We had a hard freeze this year and what your seeing could be a result of that. Ficus trees seem to have taken the bigest hit, but some citrus had problems, especially if they weren't being watered. If it is a newly planted tree, the bark buckling could be sun damage. Nursery grown trees are grown close together and shade each others' roots. When they are planted, they loose that protection. It's a goood idea to paint the trunks white for at least the first few years until the branches hang low enough to give some protection, and the bark toughens up on the sunward sides. That's also why when you move or transplant cactus, you always mark the north side of the cactus so you plant it in the same orientation. Hope this helps.

schulerbeth, That's a beautiful tree! The yellowing leaves dropping is due to lighting being changed. The tree came from the nursery were it was likely getting ideal lighting. So the tree might be cutting back a bit to adjust to its new home. Once the tree has adjusted to the spot, it'll stop dropping leaves. The symptoms of over watering are very similar to under watering. Slight leaf curl, and may also droop. I do not see the with your tree. You shouldn't be too concerned with the browning on the back of the leaves yet. Like Greenman28 said, looks like old damage. It'll never go away until the leaf is replaced. So if it doesn't worsen I wouldn't take any action. You'll find that Meyer lemons would rather make lemons then make new leaves. So don't worry about trying to make it bloom. Because you say you are new at this. And I see the tree is at a sliding glass door. Come spring time. You may be tempted to put the tree out in the morning on a nice day. You will want to be careful not to burn the leaves. Citrus trees need to acclimate (about 3 weeks) going into full sun from only a few hours of sun.

The Meyer, in container has a semi-well deserved reputation for being "finicky" , but if you are a fan of Meyer lemons, it is a small price to pay. First, when you dramatically change the light conditions a Meyer will drop most, if not all its leaves, to replace them later with leaves better suited to the new light conditions. To move a Meyer from outside to inside without the leaf loss, you need to move it from full sun to partial sun for 2 weeks; then to full shade for 2 weeks; then indoors; reverse the process when putting it out in the Spring... and please DO put it out, if you can; you will be rewarded with a happy, healthy plant. Second, when you bring it indoors to a sunny window, the plant gets warm; but the roots generally stay cool; and citrus roots don't like to grow into cool soil... the solution is to put some sort of heater to warm the soil, or to put the plant a little further from the window. The thing to remember is first the roots grow; and then the leaves and branches. Last, get it out of that Terra Cotta pot. In cool climates the evaporation from the clay creates salt build up, and cools the soil... citrus roots do not like to grow into cool soil.

UPDATE 2019! Hey everyone, happy new year! You guys are still my special community of help and advice that I always think of when I am around my tree! I have since brought my tree down to my parents house in South Carolina. Being a bachelor (still) I had to move into several different apartments in Nashville since that post, none of which would be suitable for my baby to thrive in! My parents also have adopted her and done an excellent job helping raise her as my dad loves loves loves lemons in all of the water that he drinks. It had a great summer - they brought it outside and kept it in full sun - it grew to become a large leaf bearing tree that the kids love to “pretend water” with toy cups and boats full of water. Now it has been brought in for the winter and it has grown so many lemons - I’ve been anxiously waiting for them to start turning yellow. Over thanksgiving it appeared that some of them were beginning to turn yellow at the base of the fruit. I was hopeful that this January they would turn full yellow and I could come and pick a few. Here is the sad news. It has been dropping leaves consistently. It still is blooming. My dad and i think that it is due to over watering. Then i just found out from my dad that after Christmas it got a spider mite infestation. My dad sprayed it with some pesticide and he thinks the spiders are all dead. I’m attaching a photo of what he used. Again, just wanted to update you guys. Last year we got lemons and it was incredible to see where this tree had come from. I think I might have to name her Lazarus! Never would have saved her with yalls help. What do y’all think of the current state the tree is in? What do you think of the spider mite infestation? Any advice would ALWAYS be so helpful!! Forever grateful, Jamie