Krg, one thing you can do is be patient..I'm sure the tre wil come back..Just be sure to allow tree to dry between waterings. There's a product called Superthrive..It's fantastic..it works great for streesed plants. Give it a try. Now that spring is here, you can also give a light dose of fertilizer high in nitrogen. Then persue the dossage. Toni

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!

Thought I'd post an update, since I got such helpful advice for my trees this past winter. All survived the winter indoors, even though, thanks to a lot of travel, I managed to dry them out pretty badly a couple of times, enough that the Trovita and the Bearss lost some leaves. Still, the Bearss actually bloomed and even set fruit. The Meyer bloomed off and on all winter, but never sent out any leaves and, when I set the four trees out about a month ago, still had not sent out a single leaf, since I received it. It had lost a couple of original leaves, but pretty much looked like it did when I received it last summer. Left two weeks ago for a long business trip and, while away the temps topped out in the mid-90's, unusual for New Hampshire, with heavy rains on a couple of days - basically hot and humid weather. Came back on Friday to find that all four trees are covered in new growth, YES, EVEN THE MEYER! There looks to be new growth from pretty much every leaf junction on the tree. And, it is blooming, again. The largest fruit on the Bearss is about an inch and a half long, so I'm hoping to have my first harvest this fall or winter. Maybe, I'll even have some other fruit, too? All-in-all, the trees look great, and I have to admit that they have not been babied in any way. My next two decisions are 1) should I prune to shape them (rather leggy), and 2) should I repot into larger pots? For #1 I am undecided. For #2 I am thinking maybe mid-July, once they flush out the new growth. I think I will check if they are root-bound and use that as my guide. We are headed into several days of rain. When we get a break I will fertilize them. So, in conclusion, for those who have cranky or 'balky' Dwarf Meyer Lemon trees in pots - don't despair. It took a year, but mine finally has sprung to life. Just give it lots of sun, water as needed and let the tree move at it's own pace. And, thanks to everyone on this forum, who gave me advice and support. I probably would have killed my trees without your help. If anyone is interested, I can take some digital pics and post them. narcnh

I have three mature Meyers in ground, all at the 10+ yr mark. So here's what I've learned: - All citrus is a winter crop. Despite the markets gouging you for "out of season fruit", people with orange or lemon trees in their backyard (like me) are begging friends to take an extra 8-gallon plastic garbage bag full of ripe Meyers off their hands. Or two. Or three! Well, you get the idea. At this time of year, I can pick at least 15 gallons of Meyers in about 1/2 hr, and then do it again in a couple of weeks. One in-ground Meyer can easily produce 50-80 lbs. of lemons during winter harvest. - Exact start depends on the weather, but the big harvest begins around mid-December and lasts until April or May, depending upon how much rain the storm gods send us. They sent us lots in Nov/Dec and things were looking good for the state reservoirs. Since then, however, we've gotten a pathetic .25" of rain in 9 weeks. If we get some rain again in Feb-March, I'll see a continued good crop through May. Otherwise, less lemons will be produced unless I start watering again. - Meyers start green, turn yellow (sometimes when our temps fluctuate wildly between 65-degrees one day and 42 degrees the next, they'll remain partially green even when ripe), and hold that color on the tree for about 3-4 weeks, depending again on ambient temps. The color will start to deepen into orange and the rind will soften. If you don't pick them quick at that point they'll fall off and rot. - Picked yellow, they may or may not turn orange on your counter, but should keep for roughly 2-3 weeks before the rinds begin to dry out and roughen, and the lemon feels softer when you pick it up. They'll keep in the frig much longer: up to 2 months. They are still usable even when the rinds dry out and wrinkle, but the zest isn't very good at that point. - Meyers begin to taste best (like all citrus) as they mature. For Meyers that is just beginning at the 8-yr mark. Their lifespan if well taken care of, is 50-75 yrs. That means heavy and frequent feeding, because citrus are always hungry and Meyers are bred to be such heavy bearers, they go beyond hungry into ravenous. And believe me, citrus fertilizer and liquid iron are NOT cheap! - As they reach the 10 yr mark, they'll start to bear fruit even in the off-seasons, but it won't be as heavy a flush. My three Meyers have very different sites and sun exposures, with the result that at any given time, I now always have at least a dozen lemons ready to harvest on one of the threes, at any time of the year. - There are some minor differences in Meyer varietals due to the destruction of commercial nursery stock in CA in the 1960's as Meyers were found to carry a virus deemed harmful to CA agriculture. Texas and FL Meyer stocks were unaffected by this USDA order. Finally one stock of CA Meyers was found that was virus-free, and this became the "Improved Meyer" now sold on the West Coast. It should be noted that the destruction of Meyer stock ONLY affected the wholesalers and nurseries. Any Meyers already planted and growing in people's yards were not included in the kill order. Therefore, if you have access to these older CA Meyers, you should prize them. They are much more consistent in their "lemon" shape and size than the IM, the latter of which varies considerably even within fruits on the same bush. Note that Improved Meyers are naturally a bush, not a tree. They are grafted onto dwarf treestock. The old CA Meyers are actual trees, with the superior flavor that comes from being fully mature - although sadly, those trees are beginning to reach the "Social Security" stage: still in great shape, but facing the end of their natural lifespan in the next few decades. They will continue to bear fruit, but the volume of harvest will decline.