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Meyer lemon leaf help

9 years ago

Hi, I have a potted Meyer lemon tree that almost died over the winter. I think I was underwatering it all summer. Almost all of the leaves fell off. I started giving it supplementary light in the middle of winter and all of a sudden a few new branches sprouted. Now, a few months later, I have more than a dozen new branches starting and a bunch of newly formed leaves and flower buds. I even have 1-2 lemons forming. However, I have several leaves looking like the picture below. Can anyone tell me what that looks like it is from? I did put the tree outside for a few hours a couple weeks ago when we had weather in the mid-high 60's (Colorado). I tried to not keep it out there too long b/c of sunburn. Does this look like sunburn or something else? Thanks in advance for the help!

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Comments (3)

johnmerr
9 years ago
It looks like sunburn, or burn from having a light too close to the leaves. Be careful when you start to move it outside; Meyers are quite sensitive to light changes. Move it first from inside to outside full shade; after 2 weeks move it to partial sun; then another 2 weeks to move to full sun. Reverse the process when you move it inside in the Fall.
ianna
9 years ago
no... its sporadic watering. You let it dry out too much in between watering and then deluge it.. That's why the outer cells in those leaves burst and now are turning brown. Also when overwatering, you remove valuable minerals from the soil... hence the yellowing leaves with
greenish veins.

It did need light which is why it responded to additional light. its fine now. so this what you should do. Do not overwater. Just damp but not soaking through. let it dry but not too completely in between. give it a weak tropical fertilizer because it's fruiting. When it fruits is will need more nutrients. Don't worry if the older leaves drop off, for as long as new leaves continue to come out.
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First, don't despair. Your Meyer, which by most standards is a bit sensitive when grown as a garden tree, has suffered from probably being too long in the same pot, from being moved to new light conditions, and then transplant shock being planted inground. The good news is now that it is in the ground, and in one place, it will recover nicely. FYI, since you planted it in the ground, the roots have been growing; first the roots grow, and after that the leaves and branches grow. Have a little patience, water it deeply about once per week in the Summer, and give it some good citrus fertilizer 3 to 4 times per year per label instructions. Keep us posted as it grows and produces blooms next Spring and fruit next November... yes, I actually know when it will bloom in Northern California, unlike many other latitudes and altitudes.
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Before I even read everything you wrote my first assumption was your mix. Sounds like you are using a very fine mix, at least what is bagged and what the nursery recommend and you are watering in sips...Did you do a repot since you potted them up two years ago? How big are the pots? Do you make sure your mix dries out before watering again? Do you know if the mix you use even needs watering in 48 hours? A regular timed watering system does not work for potted citrus especially unless you are using a fast drying draining mix.. You must address the mix first and your watering habits. You must use a porous one in order to use your timing watering system, or water by hand if using a bagged mix. That is the choice we make when growing citrus. They are VERY picky about their watering needs and soil mix requirements. Your issues are most likely stemming from the mix and the amount of moisture those roots are subjected to, along with a combination of dissolved salts killing the roots preventing nutrition uptake and attracting pest issues..Woo, that's a mouthful.) Can we all address the mix first? What can you do? Do you have access to perlite? Do you have access to bagged bark pieces? Can you take a picture of your trees and especially the soil they are in so we can see what it looks like? D Do you keep them outside all year long? How much sun? The roots are too weak to support vitality for your tree( That's a start) and nice to meet you. Mike
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What is your water like? Browning at the leaf tip can be a sign of too much salt in the irrigation water. Also how are you watering? Citrus does not like to be sitting in water so if you have really heavy clay soil you need to make sure the soil drys out somewhat before irrigating again. Deep infrequent watering is best, especially with clay soils. Your tree is almost completely defoliated, it is hard to tell from the picture if the bark is burned but that can be a problem with so few leaves and harsh sun. I would recommend painting the trunk and exposed branches with a thinned white latex interior paint (50:50 paint water). Good Luck
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jkc122
Original Author
9 years ago
Ianna, I see what you are saying. But when I looked up that problem on google it showed people having very small brown spots on the underside of their leaves. My leaves look smooth and normal on the underside. Can the leaf have the burst cell problem but not show the other symptoms?

I do have a CFL grow light pretty close for several hours per day still. I didn't think it would be close enough to cause a problem but it is about 6-8 inches from leaves. I had moved it closer because I read that the light wasn't that strong so it should be close.

Thanks for the help!

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