That might be the case John but I dont see how. I feed in a circle around the drip line and water with a soaker hose when needed. I do have a decent size Palm tree to the east of the plant and it seems to shade out some morning sun on the small side of the plant. Thats the only thing I can come up with. It really seemed to struggle for me the first 2 years. Thats a 3 year old plant but last fall it really started to push some growth and this spring its really starting to take off. I wasnt very effecient in fertilizing the first couple years though but last year I changed all that and its starting to show now. All those flowers are intoxicating to smell!!! You can find me in a chair buy the plant with my head in the middle sniffing flowers daily. Its good stuff man!!!

Hi Mike. Yes, growing citrus, I'm learning, is clearly an exercise in patients(!); the trend seems to be about 5-6 months recovery from leaf drop following repotting. You'd think I would have learned a bit on waiting, as my inground Meyers have yet to produce ripe fruit. Thankfully, there are various sized fruit hanging and I might even harvest at least one ripe one this winter! Speaking of winter, Mike, I remember reading back on another post of your winter leaf drop problem, and someone had suggested keeping your (wasn't it Meyer lemon?) tree in much cooler environs between freezing and 50 degree temps (in an unheated garage, if I recall correctly)? Did you try this and did it work for you? If Charlie lives, one day he may have to move to a house in NY, so I'll need every help in this forum to keep him and other citrus alive in Zone 6! mgk65/Mike(?): In your top pic, 2nd from right, is that a Kaffir lime and if so, have you tried making Thai curry with the leaves, which I hear is quite yummy!

Okay. First thing - is this little lemon tree getting sprinkled? If so, this is part of your issue. Citrus do not like to be in the path of sprinklers. They do much better with a deep watering via drip once or twice a week (depending upon how hot the temps get). If you're close to the beach, you probably will not have hot enough temps to water more than once a week. Lilly Miller citrus fertilizer is fine. It does contain micronutrients. Vigoro Citrus & Avocado fertilizer with micronutrients (that is the key for you) is also fine. Actually, the best NPK ratio is 5:1:3, but it's hard to find. As long as you've got a higher N (nitrogen) than P or K, as citrus are heavy nitrogen feeders, and you've got micronutrients included, you should be fine. Humic acid will also help, so look for that in your ingredients line up. I would recommend Grow More Citrus Growers Blend and mix it up as a foliar spray to help give your tree a good micronutrient feeding. Repeat in 3 weeks. Do your foliar spray in the evening. I would concur that you're probably looking at a micronutrient deficiency, possibly magnesium. Usually, you'll see a micronutrient deficiency with too much water and cold temps, so I would definitely check the roots of your lemon, to make sure it's not sitting in a puddle of water (i.e., in clay). Even though you're by the beach, you can still have pockets of clay. If you're in more sandy soil, then you're seeing an issue with both macro and micronutrients not staying in your soil, but washing out. If this is the case, then make a nice well around your tree out to the drip line. Fill with some worm castings and then top with compost. Keep both away from the trunk to prevent rot. Put your fertilizer in the well and water in deeply. Fertilize every 3 months and also I would recommend a foliar application with Citrus Growers Blend as well until your tree greens up. Patty S.

Hi All, I need some Meyer lemon assistance. I received a dwarf tree in the spring from QVC thru mycitrustree(dot) com. I had some beautiful blossoms in the summer and now have 2 lemons about 3 inches and 3 1/2 long. It was kept outside and watered as needed in addition to Mother Nature. I live in NJ and it was about to dip into the 40's one night so I brought it into my basement two weeks ago. I watered it before I brought it in and it got a soaking rain too. It's in a pot with drain access and it still moist. It has also now begun to bud on all end branch A LOT. My original question is some random leaves are turning yellow. They are not dry or curling and have no pests. The leaf veins are also not turning white. I am a nervous first time fruit tree mother. I did not give any fertilizer since I received it in the spring. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! Barbara-Ann