Since you have access to Farfard products, look for their Professional Potting mix. Not exactly the same as the gritty mix but one of the closest (and better quality) commercial potting mixes available. And no added ferts - you can keep with the Foliage Pro.

OK, you're feeding it a lot, so let that rest for a while. You don't mention citrus fertilizer and iron, both of which are needed for citrus in the ground. Like roses, they're hungry all the time and will exhaust the soil during their extremely long lives. I feed once every month or two with citrus fertilizer, liquid iron at least twice a year. I save the liquid fish/kelp dousing for no more than once or twice a year, but always after the main harvest ends - right around the end of this month or so. The new growth will always tell you how well the citrus is doing. If it's dark green, it's getting enough food. If it's unfolding a paler green, the plant is hungry. I mulch with either mini-bark or cocoa hull mulch, which seems to work better for me in conserving moisture than compost. I can't find any info on meyers specifically, but according to one web source, 40 yrs is about the average lifespan of a lemon tree, with production dropping off as it ages although it may live longer.

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.

Almost every citrus tree sold in Florida is grafted, usually onto sour orange root stock to prevent nematodes. It sounds like you are getting suckers from the root stock. Do not wrap it! Just keep cutting them off, as close to the trunk as possible.