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Meyer Lemon Questions

midnightsmum (Z4, ON)

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I purchased a Meyer Lemon tree in a one-gallon pot this Spring. It has flowered profusely and at one point had 7 golf-ball sized fruit on it. Two dropped off - one had a bit of a tear on the peel where it was attached. The branches are bending a bit with the last fruit on it. I repotted it at the beginning of the summer into a ceramic 14" pot when it went out to the deck for the summer. It has had lots of sun, water and warmth. It is inside now.

It's new home, for the winter, is warm and very sunny. The leaves are glossy and green, as were the fruit, till a few days ago,. The ones at the forefront of the picture are starting to yellow. So, my question is: are they rIpening or dying? I cannot find how long it takes for the them to ripen, tbh. Also, it had a lot of granular fertilizer in it when I purchased it, and I have not fed it myself. I'm not sure what to feed it going forward....should I put in stakes to support the branches, or will the weight strengthen then. This is a strange beast for me, and I want it to continue to thrive.

TIA for your comments and help. Nancy.

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Comments (5)

User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hi Nancy,

Welcome to the forums. I see you are from Ontario? I am from the GTA. We have had some very dull days recently where the sun's strength has been almost negligible. At York University I maintain the campus weather station and the lack of sun has caused the solar powered battery to die. So I suspect if you're in my area the yellowing may be from lack of light. It may be best to supplement with CFL or T5 lights. If you search the threads a bit there is a lot of information about selecting the correct lights. Eventually when I have some more time, I will post a literature review regarding this topic.

For fertilizer, we mostly use Dyna Gro Foliage Pro. I have had excellent sucess with this brand for all of my plants (not just citrus).

Also, with lower light levels you need to water less. Citrus is prone to root rot. What is your Meyer potted in? We use the 5-1-1 mix here, (bark to peat moss to perlite) or something with similar drainage.

Stefan
midnightsmum (Z4, ON) thanked User
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi Stefan - I am near Ottawa. I got the tree at a Terra nursery, though. I used some enriched potting soil - no bark, but it does have perlite . This is the brightest window in the house, so I'll have to get something I can rig for a light.

Wow, that is a is a lack of light!! I hope it is not a dark snowy winter. Do y ou know how long ripening should take?

Thanks, Nancy.
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Well, if you could post a photo, you would get a lot better advice; but short of that you have probably made some of the classic Meyer lemon errors. 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.
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Thanks! Mine are bright yellow, no orange at all. I don't know much about Meyer lemons, I bought the tree on a whim because it was only $5 at sprouts. It was so tiny, though (and still is) I've never even eaten a Meyer lemon before, so I'm not sure I'd know if it was ripe or not! :) Do you have problems with chlorosis with your tree? Mine greens up pretty well in the winter but is very chlorotic the rest of the year in spite of fertilizing.
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Hello. First of all the pH of your fertilizer solution is very important for in pot trees. Then too, anything can affect nutrient uptake from a lack of it in your choice of fertilizer, the temps your tree is exposed to, the amount of watering and how often you water, root rot, pH, and light eat.. Have you tried discounting each of these [problems at a time or even if you post more info it would help. Tell us What the temps have been both day and night? How much sunlight that tree gets? How often you fertilize? If that is a soluble one or organic? Does it have potassium in it? How old is that mix? How often do you have to water? How do you know when to? I always start with happy roots then fertilizer.If the roots are not happy, then any fertilizer with a good pH solution will NOT be utilized by any plant with unhappy roots or a weak root system..
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Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Listen to Stefan! He knows what he's talking about. I think your lemons are just ripening. This is often the time of year that Meyers ripen. Your plant looks great by the way and welcome!
midnightsmum (Z4, ON) thanked Laura LaRosa (7b)
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
Original Author
7 years ago
Just wanted to stop back in and thank you for your advice and help. The little tree is doing well, and actually had another flower on it 2 weeks ago, though only one. The leaves have remained glossy and green, and 4 of the fruit are slowly yellowing up, while one remains solidly green. So, it seems it is happy and healthy. I think I will wait until Spring to feed it.

Nancy. :)
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Stefan, I must say...GREAT advice and thanks for helping along with Laura a pro!

Midnightsmum......Yes.listen to Stefan and Laura, they are very helpful here and know what they are talking about. I am proud of both of them and welcome here..Stick around. You will learn quite a bit and meet some great people.

If you are giving it a very sunny window, I mean at least 8 or more hours consistently, like more days than clouds and warmth, you could fertilize lightly to maintain good growth, that is if it is actively growing...Even if it should loose it's vivid coloring it will come back once springs comes along and you resume fertilizing as usual..

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