundedness cause this effect?

Whenever mine looked like this, it was usually due to overwatering and an Fe defficiency..

I hope it does well..

Ah, Pittsburg? How often do you water it in our lack of sunlight weather?

Mike..

i have two T5 fluorescent tubes and a 400W metal halide on it about 16 hours a day... so i'm hoping it stays happy. i think i water it weekly, usually.

i just pulled up the root-ball, and it seems pretty wrapped in its own roots. i think i'll re-pot it this weekend.

My meyer lemon is outside in southern California and looks just like this. There are plenty of leaves, but many of the leaves look yellow like this. It's definitely not an overwatering issue. I suspect that some fertilizer will do the trick to help the tree since it seems to be lacking some trace elements, BUT I was told by members of this group that I should NOT fertilize my tree now because of the weather. Should I just let the tree grow as-is (yellow leaves and all) and wait until spring to fertilize?

Thanks for any responses.
lali

update: the 3 leaves that yellowed have dropped. i can't for sure say whether it's spreading or not. i let the soil dry to bone-dry and gave it a dose of water and fertilizer, so we'll see what happens.

Acronmble,

I hope it does well. I personally would not repot till spring into a fast draining soiless mix, so you can fertilze at every watering all year..Citrus feed all year. My potted citrus turn yellow within days if I with hold..

If the roots look white and healthy, then I would think that overwatering is not the issue, especially since you said it was rootbound.

P.s Never let your citrus get to bone dry. If there is no new growth, they will not wilt like most plants when thirsty. They will just rebel and drop all their leaves if too late to water..

I would tend to suspect a nutrient problem..Is there any way you could post a picture get a better idea? Yellowing leaves are hard to diagnose, since it could be anything. But at least we may have the overwatering issue out of the way, which is normally the culprit for many.

Lali, I feed mine all year, in winter at every watering. Some feed theirs in smaller amounts at least a couple times a month. We all fertilize differently at different times, but I personaly never withhold all season. Your plants will respond to what you do, but more so if you do not feed them at all..:-)

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The burnt tips of the leaves up top are from where it accidentally touched the light. Not sure, the curling may be a side effect? Or due to the heat from the light?

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Some healthy (?) leaves? Lots of new leaf growth here and elsewhere.

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My setup - 2x65W T5 fluorescent on the left, 400W metal halide on the right for my tomatoes.

One problem with potting soil is that a heavy feeder citrus like Meyer will exhaust it very quickly. That's why #1) it should be planted in the biggest pot possible, and #2) it should be fed regularly. I usually alternate citrus fertilizer (adding a shot of liquid iron) and fish emulsion.

Here's what the leaves look like on a Meyer in the ground. You can see that the color is much darker than on your plant, for whatever reason. I usually get a few yellowing leaves like you have sporadically, especially now when the Meyers are pumping out fruit. These photos were taken Jan 9th. HTH!

Flowers:
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Leaves and fruit:
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jkom51,

It looks like we're neighbors. I'm in Sunset z18 in Cali. Your citrus trees look lovely with their dark green leaves. Can you share your feeding schedule with me? I have a meyer in-ground that's also flowering, but has yellowing leaves.

thanks! lali

From the looks of your pics, the roots look healthy, and so does the new growth!

I would be concerned about using fertilizer this time of year, since I am sure with the roots that bound, you are draining your pot of most nutrients everytime you water anyway...I would give a small dose at every watering. Too bad you do not have FP..It has every nutrient that your tree needs!

I would also make sure it is getting Fe, by using a capful of vinegar in a gallon of water at every watering to unlock the nutrients, especially for the Fe that could be in the soil once fertilized..A good Ph makes the iron more mobile and for immediate use for your trees..

Give it a shot. A little fertilier and vinegar just might do the trick...Like I said, the new growth coming in looks great. A sign that you do not have root rot..You are also not loosing twigs or leaves at a rapid rate if at all.

Hope it works out

lali, my in-ground Meyers get fed every month. Especially as they get older, they will bear fruit year-round. I scratch the citrus fertilizer in when I think about it, or just toss it over the root area if I'm being lazy. I buy the stuff in the 10-lb bags, at least one a year (sometimes two, if I'm being neighborly and feeding her trees as well, LOL).

The liquid iron gets dissolved in a bucket of water and poured over the plant so the leaves as well as the roots absorb it. BTW, be careful with fish emulsion, kitties adore it!

Hi - just an update. I repotted into a 5-gal bucket with a really loose orchid mix (too loose?), mostly bark. It's been a month or so, and the tree's still losing leaves by vein-yellowing every few days or so. It's nothing drastic, just a random leaf will start to yellow and then eventually fall - about two a week. It's not growing new ones fast enough to make up for it! Doesn't seem to be any pattern to the leaf drop - a mix of old and new, little and big leaves.

Also, I'm worried because i see buds forming in two places - like 5 buds in a cluster in each. Isn't forming buds unusually fast a sign that the tree's in trouble, and trying to reproduce before it dies? It just seems strange to me that a year-old tree would flower so soon. Somebody set me straight!

Hello Acronymble,
I would not worry at all about seeing buds develop. If you tree is in trouble you may want to remove them so the energy goes back into the tree and not into fruiting. The one thing that is VERY concerning is the orchid bark. This is not a good choice. This mix is made specifically for epiphytic orchids. They need a fast draining mix so the roots wont rot, but the meyer lemon still requires a soil that needs to retain some moisture. I use MG palm and citrus mix. Some people don't kie it but it must be good for my trees. I bought 2 citrus last year and my dwarf keylime trippled in size. I strongly recommend fertilizing all year. Maybe not as much in the winter, but don't totally withold it and make sure you repot it into a fast draining potting SOIL!! Get rid of the orchid bark!! Your tree will thank you!
Andrew

good to know - thanks for the info! would it be possible to stir in some thicker peat-based potting soil, and let it trickle down and "fill in the gaps", so to speak, as i water it? i just worry about re-potting (i'm bad at it, and don't want to stress the poor tree again so soon...)

I would still repot ASAP. In my opinion, that tree wont last for too long in the orchid bark. Repotting isn't that hard. First of all, I like using terra cotta but any pot with drainage holes will suffice. I would grab the tree by the base of the tree and then dump it out. Put some rocks in the bottom about an inch should be good. The fill with your fast draining soiland fill to you get to the same depth you had it planted when you first got the tree. Take it to your sink and water till the water comes out of the bottom.

I too would repot A.S.A.P

Good luck

Help! Our Meyer Lemon Tree was looking great up until 2 days ago right after watering it. It is still in its original pot from the nursery with lots of bloom but now the leaves are turning yellow with many falling off, even the green ones. Upon a quick check on the roots, they are brown and some tiny ones are hard like twigs. Please help!