When you say lemons "fruit throughout the year" that's not exactly accurate, because that implies they are in various stages of ripening, like tomatoes. Maybe that happens for people in the north, growing them like houseplants??? But in citrus country, Meyer lemons can be picked starting around January, and will hang on the tree until about June/July. But the quality of January is very different from July, they can be pithy and even rotten. They will bloom in late winter/early spring, which means they can have blooms and ripe fruit on the tree at the same time, unlike a lot of fruit trees. It also means they can have little green fruit and almost-too-ripe fruit at the same time. And occasionally they can bloom again in summer, if stressed. Mine has only done that once, when I repotted it. For feeding, they make "citrus food", also Ironite for when the leaves are yellowing. Don't overdo it though, that's worse than not fertilizing! Read the label, I think it's like a tablespoon for a large pot. As for winter protection, I'm not familiar with your weather in Texas, but my Meyer Lemon (also in a pot) has happily stayed outside year-round for 9 years now. If it goes below freezing for more than a couple of hours, I put a sheet over it (not plastic--that won't do much) and remove it when it gets above 32. When we have real cold snaps (i.e. talk on the news about citrus farmers losing crops, 20 degrees, etc.), then in addition to the sheet over, I drape old-fashioned christmas lights around my delicate trees, under the sheets. They generate enough heat to keep them above freezing inside. The only plants I ever bring inside when cold are my gardenias. Carla in Sac

Josh, no determination has been made as to Birdman's pH of his water. Just that it is municipal water. And he doesn't need to test it, just contact his municipal water district for the pH value. If his water is 7.2 or below, no need to add any vinegar. I consistently water all my container citrus with my municipal water out of a hose which is about 8.0 (acceptable range is 7.8 to 8.5 for my WD) with zero issues in micro uptake (see photos above). I pot my plants in EB Stone Cactus Mix, which I believe is on the acidic side with Fir Bark, Lava Rock, Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Sand, Redwood Compost and Mushroom Compost, and eventually, I'll have to re-pot, if the soil starts to degrade and compact, or the trees get too big for their current pots, so that will start the cycle all over again, as far as total soil pH goes for me. If you feel better about acidifying your water, you can do that, but citrus are remarkably adaptable plants. I think we are probably more guilty of "over love" sometimes, with container citrus. From what I see with Birdman's tree and fruit, I am still concerned that he is dealing with Phytophthora. He needs to contact his extension agent and get a definitive diagnosis. If it is Phytophthora, he really should consider replacing the potting soil (despite this perhaps not being the best time to re-pot, it now becomes essential to remove the organism from the soil and exposure to the roots), and then treat the canopy as well, with Agri-Fos, which actually travels down to the roots, and continues to protect the roots from any leftover Phytophthora. We're sort of swerving away from Birdman's original concerns of his infected fruit, and overall poor condition of his little tree. All fruit really should be removed to help the tree survive, which I know is hard to do, but the tree is struggling to be healthy and putting all its energies into trying to produce fruit at the detriment of the tree's overall health and vigor. pH isn't the issue here, I don't think. Patty S.

Since those are older leaves; and I don't see any new growth, best guess is they are pretty much underfed; those tree spikes just never work; and the fact that other varieties aren't showing it further supports that. I think if you switch to FP and give them extra to start, you will begin to see new healthy growth. If the new growth has good color, it means the tree is okay; the older leaves show you how the tree WAS; and now that it is short of food, it is taking back nutrients from older leaves to stay alive and maybe produce new growth.

The good news is that my plant is still alive. I’ve had so much trouble with it over the years, I can’t remember the resolution to this issue here. But generally speaking, I have used fungicide a couple times when I thought there was fungal issues and I have used espoma 2-2-2 fertilizer every month or two to keep feeding it nutrients. However, almost all problems I have had are related to soil moisture. It’s so easy for the soil moisture to get too high and then suddenly thr plant starts looking like it’s dying and that’s when I realize the roots are too wet and have started to rot. It’s such a fine line. This is critical especially this time of year when the temperatures drop and evaporation decreases. Managing soil moisture has been the most important item for keeping the plant healthy. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of giving it full sun. there has been a huge difference in plant health between giving it “decent“ sun that I thought was sufficient versus finding a spot where it gets a full day’s worth.