Hi ernie85017, Yellowing of leaves or chlorosis can be caused by a number of things. Watering is always on the top of the list so in order to rule it out you'll want to start there. This time of year citrus need watered about once every two weeks as long as the water is soaking down deeply into the soil. The ideal depth is 3 feet, which creates a moisture zone that takes a while to dry out and enables you to water less often. It also encourages deep roots and the water carries salts down below the root zone. Salt accumulation can be lethal to plants. The easiest way to water deeply is to create a 6 inch berm around the tree at the drip line. Some folks like to add a second berm about 12 inches away from the trunk to prevent water from reaching it. Filling the basin should provide adequate water for your citrus. Here's a link to the University of Arizona bulletins on citrus (including irrigation) http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/pubs.htm#Citrus Nitrogen and iron are necessary to produce nice green leaves but soils that are too moist can prevent absorption of these and other nutrients. That's why its important to let the soil dry out a bit in between waterings. We're talking wrung-out-sponge dry, not bone dry. It's also a good idea to add a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch or compost over the soil in the basin. This will slow evaporation, keep soils cool in summer, release nutrients as it decomposes and helps to lower the pH. Lack of nitrogen usually causes yellowing of older leaves while lack of iron is seen in the new growth. To be beneficial to the plant, iron must be in an absorbable form. Ironite doesn't provide this but your chelated iron will. Here's information on nutrient deficiencies in citrus. I hope it helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Common citrus nutrient deficiencies and herbicide symptoms

Hello Witchywoman, I would not plant them in ground where you are. Citrus can't handle temps below freezing for very long and I am in zone 5 with a microclimate zone6. Lake Erie keeps us a little warmer but even still not warm enough for me to keep citrus outdoors year round. Much better to bring them out when warm enough and cart them back in when temps drop below 32. I don't like to keep mine out below 40! Where did you get your trees? I am concerned that at three years old you have not even had any blooms yet. That isn't a good sign. Are they grafted trees? I am guessing no since I recently got a 2-3 year old Oro Blanco grapefruit tree that is loaded with flowers. Matter of fact, I just went out side and removed 3 immature fruits that just formed after the flower petals fell. I do this hoping that the energy will go back to the tree and encourage it to grow larger. Can you post any pics of your trees? Where did you buy them? Kev, I wanted to let you know that a lot of people grow these trees from rooted cuttings and wheather it is grafted or not, you will still get a lot of pleasure from your tree. I love South Carolina. I have made many trips to Myrtle Beach and alsways wanted to experience Charleston but never have. As a teenager, I bought many of my first tropical trees there. Over the years I got a ponderosa lemon, 1 or 2 banana trees, and a huge gardenia tree that actually looked more like a large bush. I didn't have much luck with most of them. I left the ponderosa outdoors and a stupid rabbit turned it into dinner! Thorns and all. I lost the gardenia tree but now I am succesfull with growing them. I wanted to let you know that I recently bought a "dwarf" improved meyer lemon tree. My tree is a little over 6 feet but from what I hear they respond well to pruning. Unfortunetly for me, I can only let it grow maybe a foot taller, but this summer I am going to work on getting it to grow wider. Also, when the tree is full of fruits you can get a weeping affect due to the weight of the fruit. Good luck with your tree and if you have any questions fire away! You should check out my Calling all Imroved Meyer lemon tree post. I asked tons of questions and as a result, my tree is as beutifull as it was the day I got and actually i think it looks greener. Mike recommended a dose of white vinegar and Foliage Pro at every watering. My trees leaves are a nice healthy green! Andrew

Hmmm, Amanda, I guess you'll have to separate those two naughty trees! Imagine the nerve of them! Commingling their genes in such a tawdry display! And the pair of them aren't even the same species! Charles Darwin would be outraged! Seriously, I don't think there has been any nefarious hanky-panky going on, and, unless you happened to pull them apart and break off a few leaves from the one that became wedged in place on the other, I would be more inclined to think that the similarity is just coincidence. Under low light, new citrus leaves can appear quite different (bigger, flimsier, paler) from leaves that have grown in optimal lighting. Short of seeing a picture or two, that is my best guess! Don

Your tree does not have a zinc or manganese deficiency. Neither leaf that you pictured is consistent with those deficiencies. Further none of the other leaves on the tree demonstrate a similar problem. The tree might be slow but is certainly not stuck. I can see that the tree has recently had a small flush of new leaves(not many but a few can be seen in the picture). When was the last time that the container has been flushed with clear water? A container should be flushed at least twice a year. Citrus absorb nutrients in a 5-1-3 ratio. The two fertilizers that you have been using is no where close to that ratio. For every 5 unites of nitrogen that a citrus tree absorbs it will only absorb 1 unit of phosphorus. As you can see both of your fertilizers are supplying way to much phosphorus, which will are of course piling up in the container with each fertilizer application. You need to flush the container and start using a proper fertilizer for citrus. The two pictured leaves just look like old leaves that have come to their end.