skip to main content

1 yr old lemon tree brown leaves

7 years ago

I have a 1 year old little lemon tree that my mom started from a seed from one of her lemons on her tree. It's about a foot tall and has tons of leaves...BUT the leaves are almost all brown and starting to curl up..even the new leaves turn brown shortly after sprouting. I have sprayed for bugs but haven't seen any. I water regularly. I fertilize every few weeks with miracle grow. Am I doing something wrong? Do I have an issue with the pot size. It's in a 16 inch pot. Please help...I don't want to lose this plant.

Featured Answer

User

7 years ago

Were the leaves like that before you sprayed for bugs? It looks like it might be salt damage. Do you let the water run out the bottom when you water? That pot looks way too big for your tree. It should probably be in a 10 inch pot. A too big pot can lead to root rot.

Repot the tree into 5-1-1 mix. Dunk the roots in and out of water to remove the old soil. You may have to use a garden hoes to force the old soil off.

My version of Al Tapla's 5-1-1 Mix

· 5 parts pine bark mulch (remove ½” pieces through 1/2 inch screen)

(Some people use Repti Bark instead of mulch. This does not require screening but may require more frequent watering.)

· 1 part sphagnum peat

· 1 part perlite (coarse, if you can get it)

· 1 Tb/gal 5-1-1 mix garden lime (measure the 5-1-1 mix)

· Controlled release fertilizer (optional)

· Moisten well and wait at least 2 days before using

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Silica
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Your tree's leaves are being burnt from a high level of soluble salts in the growth medium (root zone). The soluble salts are coming from the constant amount of fertilizers you are applying. You need to flush the tree's root zone with clean clear water in the amount of four times the volume of the container. Doing so will wash out the soluble salts. In the future flush your tree three or four times a year to avoid a reoccurrence of this problem. - Silica
Amber Davis thanked Silica
Related Discussions
HELP! Meyer Lemon Tree 1 year old
Q
Comments (10)
Ok..First of all, the curse of the lemon meyer!! But have no fear, you can prevail! Immediately, I mean immediately, I would get that plant out of the soil ASAP.... That soil your using, has been the DEATH of all mine when I first began. It holds way too much water, a perched water table which citrus HATE in our growing regions, no matter what the product claims, and it holds way to much residue fertilizer salts that can turn leaf tips brown. Your roots should look a healthy white. Take a peak while you are add it, if not, it is killing your tree fast. Therefore the branches dying..Root rot kills the branches, but first the leaves drop, usually green and or yellow..The leafs drop green if under watered and root damaged has taken hold.. Is there a way you can STRAIN out all the peat moss in that soilless mix you bought? Please let me know..I will give you a great idea? Do you have quick access to good nursery mix? You live in Ohio? You need to keep your tree on the dry side with such a lack of sunlight, and make sure it absolutely needs watering before you do it again.. Let us leave it at here, until you change the soil..Nothing else is going to help it, until you first take this step. That soilless mix is junk! Sorry..:-( Let me know when you have done the first step, and or if you want too.. I will then guide you from there..You NEED to put that plant in a FAST draining soilless mix, that dries out rather rapidly. One that is porous and provides great gas exchange after each watering. One that allows the salts to flush out at each watering. One that allows you to feed at every watering. One that provides oxygen and does not suffocate the roots..Does not take too long to dry out, or compact:-) There might still be hope. How much sun does it get? How are the temps? What size, kind of pot is it in? How long has it been taking the soil mix to dry out? What kind of water do you provide it with? Do you use vinager? What kind of analysis, or how high is the ph of your water? What are your cultural habits in detail.. Mike
...See More
1.5 yr old Meyer Lemon tree
Q
Comments (2)
no potting mix with moisture control and no other plans in the pot. i think a one gallon pot should be fine for the beginning
...See More
1.5 yr old Meyer Lemon tree. Questions
Q
Comments (1)
Sorry for double post
...See More
1 year old lemon tree
Q
Comments (1)
What is the purpose of removing all the leaves, or cutting it back?
...See More
Amber Davis
Original Author
7 years ago
So a 10 inch pot would be best for now and a good flush and soil change. Can I just repot with a regular potting mix ?
0
Amber Davis
Original Author
7 years ago
And yes the leaves were this way before the spraying for bugs
0
User
7 years ago
What do you mean by a "regular potting mix"? Citrus must have a fast draining mix or they will get root rot. You are better off with the 5-1-1 mix.
0
Amber Davis thanked User
Silica
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Most people on this forum use either the 511 mix or the gritty mix. On the other citrus forum most people now use Miracle Grow Garden Soil (MGGS) (not Miracle Grow Potting Soil). Myself, I used the 511 mix for years, it is a good growing medium, and it did a good job. About 6 or 7 years ago I switched to MGGS. It also is a good medium, and it also does a good job. I guess I now must have 30 different citrus varieties growing in containers using MGGS, in containers from as small as 1-gallon up to 55 gallon. Most are growing in 18 gallon air root pruning containers. The MGGS medium has never had a drainage problem in all these years. MGGS sure is a heck of a lot easier to use then formulating the 5-1-1. Anyway chose what ever medium you wish to use. Good luck to you and your tree. - Silica,
Amber Davis thanked Silica
johnmerr
7 years ago
Silica nailed it... SALT
Amber Davis thanked johnmerr
hobbyartisan (Saskatoon, SK Canada, 2b)
7 years ago
Silica what zone are you in? Can we see some pics of your trees? I'm extremely nosey over here!
0
Amber Davis thanked hobbyartisan (Saskatoon, SK Canada, 2b)
eSilviu
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
In the last 4 years I have started hundreds of citrus seeds: lemon, orange, clementine, grepfruit and trifoliate. From all of these, lemon had the biggest variability: fast grower, slow grower, distorted leaves, double trunks, etc. There were no two identical seedlings !

Sometimes the supermarket fruits are irradiated in order to obtain a longer shelf time. Maybe that's the cause for variance...

My guess is that the lemon from first pictures has a genetic mutation (or maybe a virus) that leads to those dense and distorted leaves.

Second problem is indeed salt buildup in soil, and this salt leads to leaf burns.
0

Related Stories

FALL GARDENING 5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden

By Therese Ciesinski

Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees

GARDENING GUIDES How to Keep Your Citrus Trees Well Fed and Healthy

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Ripe for some citrus fertilizer know-how? This mini guide will help your lemon, orange and grapefruit trees flourish

DECORATING GUIDES Have Lemons? Make a Decorative Statement

By Lily Gahagan

Add a splash of citrus for some midwinter color therapy

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

GARDENING GUIDES How to Keep Your Trees Healthy

By Falon Mihalic

Ensure your trees’ vigor for years to come with these tips for protecting roots, watering effectively and more

CHRISTMAS Real vs. Fake: How to Choose the Right Christmas Tree

Pitting flexibility and ease against cost and the environment can leave anyone flummoxed. This Christmas tree breakdown can help

FALL GARDENING 11 Trees for Brilliant Fall Color

By Marianne Lipanovich

Give your landscape the quintessential look of autumn with the red, orange and yellow leaves of these standouts

HOLIDAYS Christmas Tree Decorating the Painless Way

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Holidays are for carols, not cussing. Make tree trimming less work and more fun with this guide at your side

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Add an Apple Tree to Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Readily available, beautiful and fragrant, apple trees offer four-season interest along with crisp, juicy fruit

TREE HOUSES Houzz Call: Show Us Your Well-Designed Treehouse or Tree Fort!

By Mitchell Parker

Got a great treehouse or tree fort? We want to see it! Post yours in the Comments and we’ll feature the best in a future article

Sponsored

Peabody Landscape Group

8 Reviews

Franklin County's Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting

More Discussions

Advice needed. Just repotted my two dying avocados in Tapla's 5-1-1

8

indoor lemon tree

7

Productivity of kumquats and their hybrids

5

HowardMartingrowing citrus #33

0

Kumquat Seedlings

1