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Meyer Lemon healthy lemons dying branches and no leaves

16 years ago

Hi my meyer lemons branches are dying and all the leaves have fallen off but there are 15 lemons and they all seem to be firmly attached. I believe I over watered it but it has been a week and it is still registering very moist. I have 2 grow lights on it and a non circulating heater trying to dry it out I have also been misting it for moisture. Any ideas on what I should do? Help Ann

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Comments (7)

softmentor
16 years ago
I hate to say it but you should strip all the fruit off. When badly stressed the tree will sacrifice it's self and try to push the fruit to maturity so it can make seed.
You will still need to get your watering program figured out. To much or to little water is the cause of perhaps %75 of all citrus problems. I would stop all the extra measures also and let the tree settle into the climate it's going to have to live in.
anre1
Original Author
16 years ago
Even though the lemons have not changed size they have also quit growing you feel that they should still come off. I just hate to pick them it has kind of been my baby and it did so well until it had to come inside.
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Well, first accept that you have a Meyer... unquestionably the finest lemon in the world; but in containers it is a bit sensitive. If you dramatically change the light, it will drop most or all of its leaves and replace them with leaves better suited to the new light. If you let it get too dry and then water it, it will drop its leaves; if you over water it, it will drop its leaves. The good part is your tree will recover from all of these conditions. For now, I would take off the fruit, as the tree needs to put its energy into new leaves; this is really not a loss, a Meyer the size of a tennis ball is already better than any other lemon at its best. Enjoy the lemon, keep doing what you are doing, and be of good faith.
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When you significantly change the light conditions of a Meyer it will drop many/most/all of its leaves to replace them later with new leaves better suited to the new light conditions. Continue to treat it well and you should soon see new growth.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
Oftentimes, the damage caused by over watering cannot be 'fixed' by drying the soil out. Planting into a VERY coarse, rapid draining potting mix can go a long ways in preventing problems in the first place, even for those who tend to be chronic over-waterers. LOTS of us are guilty of this at some point, lol!

Using a great deal of perlite, bark fines, and/or Turface (for example) insure that you'll have plenty of large pore spaces in your potting mix to promote the essential water drainage and a constant oxygen supply required for healthy root growth within a container.

Please know, too, that moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate.
anre1
Original Author
16 years ago
Would mixing orchid mix with dirt be ok for helping with drainage. Ann
softmentor
16 years ago
If you leave the fruit on, the tree will put lots of energy into trying to make that fruit finish out. If the leaf drop is as bad as you made it sound, and you want to save the tree, it would be best to remove the fruit.
I understand.
jean001
16 years ago
Yes, it's wise to remove the fruit. All of them.

No, it's not a good idea to mix orchid mix into the potting mix.

Several questions:
1. Does your pot have a drain hole? If not, make one.
2. Are you using potting mix in the pot, or garden soil? If garden soil, change to potting mix.
anre1
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes it is in the pot from nursery and in the same mix it came in I just got it in June. It is also the appropriate size pot. Ann

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