Eureka Dwarf Lemon Tree - something weird with the leaves

15 years ago

Hi.

A friend of mine sent me a dwarf eureka lemon tree. It is in a rather sizable pot and gets full sun for 1/2 of the day. I am not positive, but I think it is already 2-3 years old. However, it is not flowering nor are there any lemons.

When it arrived a few of the leaves had holes in them and were curling a bit. I have had it here for a month now and more leaves appear to be holy and curling. Is this normal for a dwarf eureka lemon tree? Or is diseased or being eaten by bugs?

Also, when will it start producing lemons?

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Comments (7)

rflores0930
15 years ago
Hi
I can't belive not even one person answered you. It suck i have the same problem, well with out the bugs. Mine is the same size as your pics I need to know when to they get fruit?????? did you ever found out?
birdsnblooms
15 years ago
Cece. I'm not sure your lemon has insects..the holes are pretty large for most plant bugs, at least bugs I'm familiar with.
What state are you in? And what state was your tree purchased from?
I'm in IL, and during summer when citrus go outdoors, flying bugs come fluttering by..every so often, they nibble leaves, but by autumn all signs of insects are gone. The bad thing is they leave holes, the good thing is bugs die in days, and do not linger and kill like plant pests.
To be on the safe side, inspect for bugs. Scale, Mealy, Spider Mite, Aphids, Leaf Miner..I'm not sure I covered them all, but those mentioned are insects to worry about.
Normally, when insects attack, they leave signs. Yellow and/or sticky leaves, webbing, brown or white bumps, white cottony patches.
I notice most rips are on the edges of leaves..Is it possible something is rubbing up against your tree? Human or animal? By the size of the tree, it'd have to be one animal..When a leaf rips it commonly browns.
For starters, hose off your lemon..if you have a sprayer, add a 2-4 drops of liquid dish soap. (Not Dawn) But before spraying, check for signs of pests. If you spot any signs of plant insects, you can treat according to bug.

As for flowering/fruiting, when a plant is stressed, it sometimes halts production..Actually, until you find out what's causing the problem, lack of fruits might be best. Flowering/fruiting takes energy. Toni
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Oh, well, that's nice, too. :-) Yes, you can control height from bonsai to monster (although larger pots are usually required for monster unless you're happy with a tuft of leaves up top and not much else; BTDT with a hibiscus but lowered it). You can certainly go to 19 if you want. Just transplant it, check for girdled roots (root prune if necessary and check any good guide on the Internet about that), take the opportunity to refresh the soil if it's a little old, and enjoy. 19 wide and 21 deep isn't too big for a "dwarf" citrus which can reach 8 feet tall. If that's 16" wide, then your tree from the soil base is already 4 pot units tall, or about 5 feet. 19" wide is not too large for that and adding 3 (1.5" each side) is not too much and not a "challenge" the plant can't meet. The only minor suggestion I'd have is not to overwater initially as the water capacity of the pot will be much greater and the roots will sit in more water than they're used to as the soil retains it better (there being more soil than there was). Moist, yes. Soaked, no. Step it up as the plant grows in. And if you make a mistake once, no big deal, just try not to make a habit of it. Citrus just don't like soggy soil, and a large pot will, at first, tend to give you a soggier soil that the plant won't like as much. As roots fill in, it won't stay soggy as the larger, thirstier plant sucks up the water faster. Of course, follow the occasional flushing the soil rules as necessary. That's not a problem.
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sore_muscles
13 years ago
I know your question was posted a while back, but I just came across it. I would say that it could be one of three things: 1.Snail(s). They like to come out of hiding when no one is watching and have a feast. Then, they retreat.
2. Leafeminers. They are larvae of bugs that leave white shiny trails on the leaves. I've noticed that they tend to form a hole where the the squiggly lines are pretty close together. 3. You've sprayed with an oil on a hot day (the heat burn the leaves). With 1. Just sprinkle pet-friendly snail bat. With 2. Get sticky traps specifically for this, or buy an organic spray that won't hurt your fruit 3. Never spray/treat leaves until the evening... or early, early, morning.

To prevent bugs, don't over water. Once established, just water deeply ON OCCASION, or when the weather is very, very hot....

Not an expert. Just speaking from experience.
cdonaghe
13 years ago
As far as fruit goes, Most citrus like limes, lemons, and oranges blooms in late winter and early spring. They will set fruit at that time. The fruit usually ripens in fall into winter depending on the variety.

Charles
buylady
13 years ago
hi all i kinda got couple w/that problem too...
Hopefulauthor i'm in same zone where r u located i'm in southern IL..just curious
madlimo
13 years ago
I have a problem with my new Key Lime plant. It seems like the same as your problem, but it's mostly the curled leaves, and no one answered that part
seamommy
13 years ago
Well, it looks like wind and heat damage to me. The leaves on the lower branches look perfectly healthy. The damage appears to be confined to the top and outer leaves-the ones that would be most likely to get whipped around by a hot wind. If it was bugs the pattern would be random, snails would be working their way up, aphids and most of the other pests named above would attack the tender new growth leaves only.

I'd pinch off the affected leaves and see if any more develop. If the tree is in an area where it's protected from high winds and excessive direct and reflected heat you shouldn't have any more problems with it.

As far as blooming and setting fruit, most lemons and limes can bloom and set fruit year round if they are getting enough nutrition. Although both seem to prefer the Spring for their primary bloom season so the fruit ripens in the heat of summer. I have a lime and a lemon and both of them develop a few blooms after a good feeding, but I don't encourage out of season fruiting so I just pinch them off. Cheryl

Eureka Dwarf Lemon Tree - something weird with the leaves

Comments (7)

rflores0930

birdsnblooms

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