Meyer Lemon leaves dropping! Help!

8 years ago

I have a potted dwarf meyer lemon that I keep on my deck in the summer (phila., pa) and under grow lights in winter. It's been struggling the past few years with different ailments but this summer it really leafed out a lot and started looking good and healthy! Then about 2 weeks ago, the leaves started yellowing and dropping off at an alarming rate! I have fed it with espoma citrus-tone per package instructions and have it in soil marketed for citrus. What is wrong with my Caroline? Yes, I name my plants! Please help! See photos!

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myermike_1micha

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hgonet....Unfortunely for me it's better to put my trees in the shade when I take off for a few days than to leave them in the sun. Sometimes your pots stay wet even though it's hot because the roots will just shut down and stop taking up moisture which leaves them left to die in a sea of plenty, especially with constant moisture..If the roots are healthy enough, they will start to take up moisture again once they cool off a bit. Hopefully they were not susceptible to spide mites at a time when the leaves were weak...Do check for them and until the roots cool off, don't fertilize to make it worst...

As for mites, just because you don't see webs, does not mean you do not have them. BY the time you see webbing, it can be too late to save any plant or to stop and epidemic of them from killing your tree and other plants near by. That is why you need a magnifying glass to examine the underneath of the leaves very carefully It should be a monthly ritual to check for them, especially in winter. Prevention is always the best cure...One treatment does not rid them for good either...You need to do several days apart to kill the adults and hatching eggs too..At this time of the year, spraying down the leaves almost every day in the a.m can go a long way preventing mites from taking hold.

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Comments (9)

johnmerr
8 years ago
You may be keeping it to wet. You should also check it with a loupe for spider mites.
hgonet thanked johnmerr
pip313
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
That upside down bottle is for watering? If so John is probably right and your keeping the soil too wet. As bad as drying out is, being constantly wet is far worse. Dry roots will recover faster than rotted roots.
hgonet thanked pip313
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Starloc, Might it be because I accidently let that room get to cool at night for a few nights, which in turn cooled the soil at night ? I normally keep the room 65 degrees and up at night, but for a few nights, meaning at least a week, it got down into the high 50's low 60's at night. I warmed it back up again. If you say it could be a nutrient defficiency, or that the plant is upset, could it be that it took up no nutrients when soil was cold at night for a while which in turn caused the leaf problem and drop in this case? Does this make sense? I hope so. I hope it is just a matter of soil temp. I have been keeping the lights on as normal, and now that I am keeping it warmer in there at night, I hope the leaf drop stops. By the way, there is no new leaves replacing the old ones yet. All the fallen leaves are from the bottom and center of tree and through out. When I get new growth, these branches don't fill out again, I just get new growth from the top of the branches while the center stays bare. Strang ha? I am having no problems with all my other citrus other than this "lemon meyer". I am begining to think that "lemon meyers" are a very sensitive plant...lol All it seems they like is very warm conditions and very sunny conditions too. Anything other than this they seem to dislike. To me, I think they are more finicky than my gardenias. Oh well, as long as the branches don't start dying back, I hope it will fill out in summer again. Please let me know what you think ok. Thanks alot.
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Alejandro..leaves yellow for different reasons. I doubt the cause was Miracid..on the contrary, adding fertilizer, especially Miracid should prevent yellowing. You mention watering once a week..Do you allow soil to dry before adding more water? Watering should NOT be done on a schedule..water when soil is dry..Otherwise, if your soil remains constantly wet, and you add more water, plant will show signs of distress..one being yellow leaves. An 18" pot is pretty large. Is soil well-draining? If your citrus is potted in heavy soil, it'll take longer to dry. I notice you're in NH..too early to take plants out? If they're indoors, overwatering will cause all sorts of problems..including bugs. Especially Fungus Gnats. Every so often problems occur, like yellow leaves..unless your citrus is losing leaves daily, I wouldn't worry. But I think you're watering too much without allowing soil to dry..What do you think? Check the soil before giving a drink..Insert your finger deeply in soil..if it comes out wet/moist, wait a few days and recheck. If it's dry then time to water. Another way is lifting pot..is the pot heavy or light..when light, most likely, soil needs a drink, if heavy, again wait a few days and recheck.. They sell moisture meters, but some people think they're a waste of time. Unless you have two meters, to compare, I tend to agree. The finger and weight test is a sure bet. Check for insects..especially spider mites and scale..look for webbing..do leaves feel sticky? Check for brown or white lumpy bumps that can be scraped off.. I wish I could help w/pics, but I've no idea..maybe someone else will chime in..Toni
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I very strongly doubt that your tree has a phosphorous deficiency. I have NEVER heard of a phosphorous deficiency in container citrus, when it is regularly fertilized with a NPK fertilizer. Phosphorous does not leach from a container, as does nitrogen and potassium. Nitrogen and potassium are both VERY water soluble and readily leach with every watering, but not phosphorus. All of the leaves that are turning yellow, and dropping are the older leaves on the tree. Your tree is withdrawing the nitrogen from the leaves (thus they are yellowing) to reuse in other part of the tree before discarding them. When a leaf no longer is capable of supplying its expected quota of energy to the tree, it is quickly discarded. There is no welfare program for citrus leaves. However, your tree is also under fed. If the tree's problem was other than aged leaves, you would be seeing yellow dropped leaves from the new leaves also. Also it is not wise to add this and that chemical in hopes of coming across a cure. First ascertain what the problem actually is then correct it. I'm sure it was also not helpful to the tree to let it remain in the same container and "soil" for 5 years. Fertilize the tree using a high nitrogen fertilizer. You can add vinegar if you wish, but there are much better ways to acidify. Organic acids such as vinegar, have an extremely short life.
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hgonet
Original Author
8 years ago
Okay, maybe that's it. I did empty out the bottle and will try to let it dry out. We had a few very hot weeks here and I go away on the weekends so I thought the bottle would help. It is inserted into a terra cotta "plant nanny". Hopefully if I let it dry out it will recover! As for spider mites, it did have them before over the winter. I thought I got rid of them as I do not see any webbing now. I treated it with horticultural oil just in case because I didn't know what was wrong with it. I really don't want it to die!
pip313
8 years ago
People are so dramatic, even heavily webbed plants will be fine. Just kill them when you see them.
myermike_1micha
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Pip, you're too funny. I wish I had that same mental attitude about mites..They have always been my nemesis, therefore never a problem with me if I can help it.. Enjoy the day)
hgonet
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks all for your comments. Mikerno... when you suggest spraying leaves in the am, do you just mean with water?
pip313
8 years ago
I have Crohn's disease. Used to have my medical marihuana card. Had spider mites many times, sometimes real real bad. Never lost a plant. Ever.
myermike_1micha
8 years ago
Pip, I am sorry to hear you have that. My Nephew has it and it can be very painful. I hope you have been ok and have been keeping it at bay. That's great you never lost a plant). I still hate the suckers...lol

Hgonet, you are welcome. When you spray anything with oils in it, always spray as early as possible, and never when the temps will reach over 90 that day. I like to treat mine with any type of oils at night and then in the a.m I do a rinse with just water to wash the excess oils of the oils..
hgonet thanked myermike_1micha

Meyer Lemon leaves dropping! Help!

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Meyer Lemon leaves dropping! Help!

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