Meyer Lemon Dropping Fruit

15 years ago

I have researched past threads regarding Meyer Lemons but I don't feel like any of them really addressed the problem I'm having.

I have had this Meyer Lemon for 2 years. I keep it outside during the growing season and bring it in over the winter. Last winter and this winter it starts to bloom and gets tons of blooms. I also get a couple of lemons that start to grow, then they either turn black or shrivel up and fall off. I also lose some leaves, but I am more concerned about the lack of fruit.

The plant is about a foot tall and is in a clay pot with potting soil. It is in a south-facing window that gets sun for most of the day. I water it until it runs out of the bottom of the pot every time it dries out. I do not fertilize except during the summer when I use all-purpose miracle grow.

Any suggestions about what I could change to keep the fruit from dropping? Is the plant just too young to support fruit yet? I do not manually pollinate the plant, maybe that's the problem? Here is a picture of the plant now.

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Also, here is a picture of my dwarf lime that I just got last summer. It is getting its first limes. I have pollinated these for fear of losing them too!

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Comments (2)

User
15 years ago
It might be a combination of low indoor humidity (thanks to the heating season) and overwintering. I would let it dry out between waterings now that it has partially defoliated. Wait for it to initiate new growth (it should) and then you can begin to increase watering and start to feed. To be perfectly honest, I keep the vast majority of my citrus in a chilly but sunny garage (between 32 and 60 F. over the winter) to avoid all the indoor problems Citrus seem vulnerable to when they're inside a toasty warm, winter home with us. Inside the house, I have a Calamondin, a blood orange, and a lime and they look almost sickly compared to the lushness of the Citrus in the cold garage. It really should recuperate though given time. PS., even small Meyer's can support a dozen or so standard-sized lemons to the point that the plant gets quite top-heavy.
aesir22
15 years ago
Your plants are growing through the winter, not dormant, so they still need fertilizer. Without it, they will not have the nutrients they need to grow and sustain fruit. Fertilize as you would through summer, at a reduced strength.

You do not need to hand pollinate these. They will do all of that themselves. Citrus blooms contain both male and female sexual organs, so don't need any external help.

If the tree is young, it might not support much fruit. It usually takes the third year of fruiting to get a good harvest. In the meantime, you must provide the plants with proper growing conditions. The light is fine, and you seem to have the watering right (just don't let it completely dry out!!). What about humidity? They like humidity in the air, so gravel trays would help.

They also don't like highly peat-based soil mixes. A 50/50 mix of potting mix to inorganic matter (course sand/turface/perlite etc) would be fine for a spring repot. Check the roots are not too constricted. Falling leaves indicates Winter Leaf Drop (WLD) so do a search on the forum for this and how to avoid it.
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Meyer Lemon Dropping Fruit

Comments (2)

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aesir22

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