Vegas, organic gardening is certainly not a crock and luckily, many hundreds of thousands of growers are willing to go the extra mile to produce organic fruits and vegetables. You should know, though, that you will have to study up on the nutritional requirements of citrus in general...and figure out how to provide them,organically, within the confines of a container. You are going to have to provide everything that your plant needs; citrus have some specific micro-nutrient requirements. I see nothing in the Jobe's product that disturbs me too much, though it does not have micro-nutrients, also called miner elements. Fish emulsion could assist in providing some key elements, when used in conjunction with your Jobe's. HOWEVER! It really isn't intended for container culture. There are no directions that I see on the label as to dose and frequency. Another aspect that is troublesome is that I can see how repeated use of this product would muddy up your potting mix....fill the so important pore spaces with fine particles. If you were looking for a product with a high Nitrogen analysis, you'll have to go with something other than your 'organic' products. Lots of container hobbyists resort to the commercial soluble fertilizers, while still using using organic methods for the rest of the plant care. I'm not saying that you should, but just be aware that you will have to keep up with the fert. in order to provide your citrus with what it needs. Another factor in the yellowing 'may' be the potting medium. Again, container culture is entirely different that growing in situ. Garden soil or compost added to a perfect good potting medium can result in a mucky, slow-to-drain mixture. Roots can function in that kind of environment, which is why we have learned to provide a potting mix that remains coarse textured and porous. I may not be the only one that would love to see you re-pot your plant entirely. I'd also like to warn you that moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate. Most of us have learned to rely on the most sophisticated digital equipment we have....our fingers. ;-)

Chicago, a few photos helps if you can post them. I would make sure your container is large enough, and it has well-draining potting soil. Lots of discussion on this forum about the best potting soil for citrus, both commercially available and mix-yourself. Also, it is well worth investing in a moisture meter. You can get a nice one just about anywhere - big box stores, Walmart, your local nursery. That way, there's no guessing. If the moisture meters reads below 50%, it's time to water. I would carefully re-pot your little tree and carefully look at the roots to make sure they're in good shape, not rotten or circling the pot. If they're in good shape, but circling, you'll want to trim them, as they'll just continue to grow in a circle and strangle the tree. Placing it in a nice sunny window is a good thing, and eventually when the weather allows, you can move it outside to filtered sunshine, then full sun as it atclimates to the outside and full sun. Patty S.

Sean, as long as your Vigoro has micronutrients, that's fine, but I would also hit it with a foliar application of Grow More Citrus Growers Blend. It is something you want in your "citrus arsenal" here in S. California. With all the heavy, cold rains we've experienced in the last 2 years, you're going to run into the same issue I have with citrus in the ground (my soil is mainly DG here in N. San Diego county near the coast): a leaching of micronutrients, especially magnesium. So, start with the Vigoro, but do make a foliar app with some micronutrients. You'll see the difference, promise :-) And Tim's right, no pruning for now. Wait until you obviously need to do some MINOR shaping. Remember, with citrus, pruning equals no fruit. Citrus produce fruit at the tips of their branches, so you're cutting off your next fruit crop when your prune! And Tim's advice about removing suckers is right on. Just break them off if they're soft. If they've hardened off, trim close to the rootstock. Our water isn't too alkaline here in San Diego county - about 7 to 7.6. Fine for citrus. But, for your little guy, acidifying the water with some vinegar and pouring it over the fertilizer may help prevent the micronutrients from getting locked out due to the alkalinity. You guy needs a bit of a rescue. Tim's advice is good. Once recovered, you probably won't need to acidify your water. You can also achieve this with your foliar application - acidifying the water you use to dissolve your Growers Blend in. When you pick up your moisture meter, pick up a decent pH meter (don't buy the cheapest one). It's worth having these in your gardening tools. I've had both my moisture meter and my pH meter for many years. Great tools to have! Patty S.

There's a good chance that it was a combination of the mites and the dryness of the air in your house. When I bring plants in for the winter and the furnace is blowing all that super-dried air on them, they lose leaves like crazy. Last winter I put most of my plants in one room and set up a humidifier in there to keep the air moist. I also shut of the vent in there so the air stayed cooler. A couple of plants were tropicals and I misted them just to provide a little extra moisture to their leaves. Once you are sure you have eradicated the mites from your tree, begin providing more moisture to it everyday, but don't increase the watering to the roots. If you can maintain the temps in your garage above freezing it might be a better environment for your lemon tree than inside the house. It should begin to put on new leaves within a few weeks or so. Another thing you may wish to look at is the pot your lemon is in. Have you repotted it since you bought it? If not you may have a pot bound root system that cannot absorb water or nutrients. If you need to repot, use a good mix that includes some grit, like a cactus mix and feed it with plant food designed for citrus, like citrus tone. Cheryl