Can anyone help me with my little lemon tree?
Tracey_OH
11 years ago
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Lars
11 years agoTracey_OH
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Help me diagnose my Lemon Tree
Comments (1)I think your tree has root rot,...See MoreMy lemon tree and me need your help!!
Comments (4)rhizo is correct in his thinking that the present container is more than big enough. When you first planted the tree in the whiskey barrel I assume that the potting soil you used filled the barrel to the top. Looking at the pictures, the soil has now compacted down four or five inches. As container soil degrades it compacts, and as it compacts the soil greatly loses porosity, thus the available soil oxygen becomes drastically reduced, and then many problem will begin to show. Miracle Grow potting soil is famous for compaction. Presently your tree looks healthy enough, but you need to keep an eye on it in the coming year. As far as the blooms and young fruitlets falling from the tree that is completely normal. A small tree the size of your lemon, usually only retain very few fruits. Only 2 - 5 percent of the blooms a citrus tree produces will ever become fruit, and then only 2-3 percent of the new fruit will ever remain on the tree to become mature. I don't think there is anything presently wrong with your tree....See MoreHelp me evaluate my Lemon Tree! (pics)
Comments (15)Millet, our California soils are mostly on the clay side. Very few are on the other extremes. Clay soils with stagnant non-flowing water are more of our problem than leaching. I have to literally take out the soil, install drainage pipes and aerators, and then put back the proper type of soil around our backyard so that I could plant the trees. Our soils are rich in nitrogen. My recommendations are not for potted citruses, neither were they for everyone including Germany, it is within the context of the original author and what I know about our soils and that I have been to several backyards of several friends in the Bay area. We do have soils that are sandy or silty that have high leaching rates. Our soils and city water are also on the basic side, that will also tend to limit availability of P. You are right that one must consider what you are taking out must be replaced. We are however in the context of producing fruits for home consumption within our yard, and not to think like a commercial for profit growers. As a home owner who doesn't want vigorous growth on our mature trees, it would be easier for me to err on the less growth side. Apply less N, you have lesser growth, lesser pruning work, for sure reduced yield which we also like to be at manageable harvest level but always more than enough for our needs. That's the beauty of this, we can easily manipulate growth and production and not be dictated by economics of production. Applying more N, naturally you will have overly vigorous trees, something that in my right mind, you will never need to do with your mature trees when they are planted closer together than those in commercial orchards. I have one valencia orange tree in my rental property, also heavy clay soil. I have never applied any fertilizer on it ever, as did the previous owner. Yet it keeps on consistently producing a lot of fruits, and it has been 15 years since it was planted. Perhaps during the last 3 years since we got it, it has only grown 1/2 ft taller, but the fruit production is more or less consistent and there was no need to prune nor clean up intertwining branches as there are none. The fruit taste kept on improving year after year, however. This tree could easily qualify for organic growing. This is the type of mature tree that I want in my yard. The leaves remained green, no deficiency, on clay soils but yet produce fruit. I just water it on automatic schedule. Should I need to make it grow bigger, I would perhaps apply fertilizer with low N, then just ammonium sulfate for the younger ones that I want to grow vigorously. Clay soils store a lot of nutrients and the only problem about leaching is that we need it, along with aeration and proper drainage in some cases....See MoreIs my little lemon tree doing alright?
Comments (3)Well, you're right, your little lemon tree is seriously underfertilized. Lose the fertilizer stakes, they don't work very well. You don't tell us where you live in the country in your GW signature area on the "My Page" area (see mine, above), which really helps us. But, by the photo I'm guessing somewhere hot, maybe AZ? You want to seriously expand the watering well to the edge of your tree's canopy and beyond a bit. That's where your tree's feeder roots exist. So, move those red tiles way, way out. Make sure the water will well around around the perimeter, and not at the trunk. Then, go to your best gardening center and purchase a high quality citrus fertilizer (their is a brand in AZ I think called, "Arizona's Best" which is especially formulated for AZ.) It should have the proper NPK ratio, as well as all the micronutrients for citrus. For this tree I would be fertilizing every month until October so you can revive your tree. Then you can fertilize every 2 to 3 months from about Jan/Feb through October. Be sure you water well, at least 2 to 4 times a week, depending upon how hot it is and how well your soil drains (citrus don't like sitting with wet feet, but you don't want them to totally dry out, either.) Mulch your well with compost and some wood chips to help preserve soil moisture if you're in a hot dry area. Patty S....See MoreLars
11 years agolsr2002
11 years agoTracey_OH
11 years agolsr2002
11 years agolsr2002
11 years agolsr2002
11 years agoTracey_OH
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