Sap on Trunk of Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree

10 years ago

Hello all,
I'm new to the forum (and gardening in general) and have seen lots of great contributors so I'm hoping I can get some help with an issue I have with a new dwarf Meyer Lemon tree I purchased a couple months ago from Armstrong Garden Centers. I've been noticing some yellowing of the leaves over the past few weeks, but I live near the beach (Zone 10B, I believe) and I just assume it was the transplanting of the tree and the chillier weather we've been having lately. In other aspects the tree seems to be doing ok with respect to being alive. It has been sprouting lots of blooms all over the place the last 2 weeks and I have been pinching them, but as you can see in a pic below there are still many. It's an energetic little guy. Regardless of the yellowing, I was looking at the tree today and noticed a good amount of sap dripping off the trunk. I've done some 'googling' of the issue, but haven't really come up with much. Any thoughts? Thanks for your help.

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Comments (8)

ariel.s
Original Author
10 years ago
here is a picture of the little guy
ariel.s
Original Author
10 years ago
And, a picture of the leaves
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ariel.s
Original Author
10 years ago
And, a final pic of some of the blooms emerging.
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
10 years ago
Ariel, I see no one has responded, so I'll try to jump in, here. First, check your tree to see if you have any bugs of any kind. It looks to me like an injury, either mechanical, or possibly from an insect infection. The insects that can cause this sort of injury are sucking insects - aphids, scale, wooly aphids. I don't see anything obvious like that in your photos, but check the undersides of your leaves. Also, check that branch where it branches off the trunk, and look for a mechanical injury.

Yes, your tree is chlorotic. You need to fertilize your Meyer frequently, and yes, cooler weather can affect nutrient uptake in our neck of the woods, based on our water having a little bit higher pH (not bad, but sometimes just enough that the pH in combination with colder temps can lock out the uptake of Manganese 1st, and then Iron, 2nd.) So, be sure to fertilize your tree regularly. I like to use DynaGro's Foliage Pro, 1/2 strength in the winter, then full strength in the summer. I also use a slow release fertilizer as well. I used to use Osmocote's product, but it has been discontinued. I would suggest Dynamite's slow release fertilizer, the one formulated for citrus, all-purpose or all-purpose select (whichever has the best spread of micronutrients).

Patty S.
ariel.s
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you for your response Patty! Yeah, it's been somewhat mind boggling for me because the tree has looked completely fine for the two months I've had it up to now. There is zero evidence of any type of bug infestation on the leaves and bark so maybe it's something mechanical as you mentioned. It seems to have been leaking right where the two branches join so maybe that has something to do with it. The sap has since hardened and I haven't noticed anything new. Armstrong has a 100% replacement warranty. I wonder if I should wait it out or just go get a new one.

Thank you for the information on the fertilizing. I bought E.B. Stone's Citrus fertilizer when I bought the tree and the instructions said not to fertilize in the fall so I hadn't used it yet. Besides, I assumed the potting of the plant in some E.B. Stone Citrus Potting soil would be sufficient for a little while. I did end up fertilizing it this past weekend and we'll see how it goes. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'm going to look into your fertilizer suggestions as well.

Thank you!
Corn Nuts
8 years ago
Also I also have recently bought a variegated lemon tree with the same exact issue. Though it seems my citrus tree is a bit further along. This sap is hardened like yours which eventually revealed. Your tree has one master branch and an additional what looks like to be almost a sucker but is a branch. Mine has 3. I went to the outer perimeter of each branch and squeeze them together giving each of them amor vertical climb. It has been 2 months and I haven't seen any more sap and the tree seems to be growing new foolage.
pip313
8 years ago
That's good. But I'm sure the original poster fixed the problem, about 2 1/2 years ago.
ccpetri
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I live in the coastal bend of Texas and your tree problem looks like it has Phytophthora Gummosis which can be caused by too much watering or a fungus in the soil that is starting up the tree. I see your post was from several years ago so I hope you found a resolution and I hope others reading this post will find it useful. I’ve included 2 pictures of my Meyer lemon tree that is several years old. We were away for two weeks and had over 4 inches of rain while we were gone and have had several more showers since returning. Don’t know if I will be able to save my tree if it doesn’t stop raining. The black you see on some of the cut ends is a plant wound spray we used after trimming back our tree in the winter. The white patches are also a sign of the fungus attacking the tree. 😢

Phytophthora Gummosis

https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/citrus/phytophthora-gummosis/