Well, if you've read through this forum, you'll nearly all the successful container citrus folks use their own potting mix, as the stuff that comes out of a bag is just much too dense. Moisture meters like you have stuck in your pot can be notoriously inaccurate, and certainly will not tell you what's going on at the bottom of your pot, which can very well be a swamp, while the top of your soil can appear very dry. So, the first thing I would do is re-pot with either "Gritty Mix" or "511 Mix", both formulas can be found on this forum. Secondly, those same container growers prefer to use Dyna Gro Foliage Pro, mainly because it has the proper NPK ratio (it's not just about the N), plus all the micronutrients. Plus, the nitrogen is non-urea based, which is very important to prevent biuret build-up and leaf burn. You can use Foliage Pro either 1/2 strength or full strength with every watering. I would water, first, to moisten the roots, then fertilize. Never apply fertilizer to dry roots. Misting. Again. The myth that will not die. Citrus do not need high humidity. If this were so, they'd never survive in our S. California deserts, where there are still thousands of acres of commercial citrus groves. I have no idea where this myth got started. Yes, you citrus will always benefit from a hosing off, to remove house dust and discourage pests (all house plants will benefit from a hosing off), but you do not need to waste your time misting. And, I would leave your lights on longer. Meyer lemons are rather sensitive to light changes, so you'll see leaf drop, but, your tree looks to me like it's suffering more from compacted soil and lack of fertilizer, than lack of light. So, try fixing those two things, first. Fungus gnats can pop up in any soil, organic or not. They proliferate from too wet soils (which is my suspicion going on with your tree), so re-pot with better potting mix, and if they come back, you can use a product called, Gnatrol. It takes a couple of applications, but it is very effective. Another one of our forum members suggested another very effective product, just can't remember it off the top of my head. Hopefully, they'll post their product for you. Patty S.

Would love your input on 1. leaf miner, 2. Leaf cupping and/or curling and 3. leaf burn problems I'm facing. Have gone thru your great video on addressing leaf miner issues. Want to be sure it's leaf miner alone or if these three issues need different solutions. I purchased an owari satsuma dwarf mandarin plant a few weeks ago, have it in a pot and looks like I have a heavy leaf miner infestation. In addition there seems to be tip browning and curling. I live in the Bay Area. Have started a cycle of spinosad every two weeks, alternating with neem oil on the off weeks. Been about 3 weeks and the curling only seems to be getting worse. Plant is south facing with full sun. Have posted pics at Pinterest: https://pin.it/t4X73-W if you could take a look and provide any inputs on what else I should doing will be very much appreciated. I did top the soil with a little bit of chicken manure and the browning *may* have followed that. At the same link, have also pics of a couple little banana trees that also seem to be suffering from leaf burn. Wondering if the cause is that I didn't sufficiently acclimatize the banana plants in shade after getting it via mail from the nursery. They are potted and placed south facing in full sun. This is my very first time trying to grow fruit trees (or any trees for that matter) - Thank you for lending a helping hand to aspiring backyard gardeners

no... its sporadic watering. You let it dry out too much in between watering and then deluge it.. That's why the outer cells in those leaves burst and now are turning brown. Also when overwatering, you remove valuable minerals from the soil... hence the yellowing leaves with greenish veins. It did need light which is why it responded to additional light. its fine now. so this what you should do. Do not overwater. Just damp but not soaking through. let it dry but not too completely in between. give it a weak tropical fertilizer because it's fruiting. When it fruits is will need more nutrients. Don't worry if the older leaves drop off, for as long as new leaves continue to come out.

Imo, 2-3 inches of space around the roots is sufficient for at least a year for that size plant. There can be a problem putting a small root ball into a very large amount of potting mix, if the roots don't fill that whole space within a year, the soil not filled with roots can stay too wet. Potting mix works best when filled with some roots but not too many. I know it's kinda a Goldilocks thing, not enough soil, too much soil, just the right amount of soil!,lol, but I think 2-3 inches for you should be fine for the next year. After that year, gently slide the plant out a little to see the roots, if they've filled up the pot all the way to the edge and you can still see about half or more of the soil between the roots it's still good for a few more months. If you see mostly roots and very little soil, then it's time to repot again. And just up one or two next sized up pots. I agree with Steve on the drain holes though, most pots don't have enough. It will hurt nothing and benefit the tree a lot to add more drain holes. I think your dwarf spruce had more issues with just being inside than any watering problems. Pretty much all conifers do not do well inside. Even though they sell dwarf spruce as indoor live Christmas trees, they need to go outside after Christmas. Two to three weeks is about all they can tolerate being inside. They do just fine in the snow. You will find growing your Meyer lemon inside challenging at the very least. Like spruce, they also prefer being outside, but can't deal with snow, so many folks in cold areas do over winter them indoors. However those 3-5 months inside can be very stressful for the citrus trees, and they then get to recover outside all during the warm months. Also, Meyers are notorious for dropping leaves when it's moved to a new location, especially a lower light location, which indoors will be, even in front of the window. So don't panic if it does lose leaves, it will grow new ones which will tolerate less light. It's how it copes with a new environment. You will need to be careful to not over water it until the new leaves emerge. Not saying you can't do it, but it won't be as easy as say a philodendron. Light, light and more light will probably be your biggest issue. Second may be insect issues, if the tree isn't totally clean of them before you bring it inside. Check it very carefully, and use a magnifying glass as mites are really small. I'm sure others here who have grown them inside will have more advice for you shortly. Good luck with your tree. :)