Question on leaf chlorosis & mottling (meyer lemon, potted)
Hi all, I'm attempting for the first time to grow potted citrus. I live in Zone 6. I've got experience with large-scale outdoor vegetable gardening but haven't tried to grow, well, anything indoors before.
I ordered a 3 or 4 year-old meyer lemon from Four Winds to get myself started. It arrived in August and I kept it outside until about 7 weeks ago (beginning of October). Since bringing it inside it's put out a lot of new growth and started flowering. I keep it beside a north-facing window for some ambient light, but its main source is a 4-ft. bank of 4 hi-intensity T5's, which the tree is directly under.
As for soil it's in a homemade mix of sphagnum, perlite, and pine bark fines. It's very well-draining. I'm using Foliage Pro 1 tsp./gal. of H20 about once per week. (I don't give it a whole gallon every week, more like 1-2 quarts. I'm not watering otherwise. I've been waiting until the potting medium is just damp at about 3-4 inches down before watering again.) Soil pH sits at about 6.1 when moistened with distilled water, so I'm guessing it's a bit more acid than that.
In the last week the new growth started showing chlorosis and some of the old growth started showing mottling. I thought the mottling might be burns from an organic insecticidal soap I'd used to control some annoying fungus gnats, so I gave the tree a rinse in the shower. But the mottling has continued to appear.
Anyway, that's a lot of info. Here are some pictures of mottled leaves (there's only a couple on the tree now; half a dozen or so have fallen off) and one of the new growth showing chlorosis.
Comments (6)
Mike George
8 years agoRelated Discussions
more Meyer Lemon re-potting issues
Comments (20)Sorry it took so long to reply,but I forget where I post and it takes me a while to find the respnses LOL. I have 7 chameleons right now,but that is down from 13.I am soon to be adding to my collection.I have 5 melleri chameleons and 2 veileds.I like working with chameleons from cool,montane conditions and many are very difficult to acclimate.I enjoy th challenge and sense of accomplishment I get from taking an emaciated and brutalized animal and making them healthy again.The melleri get about 2' long,but there are unconfirmed reports of them reaching 38''.Melleri are unique,in that,they communicate with infrasonic vibrations and appreciate social conditions in captivity.They know me and eat from my hand,where a new person will cause them to show stress.They are housed in a 20'L X 6'W X 6'T cage in my basement with mercury vapor bulbs providing all of their light needs and the need of the many plants as well.There is one window,but it is shaded by the house above and allows very little light.I recreated a montane jungle for them by running an automatic mist system throught the cage and supplying lots of suspended branches and plants.I am VERY careful about what fertilzers and pesticides get used in or around them.They are very sensitve to toxins,b/c the have tiny kidneys compared to their size and are easily poisoned.The temps are around 78F with warmer basking spots and night drop to 68-70F,which they like to have.A tentative list of plants that are in with them include,2 ficus 'ali',a florida strangler fig,banjo leafed ficus,fish-tailed palm,schefflera,draceana,pothos,mistletoe fig,and numerous other small plants.The chameleons are in that set-up during the cool months and are outdoors in warm months in custome cages, I built with shadecloth.I do have pictures,but I am a victim of Kodak's software that will not let me share,except via e-mail.I will be glad to send pix to anyone interested.The chams don't eat plants,but occasionally get the notion to browse a leaf or two.They will accept hand-fed greens like mustard and turnip though.I breed 9 types of tropical roaches for them to eat,as well as my own crickets,stick insects,and other fare.They also get silkworms and hornworms on occasion.They are a lot of work(this species),but I enjoy them and they complement my plnat keeping by having the same or similar needs to the plants.E-mail me at extensionofgreen@yahoo.com for pictures and visit www.melleridiscovery.com to learn more about melleri.That site is run by my friend Kristina,and I have two of her captive bred babies.It is a great site....See MoreMeyer lemon leaf yellowing and brown spots
Comments (1)Your tree looks great; so don't stress. Whatever did that damage to a few leaves is not there now. BTW 12-4-8 is the perfect NPK ratio for Meyers; just be sure it has, or you add Mg, Ca, Iron, and Zinc. Your tree shows no evidence of any of those deficiencies....See MoreMeyer Lemon Leaf Wrinkle
Comments (8)This last week or so since I have been moving the tree inside/outside a few leaves have yellowed and been discarded. I view this as normal. It may be a bit stressed with the almost daily movings. I have had the tree 3 years and it usually will shed its older leaves in fall and winter. Glad to hear that it looks healthy. I will cut back a bit on the fertilizer and give it some time for the nutes to filter out of the pot. I took a photo of the tree late tonight. Those are the two biggest lemons and you can see the runners up dangling in the background. It continues to amaze me that this is possible in Rochester, NY. It is also quite the conservation peice when guests come over....See MoreQuestions about chlorosis / leaf yellowing and dropping in Meyers
Comments (12)The problem with adding a lot of vinegar to such basic water is that the vinegar neutralizes the basic elements and the result is salt. The symptoms I see could all be caused by salt. A better approach would be to add the vinegar to the water and let it stand for a day or more; perhaps the salts will settle to the bottom. Aside from that if you are using an essentially neutral mix, there is no need to lower the pH of the water below 6.5....See More
myermike_1micha
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoMike George
8 years agomyermike_1micha
8 years agoMike George
8 years ago
johnmerr