Do I have a Meyer Lemon or a lime?

ryseryse_2004

8 years ago

I bought two Meyer Lemon plants on-line in February - there were in little 4" pots. Over the summer they have grown like mad and I now have them in 2 gallon pots. One 'lemon' started growing in March and is still on the plant. It is the size of a very small lemon but is still green. Is it a lemon? Or did they send me a lime plant? Both plants are very healthy and full of tiny fruits. This is so exciting as I have never grown citrus before.

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Comments (9)

LizinTx
8 years ago
Do you have photos of the two trees? I think it's still to early to tell, but most likely, you have two lemon trees. The lemons will stay green for quite a while before ripening up and changing color, at that point, they will be much large than a lime, although there are always exceptions based on multiple factors involved in their care, environment, soil, and so on. I would wait some more.
pip313
8 years ago
Remove the fruit because a tree in a 4 inch pot is too small to carry fruit and stay healthy. Then cut it open and taste. Problem solved.
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Agree with John in putting the soil back over the small roots. Citrus are shallow rooted trees, so you definitely want to cover those small roots. What we usually do not do here is pile the soil up against the trunk higher than where the original soil line was in the pot (unless the soil was obviously too low). JR, here's how I plant my citrus trees in S. California. As long as you're not on clay, this should work for you. I dig a hole about 2 to 3 times as wide as the pot. I fill the hole up twice with water, letting it drain out. I then plant the tree so that the trunk will be at the level of the soil. If I see roots circling the pot, I try to gently loosen then, or if I have to, carefully trim them, so they grow straight out and not in a circle. I use a long-handled rake or shovel to be sure my tree doesn't get planted to deep or too high. I back fill with native soil - I do NOT amend my soil. I create a nice deep well around the drip line or a little ways out. I fill that well with a combination of chicken manure (not too much), and compost. It is also where I'll broadcast fertilizer in about a month. I then fill with about 3 to 4 inches of chopped wood mulch to help conserve water. I take care not to pile the chicken manure/compost or the mulch up against the tree trunk (although it does end up migrating towards the trunk if the wells get overfull, so I do try to move the mulch away from the trunks periodically). I deep water the tree, then place it on a drip. Every year I re-fill the well with compost/manure and re-mulch. This gives the tree just what it needs: Great nutrients percolating down to the feeder roots, just like Mother Nature would provide. John, with only about 5 to 10" of rainfall a year out here, we have to mulch our trees. The only issue I get now and then, are slugs and snails hiding out in the mulch, so I will wrap the trunk with a bit of copper tape, and sprinkle Sluggo in the wells. Rhizo is right on about the mulch, especially in areas like mine, where our soils are thin (I'm on just about pure DG, awesome great for drainage, not so great for micronutrients.) The compost/manure and the mulch make a big difference for me and all my plants, not just my citrus and avocados :-) Plus, everything looks very nice, and keeps the weeding down to a very bare minimum. Essential when you have an acre and no one to help you weed! And now, after a couple of years, I can reach down a few inches into the soil and see nice, rich black topsoil that is full of earthworms. Perfect way to grow any plant, especially citrus. Patty S.
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To the above excellent advice, I would add the following: 1. Any Mexican/Key lime grafts will be *significantly* less hardy than the "Meyer" lemon stock. So any grafts would probably do better if they were protected by "Meyer" lemon growth above -- such growth would tend to act as a protective umbrella during freezes. However, as mentioned above, the grafts would probably be less vigorous than the "Meyer" branches and shoots. So the best practice would be to graft the lime onto apically dominant stock shoots. The problem is, of course, that the most apically dominant portions of your existing tree will be found at the top of the plant! So you need to find a balance. You might, for example, find a vigorous, watersprout-type shoot, and then trace it down to its base, cut it off low, and put a graft on there. (Or, if you prefer, t-bud some lime down there, and then cut the shoot off.) 2. Meyer lemons are quite ornamental. Mexican/Key limes are much less attractive. They're rather twiggy/scrubby in appearance. Even if you like that look, any lime grafts would be quite difference in appearance than the stock plant growth -- so they would probably stand out, and might mar the ornamental value of your tree. The ideal way to get around this is to put the lime grafts on whichever side of the "Meyer" that is least visible from your house or yard.
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I know a gal in tampa who is growing a key lime with great success. I do not believe she covers it from the cold, however she has lots of big oaks and the oaks canapy protects her plants pretty well. With that being said if you are concerned that your keylime could get damaged during a frost, by all means cover it. Any plant I am unsure about, I try to play it safe and cover it. Now about the Myer Lemon, I have alway been told they are very slow growing. And I have found that to be true. I don't think you would have any problem trying to keep it at a reasonable height. When it does start to get bigger, just trim it back. I also have never heard about air layered plants being smaller.
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i water them every 10-14 days. only for the fact that the moisture meter is barely at the 'dry' side at that time. in some instances (especially the lemon), is still moist/wet. i read somewhere that you should start w/a smaller pot, then move up. i had already purchsed these larger pots and figure i'd use the bottom half. not to mention, i also drilled a decent amount of holes in the bottom to get good drainage. today, i changed out all my soil and replaced it with citrus/cactus soil. hoping that helps.
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johnmerr
8 years ago
He said they have grown and are now in 2 gallon pots. One fruit is not a problem; leave it, and if you are in the Northern hemisphere, it should get ripe and yellow along about November.
pip313
8 years ago
Grown enough since February?

Liz it's generally recommended to not let a tree hold its fruit the first year, and that's when talking about 3 year old trees.

you certainly can keep it. If you don't mind setting the tree back severely in growth. Removing those first few fruits is tough but read as many threads here as you have time for and you will see this recommendation a lot. And I mean a lot.
Liam Coldwell (Zone 9a)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
He's right, one fruit can completely stop growth for that size until its off, its a tough thing to do, but maybe next year you can keep one, and gradually have more

EDIT: So sorry
pip313
8 years ago
I'm a dude but yeah.

its actually recommended to remove fruit from new trees of all species not just citrus. If I wasn't clear.
johnmerr
8 years ago
Removing all fruit in the first year for a Meyer is at best controversial; for my garden trees, I tend to leave only a few fruits the first year and a few more in the second year. For my 30,000 field Meyers I just leave them alone... if they have a lot of fruit, I feed them a little more; but I can't afford the manpower to individually thin them. Here is a photo of my 3 year old Meyers that have never had fruit removed. Maybe someone here has more experience than I; but for what it is worth, that is my opinion.
pip313
8 years ago
Your comparing your zone 11 growth patterns to someone in zone 5. Never mind the container vs in ground differences.

i promise you OP, johns view is the vast minority. Don't listen to either of us. Google how to establish a fruit tree and decide for yourself.
LizinTx
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yea, I know it's recommended to remove all fruit from young trees, especially, their first year, but I don't think leaving one will severely thwart the tree's development. He wants to know what type of tree it is, so that would be a good way to confirm. But, chances are they are lemon trees, so removing the fruit will only delay the inevitable confirmation, although may not eliminate his doubt of whether it's a lemon or lime. Either way, up to you OP.

John, your trees look great!

Do I have a Meyer Lemon or a lime?

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LizinTx

pip313

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