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Blood Orange - no new flowers; Meyer Lemon - no new leaves

mortonbaychestnut

15 years ago

Hi,

I live in Adelaide, Australia and it is now nearing the end of summer. The climate here is mediterranean, with cool/wet winters and hot/dry summers.

I have a 4 yo blood orange in a large pot, which is watered regularly (survived 2 weeks of temperatures well above 100F), has good drainage and is well fertilised. It is located adjacent a east facing fence (trellised) and receives about six hours afternoon sun from Spring to Autumn.

The orange has had excellent leaf growth over the past 5 months but no flowers at all!

Any suggestions as to why and how flowers may be encouraged?

BTW, there is a variegated Meyer Lemon next to it which has the same conditions, except I forgot to fertilise it last Spring. Funny, the Meyer has had flowers recently but has dropped all fruit and has had no new leaves at all, since about a year ago! This variegated plant has always had sparse foliage (4 years old now) and during the recent heat wave, it has dropped most of it leaves; it only has 6 left!

What can I do to save this hard to find lemon?

Sincere thanks for your thoughts and suggestions!

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Comments (2)

carmellia
15 years ago
I have found that the Meyer Lemon is very cranky when it does not get enough humidity. Can you turn your garden hose to mist? Maybe even give it a misted foliar application of epsom salts. With your wet winter approaching, possibly the problem will take care of itself.
User
15 years ago
I wonder if the excessive heat may be related to the lack of flowering. You say that the plant is well watered, but Citrus prefer to dry out a bit between waterings. Very hot conditions and continuously moist soil conditions are probably inhibiting flowering. Could you move it to a cooler exposure (eastern exposure as opposed to western, away from the radiant heat of the house--if it's next to the house, etc.)? Also, try misting the foliage more frequently--good for humidity and reducing temperatures. I understand the urge to drench with water when it's hot as blazes but hot plus wet sometimes results in stunted growth. If the plants are heat stressed, I also would resist the urge to feed until it gets cooler and you see some signs of growth. Good luck!
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wow, those are tiny, i agree with John, they do look like rooted cuttings. since you're up north in the cold, i'd also recommend Al's gritty mix. since cold temps and too much moisture in the soil will cause root rot. citrus do not like wet feet. FYI before it gets cold, once your night temps drop below 40'F you'll want to bring your citrus indoors, provide ample lighting, decrease the amount of water they get. you can look in the 'growing under lights' forum to get some ideas. possible setups: 4' shoplight with fluorescent tubes, metal halyde lamp, high pressure sodium lamp, high wattage CFL's (spiral bulbs).
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