Citrus Newbie, Meyer Lemon issues in 6a. Please advise!
My Meyer Lemon tree is having issues. Currently its in a 1-1-1- of peat moss, vermiculite and organic soil mix. ( i wish i read about 5-1-1 mix sooner). I brought it in a few weeks ago when it already started budding as the rain was relentless and it was being drowned. I have not watered it since! With in the past couple of days I've seen buds popping form every node on this little guy, and i mean crazy amount. From what I've read on the web and the experts on this forum I'm faced with the symptoms of over watering. But like any desperate parent I'm in denial ( HA!)
I read that there is a Sicilian practice called veridelli which extends the lemon season by delaying blooming with water starvation for the 2 months in the spring. I might have unknowingly done this when i first got the tree as it was in a small 10" pot outside.
The leaves are yellowing from the veins out and dropping but it takes a long time to do it. The other ones are yellowing at the tip. I've been spraying it with a weak solution of water and Dyna-Gro foliage Pro as it appears the tree is not getting nutrients. I do not want to water as the moisture meter is indication 6 in low that its normal moisture content so i cannot lower the PH which is currently showing 6.5-7.
My questions after all this is are:
1. How bad will the tree suffer if i transplant it to the Al's 5-1-1 mix.
2. How fast can I see the improvement in the tree? ( I know every tree is different and they can be temperamental, so I'm asking for people's experience with their trees in the root rot situations)
2. Will I loose the blooms on it if I transplant it/ (I can afford to loose most of them but the smell is intoxicating so I'm hoping to keep some).
3. Al's 5-1-1 mix - if i split the peat moss parts to 1/2 peat and 1/2 compost what would the implications of this be? I am wondering if i would be able to utilize organic methods of fertilization when I move the trees outside in the spring?
I am in zone 6a Western New York and I'm not a newbie gardener but I am newbie citrus owner. I know this subject might not be new, I apologize for repetition, but I have not found the answers to the questions above on this site (or it might have been to late in the evening and it did not compute).
I look forward to any input!
Here are some pics of my suffering tree:
Thank you!
Adri
Comments (8)
adrijanar
7 years agoRelated Discussions
repotted Meyer Lemon issues - is it the pot??
Comments (14)Plant roots behave differently within the confines of a container than they do when planted in the soil. You CAN use a deeper container, as long as the potting medium is very porous. John is describing, correctly, how plant roots develop when properly planted outside. As soon as the roots hit the sides of a container however, they'll seek 'accomodations' elsewhere...and DOWN is a good direction to go as long as roots have access to oxygen. That, by the way, is a primary reason why root systems in the ground stay close to the surface...oxygen. Evapotranspiration is the term for the combined loss of water from plant surfaces (transpiration occurs from leaves) PLUS evaporation from the soil surface. In the case of clay containers, evaporation occurs from the top of the planting medium as well as through sides of the containers. Evaporative cooling can occur, but it has never been anything that I've been concerned about...at least not any more than other containers. Conductive cooling can be a problem for plants, as well. Taking care of the root systems of our containerized plants can be something to think about for sensitive plants, whether grown in plastic (or other non porous material) or clay. I much prefer to use clay pots, as I feel that the benefits of oxygen infusion and moisture evaporation far exceeds any issues with evaporative cooling. Of course, I am speaking from the south! The benefits of evaporative cooling are very important in the long hot days and nights of a spring/summer/fall. Speaking of cool temperatures...that's just one more reason to be patient about your plant's recovery. Though you've used a good fertilizer, plants are slow to absorb and utilize elements when it's cold. In a native soil system, dissolved nutrients remain locked in the soil and aren't even available to uptake until it warms up....See MoreNewbie Question about plant shock (meyer lemon)
Comments (16)I agree about the general lack of knowledge about soil relationships, even in some frequent posters, but in my case I try not to make the assumption they are locked into using a soil that is bound to create root issues AND that restricts them to slowly increasing pot size incrementally. People like learning new things and discovering there are viable alternatives to staying stuck in the mud some try to grow in. ;o) I explain the alternatives & why they will work better, then let them decide. Understanding soil relationships to plant material is important to being able to grow plants to our best potential. You mention you understand the concept, but I notice you skirt it. There is no one soil that will always be appropriate for a given plant in all situations. As cultural conditions and even things like pot size vary, so should the soil mix. It's far better to at least enlighten folks to that fact. Even if they don't USE the info, it will provide a puzzle piece when difficulties DO arise. As evidenced from the amount of mail I receive, people do wish to learn more about soils. Those that I have helped here & off-forum, usually settle on their own mix, based on what's available to them and what they are willing to invest (time, primarily) in the soil. Invariably, they settle on a well structured soil that retains that structure for the life of the planting and that holds good volumes of air as long as it's in use. I'm not out to get you. ;o) When people tell sad stories of rotted roots, is it more appropriate to tell them to reduce pot size, or to grow in a more open soil? No need to answer, it's rhetorical. Al...See MoreNew Here! Meyer Lemon Question
Comments (6)Took pics. Last year the foliage and fruit was so abundant that I could not see into "it" But now having pruned it and taking pics...I see that it's actually TWO trees! Here is the pic of one trunk... Clearly the ground underneath needs to be cleaned out and all the ferns removed. There is also a little "volunteer" tree growing out of it that needs to go. I do feel that these trees were doing better when it was left alone....the previous owners were there 8 years and never fed it or paid much attention to it. All the trees are starting to fail....could they be too old...(there are also two pink grapefruits, some sort or orange and some sort of "quat" maybe a loquat. .one of the grapefruit trees was great...and now that seems to be dying...but I think that's because the original owners put a tomato cage around it when it was a tiny tree and it actually cut into the trunk...it's wounded)...See MoreUpset Meyer Lemon, yellowing
Comments (8)mikerno_1micha...is it HOT sun? I'm in cleveland, ohio which is more nine-months-of-winter-and-three-months-of-poor-sled-riding rather than HOT. It is on the south side of the house, which is FULL sun (well, on the not so dreary days) but it wont be crazy hot here until mid July when Cleveland likes to grace us with a little 6 week hot spell. And don't worry, i'll pester you all again if the yellow starts moving up the tree...I can't handle killing another one...poor babies......See Moreadrijanar
7 years agoadrijanar
7 years agoHi Mike, It has been outside since early August when i purchased it. The leaves were a darker green then, now they're on a lighter side ( I can see some yellow blotchy-ness) . I've brought it in two weeks ago (seems longer but its probably because I'm worried about it :) I have small pine bark mulch that i can use in addition with some garden lime.
The leaves do not look like the ones on your trees! Yours are beautiful deep green! Tonight i'll get better pics to post on this thread, hopefully I'm over-reacting and its a part of my learning process on how to grow citrus. I am waiting to water and perhaps the color will change a bit once I'm able to water with some vinegar.
I have been spraying with dyna-gro foliage as of late but to counter the low humidity I in the begging i used some dyna-gro bloom, sprayed it a few times. Maybe that helped the bud explosion. You cannot clearly see the buds coming up they're coming form every node!
Here is one pic that i have of it closeup!
Thank you for all your help!
Adri z6a
adrijanar
7 years ago
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