lemon tree dropping fruit

16 years ago

I bought a lemon tree this spring that was just loaded with blooms and fruit.

I repotted it in a mixture of pete, pine bark, cactus mix and a little sand, being careful not to disturb the root ball. I placed it on the stone walk in my garden where it receives full sun.

Because it is so hot and dry here in Mississippi right now (90+ every day) I water it about every other day. It's in a twelve inch pot and is approximately 4 feet tall.

About 6 weeks ago the top leaves yellowed and the fruit began dropping. The fruit was about the size of a dried pea. When all was said and done I was left with only two lemons. They are about the size of a large marble right now.

I then began a fertilize regiment that includes osomocote, ironite and millinite. I have been doing this for about a month and add one of the three to it at least every other week. I just came in from adding about half a cup of millinite to it. It has greened back up but the fruit continues to turn yellow and drop as soon as it sets. I know it is being pollinated because there are various bees and wasps on it constantly.

I am at my wits end because I just don't know what to do for it. I did read, on this site, and trust me I have read them all, that some of the fruit will just naturally

drop but I was really hoping that I would have fruit in severaly different stages of ripening at all times. Is this asking too much? Will I just have to wait until the two lemons that are on it are mature and picked before I can expect more fruit to stay? Citrus lovers------ I need your help and expert advise very soon!!!!!

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Comments (5)

herboholic
16 years ago
I'm new to the citrus thing also and was also panicked by dropping fruits (smaller than golf-ball) and wondered if my tree was sick. Basically it just comes down to, if everything else is right with the tree (container sizer, soil condition, nutrients, watering, sunlight), that the trees will only support the fruit that it's able to support and the rest will fall away from the tree. Hard to see, I know, trust me. But it's a matter of patience and letting Mother Nature play her part and letting your tree do what comes naturally. There's no rushing that perfect fruit.
butterflutter
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the info,herboholic, I was afraid that may be the case. However, if it has all it can support, shouldn't it just quit blooming as well?
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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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Meg, it's true that a certain percentage of immature fruit drop from a tree, but I think it happens moreso changing environments. Just like many flowering plants drop flowers once they come home w/us. Also, a NE exposure may not be enough light for citrus,...a tree that devours sun. Is it possible to set outdoors in summer? If not, do you have a brighter window? South or west? Otherwise, your doing everything right. Good luck, Toni
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Julie I had a feeling it compacted. That is a sure sign of decline on just about any tree and sometimes it can take you by surprise and happen over time. I would also look for pests since almost always the two are very much related. If you want to go the easy organic route in lowering the pH solution you provide your trees, try 1 capful of vinegar per gallon of water. That should do the trick. As for fertilizer, there are many recomendations on this, but I say to find one that closely relates to a plants need. I use a liquid fertilizer with micronutrients in a 12:4:8 NPK ratio, which MG does have. It's in a yellow bottle. Foliage Pro is a great choice too which is what I use. You can either purchase a very porous mix, amend one, or make one. I make most of my own. I use 1 part peat or Turface, 1 part perlite, and 5 parts of bark. You can also purchase a good heavier mix which is primarily bark such as Fafard Mixes. Any of these options or others will dramatically improve your growing skills and the vitality of your tree. A mix that allows a frequent oxygen exchange is a must and this happens with a very porous mix. Whenever roots are deprived of oxygen (O2) they soon begin to die, so a mix that will compact rapidly should be avoided. Mike
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Jack, thanks for the suggestion! I think the first few leaves that dropped were WLD, but it's no longer a slow drop-- I'm losing 2-5 a day. The tree is small, so it might lose them all! Pip, I stated it in the first post but I know I gave a lot of information. :) I use one tsp foliage pro in a gallon of water. I water with this solution most of the time (I generally end up watering right around once a week, or when it feels dry and light). Once a month I thoroughly flush the soil with tap water (I put it in the shower for a minute with cool water since it's already in the house, then let it drain for a half hour in the tub). I don't think I'm over fertilizing, and I don't think I'm under-fertilizing as the tree looked good (and developed a lot of flowers) until the last few weeks, and I've been following this routine for months. Mike, I haven't seen the root system lately-- when I re-potted in August the roots looked very healthy, with no mushy areas. The roots were small because the tree is very small. I think maybe you are right about the roots (I don't really feel like I've noticed it growing-- just one leaf flush in the early summer this year), but I don't know where I've gone wrong. I made the 5-1-1 mix by sifting out small particles of pine bark mulch (3/8" and smaller), removing the sapwood, and added coarse perlite (shifted out the dust) and peat moss in the recommended portions (5-1-1). I then mixed it up, soaked the whole lot for a day in water, and re-potted the tree, keeping the roots moist. I used a bamboo stake to get the mix into the roots without leaving air holes. I kept the tree in the shade for a week, then moved to greater sun for another week, before putting it back in full sun (again, this was in August, we had a nice streak of cool weather when I repotted). The tree did not lose any leaves during the recovery, and there were no signs of distress. The very top layer of the mix (top 1/2 inch, perhaps) has some slightly larger pieces of pine bark and perlite, I think from pouring in water. It's been ~5 months, and it the texture of the mix feels the same (it's a fabric pot so I can feel the texture). I don't think that the mix has gotten too heavy or that it wasn't mixed well enough. I did notice that the decline seemed to start after I let it dry out a few days longer than normal. Maybe the neem + a longer dry period was too much stress? I'm still at a loss... I watered it today because the stake was dry to the touch (it was pleasantly damp yesterday). Five leaves fell off. There's about 10 leaves left, and I guess my realistic hope is that the leaves that haven't turned any amount of yellow yet (4) will stay on the tree. :p My internet is really bad tonight or I'd post some pictures.
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herboholic
16 years ago
Not necessarily. Blooms come as a natural process of the plants evolution and growth and is a good thing! The fruitlets it produces and whether they're to stay on the tree, in subject to the tree itself. Really nothing to be done about it. It's hard, I know. I literally mourned when three of my fruits dropped off my Eureka. I thought there was something terribly wrong. I have since been reassured, given my climate, growing conditions and care, that the tree is just doing what comes naturally. I wish I could force the tree to hold on to those fruits, but it basically comes down to what the tree will hold on to and produce mature, ripe fruit and those that it will let go of.

Do what I do. Get your digital camera and take pictures of those beautiful blossoms to remember them by. It's also a great way to keep a "snapshot" diary of your trees growth. You can look back on photos and see it's progress, or in worse cases, see where it started to go downhill and be more informed as to how to diagnose it.
wetfeet101b
16 years ago
>> shouldn't it just quit blooming as well?
You have to remember that the flowers are not just for your tree's benefit.
Those flowers are also there to provide pollen to other trees.
So even if your tree was not able to bear much fruit, it was able to help other citrus trees bear their fruit.
birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Butter, even though it's hot and dry there, are you allowing soil to dry a bit between waterings? You don't want soil muddy..Soil should dry before adding more water..
Also, it sounds like you're adding too many chemicals for a new plant..Are u following fertilizer and other checmical, instructions?
When you think about it, most plants that come from a nursery are given a dose of food, many times, timed-release fertilizers..So, you don't want to overdo it..
A well-balanced fertilizer should do fine..adding an iron suppliment is something I feel is needed 2-3 times a yr, whether or not citrus has chlorosis..I use it as a preventative and never have chlorosis problems..
Yes, it's normal for a certain amount of fruit to drop, but it's upsetting..Especailly when we see pics of trees packed w/fruit..(S)
As long as your citrus is getting adequate sun, and sufficient water, it should be fine..Toni

lemon tree dropping fruit

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lemon tree dropping fruit

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herboholic

butterflutterOriginal Author

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butterflutter
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