Improved Semi-dwarf Meyer Lemon Care

9 years ago

Hello All,

About two weeks ago, I purchased an Improved Semi-dwarf Meyer Lemon from a great local nursery and so far everything has been great. I have about 4 lemons starting to grow on the tree and about 3 days ago I replanted the tree in a 25" pot, with citrus soil and I would say that it's still doing well. I'm posting, however, because I want to make sure I continue to give this tree what it needs, as I've never grown a citrus tree before.

Generally, I water the tree every 2-3 days, as it has been getting into 90's. It has pretty good drainage, and essentially full sun. As I am in one of the prime citrus growing areas of the U.S., and our Southern California temps don't drop too low even in the winter, I would expect that it will continue to produce fruit, but I'm not certain.

My questions are:
-How often should I be fertilizing?
-What type of fertilizer would be best?
-Am I watering Correctly? Water makes it all the way to the bottom of the pot after about 5-10 minutes but I've read that this is good for the tree? Especially since I have pretty good drainage set up

Any longterm care suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Meagan

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Comments (4)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Well, even in our S. California climate, planting a citrus tree in straight bagged soil is probably going to give you too dense a potting soil. I don't. I use 3 parts bagged mix (I prefer to use MiracleGro Vegetable Soil), 1 part small bark chips and 1 part perlite. A much better draining potting medium which will prevent root rot. You really don't have a "good drainage situation" with a straight bagged potting mix, believe it or not. You want to check to make sure the bottom of the pot to make sure it is not soggy. I watch my potted trees for signs of getting dry (leaf cupping), then water well so the water runs through the bottom of the pot. For you, watering every 2 to 3 days may be too much water, based on your very dense potting medium. I use Osmocote Plus (MUST be the "Plus" formulation) every 6 months, and about once a month I fertilize with full strength Dyna Gro Foliage Pro. And, of course, treat for Citrus Leafminer appropriately, as we have very heavy pest pressure in S. California.

Patty S.
thedivinemsm
Original Author
9 years ago
Ok, I am actually a soil formulated for citrus, which is not dense at all plus a small amount of potting soil mix. So far so good, so I will keep an eye out for my leaves and try the fertilizers you recommended, thanks for the tip.
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Perfectly normal, friesjm. Young trees will drop most if not all of their fruit in order to put more energy into developing their leaf canopy. I would recommend searching our forum for either "511 mix" or "gritty mix" for your potting medium, both are good choices. If you can find Farfad bagged mix in your area, there are a couple of good choices in their line up, again, search our forum for "Farfad" for those choices. Miracle Gro Potting Mix has very small fines, and can compact over time, not permitting good draining, and drowning the roots. And, you'll want to fertilize your Improved Meyer probably a bit more often, or with slightly more concentrated solution, as they sure love their fertilizer. Most container folks have used Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro along with some Osmocote Plus (must be the "Plus" formulation as it contains the micronutrients). Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Four Winds Growers: Growing Container Citrus
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I'm not going to answer all those questions, but here are a few comments. First, it looks healthy. It's grafted on a reasonable length of stem, which I like. Meyers are often rooted cuttings. In this case, it seems to have been a 'T-bud' type of graft - you can see the remains of the grafting tape which held it in place. The remaining rootstock has been cut back a little above the graft and appears to have been sealed with something black. However it has started re-growing at this point. Unusual, because all nodes are usually removed when the rootstock is cut, and this prevents re-growth. Also, the rootstock growth looks exactly like Meyers, although I suppose it could be Rough Lemon or something else similar looking. Anyway, I would cut off that stub. I wouldn't worry about the crossing branches at this stage. I wouldn't repot at this time of year. You have to decide if you are going to keep the plant growing over winter at above 50F or if you are going to allow it to become dormant below. If growing it needs good light. If dormant it needs very little water and lower light. I don't think a root stimulator is needed when re-potting. But your potting medium doesn't look very free-draining to me. It should be.
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silica
9 years ago
I agree with houserquit's advice. If it takes 5 to 10 minutes after you pour water into the top of the container to finally reach the bottom of the container, your container does not have good enough drainage for a citrus tree. Trouble will soon follow. -S-
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Divine, I know that you think it is not dense, but it is. And adding potting mix, which is basically just peat, will make this mix even more dense. It will compact and will eventually cause water to accumulate in the bottom half of your pot, suffocating (drowning) your roots. Trust me, been doing this for a while, now :-) Silica is correct, so am I, so are the other several very successful container citrus growers on this forum. I wouldn't bother mixing my custom potting mix this way, if I didn't need to. And, it is quite warm where I live (Vista, N. San Diego county, about 7 miles inland), with little to no rain, and I still need to do this to prevent root rot. If I could have it easy, and just dump a bag of potting mix into my pot, I would. But, this eventually spells disaster in compacted and collapsed mix, and the death of my precious citrus tree. Since I grow a lot of rarer cultivars in containers, I consider it cheap insurance.

You're welcome to do what you want, and ignore the advice of experienced container growers (and Silica is being very modest, he has the most fantastic greenhouse, and grows some of the most amazing things in a very inhospitable climate).

I wish you luck, but I expect in a while, you'll see issues, so you can save this thread for future use, when you see your tree starting to do poorly. It will manifest itself in appearing to be under-fertilizing, then drooping, dropping leaves and overall failure. Those will be your signs of root rot. That, and a very wet bottom half of the pot with very stinky rotten roots.

Patty S.

Improved Semi-dwarf Meyer Lemon Care

Comments (4)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA

thedivinemsm
Original Author

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silica

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Improved Semi-dwarf Meyer Lemon Care

Comments (4)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA

thedivinemsmOriginal Author

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silica

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA

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thedivinemsm
Original Author