Lemon Tree Losing It's Leaves... What do I do?

7 years ago

Some of you may have noticed, I posted this in House Plants as well. My 2-year old Meyer lemon tree is losing all of its leaves (well, it already has:). Maybe the cold autumn Michigan nights are getting to it. I keep the tree right by a large window. I doubt it's getting much sunlight, but I have a fake light on its way. For more info, my other post is a bit more detailed. Please help, I do NOT want to kill this poor plant before getting any lemons from it! Haha, thanks for any help :). I'd just like to know if I'm doing something wrong, what happened, or what I can do.

(I don't know, here's a picture of that helps. You can see the tree is young enough it had very green branches.)

I've moved it from the window and fertilized it to be safe. You can see in the smaller window how dreary it is outside :) again, thanks for help!

Featured Answer

Don Blume

7 years ago

Hi all. I take care of a university biology department's collection of plants here in Connecticut and have grown citrus at home for over forty years. My take on the above issues follows. First, my Meyer lemons that get a good dose of cold before I move them inside (this year around Halloween) often drop many of their leaves and then soon break out into the same kind of flowering cycle seen on the second plant. They are more prone to dropping most of their leaves in November than any of the other citrus I care for.

Next, when the tip of a branch begins to die back as in the photo, you should use a sharp pair of secateurs (sterilized in bleach solution) and prune it back to green wood just above a leaf node ASAP. Leaving the dying tip is only causing more tissue to die.

Next, I think both the plant that shed all its leaves in a week and the one that consists of just a single stem are in pots that are much too large for them, especially given that they are in regular potting soil and seem to be in cool home environments without a great deal of sunlight. The single-stemmed plant would probably be quite happy in a five inch diameter pot. Over-potting makes the cooler conditions the plants encounter in the fall and indoors more likely to cause root rot which can kill a citrus tree quite quickly (I've done it to a couple of my own trees: they drowned). The test I'd do is to get them out of their pots and see if there are a decent number of roots spreading through most of the soil. If a plant that has been in a container for several months is lifted from the pot and when this is done large gobs of soil simply fall away, that's a good reason to put the plant into a smaller container. There's no good rule for this, but I'll note that most of my older citrus (15 to 30 years old) are in containers that are about 1/3 as high and 1/3 as wide as the plants. A typical example: I have a Key lime in an 11 inch wide and 10 inch tall pot (with soil to within three inches of the top and an inch of bark chips on top of that). The Key Lime has a 1 inch diameter trunk at the base and is roughly 2.5 feet wide and 2.5 feet tall.

Soil considerations. At home, I long used regular brands of potting soil picked up at Home Depot (non-moisture control) with success for decades but then had a bad experience when I used a more expensive brand from a garden center that had too much ability to hold water--the bottom of two pots turned to mud. In the aftermath of that experience, I researched my options.

For what it is worth, I've adopted the following mix at the greenhouse: 1/2 Al's Gritty Mix plus 1/2 ProMix BX. Al's Gritty Mix consists of three ingredients 1/3 Turface (the stuff used on baseball infields), 1/3 Grani-grit (rough granite chips for chickens to grind their food in their gizzards), and 1/3 fine bark mulch. I do not sift or sieve any of these things but simply pull out any overly large bits of wood from the bark mulch or mix if I see them. I found that Al's mix alone drained and dried out far too quickly in the greenhouse. You can obviously vary the amounts or omit one of the Al's ingredients and still have a much better mix than what you'll buy at Home Depot. A cactus might get 1/3 ProMix BX and 2/3s Al's, etc. I use the 1/2 and 1/2 mix for most succulents and cacti, including Desert Roses.

Oh, and I've found that covering the soil surface with larger bark chips is a great way to reduce the fungus gnat population, but that problem is also helped by shifting to a mix that has less peat in it or by NOT repotting your plants just prior to bringing them in for the winter (the fungus gnats are particularly attracted to new potting soil with its fresh peat).

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Comments (52)

andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi! Well, that's basically all there is to this tree! He's very young. His pot is a 10-inch terra-cotta. I must admit, the watering schedule hasn't exactly been the best :), every 7 days minimum usually. I got him in June of this year, so I fertilized him then and just yesterday (my fertilizer, called Citrus Mix by Down to Earth says to fertilizer once each season, I guess i may be late). As for light, the plant has gotten direct light from June-September, and then it got duller so no direct sunlight since. I expect to get a fake light if that's the problem actually tomorrow so hopefully that helps! Temperature is hard, add it was next to an indirect heater and also a cold window. Our house is avg. 65 degrees during the day, and at night a few degrees lower. Here's a photo, if it helps:

Here's a photo of the fertilizer I use (I dunno, maybe it's helpful:), the bottom part of the plant, the pot, and some of the poor leaves :(.

Does this help? Thanks for your consideration! :) Sorry it's so long haha!
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
John, hello! Well, the lighting did change, as it's been a lot less light in fall up here, but I didn't change a thing at the time. After it dropped all of its leaves i moved it in case the cold war a problem. Thanks for commenting :)
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myermike_1micha
7 years ago
Hi..If you answer Laura's questions it will help a lot)

By the way, if it's in a lay pot, I assume it's drying out very quickly in that window?

The leaves may be gone and the branches green which tells me the roots are fine..as John said, either a shock in the light department or spider mites...
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Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Your mix looks dense, so it's good you're not watering it too much. Stick your finger in the mix and if the top two inches are dry, then it's time to water again. Next spring, when your tree goes outside, I would: 1). Move it to a plastic pot (clay dries off too fast and keeps the roots too cold), and 2) change the mix to one that drains more freely. Most of us here use the 5-1-1 mix (search it to find the ingredients). Then, when it starts growing again, begin routinely fertilizing with Foliage Pro. Did I leave anything out guys??
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Laura, The soil may look dense because I recently (yesterday) watered it. It's actually quite aerated and light. Most sources I looked at actually suggested using a clay pot, as lemon tree roots tend to rot if kept wet. Nothing against you, but I'll do a bit more research on that. On MI gardener (YouTube) he did talk about the 5-1-1 soil, and I was just a bit skeptical about just a few 'ingredients', if you will. But thank you, I will try that soil out, soon as I get all of the parts. And thank you for the fertilizer suggestion. Again, thanks for trying to help my poor plant out :)
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Mikerno, yes I answered Laura in my comment with the photos. Like I said, most sources I saw recommended clay pots. Hmm. I'll do more research on that shortly. Thanks for your help :)
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
oops, my bad..I never saw that post. For some reason I did;t see it when I posted.I am glad you told us as much as you could..

Using a 5.1.1 mix is far superior to any denser mix because the roots to your tree will get the much needed oxygen more frequently every time you water and this mix will hold up a lot more than a fine peat one..Because it's in a clay and is not much bigger than the rootball, I wouldn't worry about it drying out for now since the mix is fresh.

What I will tell you is that the closer to your windows at night, the colder that pot will get because it's in clay and the slower the growth for your tree..

if it were my tree, this is what I would do.

I would stick the whole pot into a bigger plastic holding container...It will help keep that pot warmer in cooler temps.

I would give it as much sunlight as possible in a south facing window.

I would not fertilize it until I see new growth and then fertilize weakly once a week because it's getting so much light..

I would flush the cool out every ten days or so with fresh water until you can re pot it into a much more porous mix come the beginning of summer late spring

Watch for spider mites all winter starting now..Spray your leaves down once they grow in with a warm soapy water with a bit of horticultural oil..
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Mikerno, thank you for the tips... I'm just skeptical about plastic pots and that they'll retain too much water, especially if I transplant to a larger pot....
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Guys, I'm going to try to buy ingredients for the 5-1-1 mix. The sites i looked at gave me varied ingridients. Here's what I found- 5 parts bark, 1 part peat or sphagnum moss, 1 part pearlite, and 1 part garden lime. These are OK ingridients, right, for my lemon tree? Thanks :)
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
You are right except for the lime...Vladimir always posts the exact amount but I always forget - it's something along the lines of 1 tsp/gallon of mix.
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Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Every single one of the trees in the pic are in plastic pots and the 5-1-1
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John 9a
7 years ago
Laura, you have springtime in your den! There are times I wish I could bring my trees inside during the winter and not be out bundled up on cold nights rushing around like a mad man with tarps, stakes, and bricks.
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Wow your house has been taken over! :) Thanks for the info... In March I'll repot my lemon with that mix... Before I got the tree I was considering that mix but decided to be lazy. My grow light came today, hopefully that helps....
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Yes...my house is a jungle - that's just one area. I even stuffed four in my son's room right next to his guitars ;-). He has great light in there! That is one of the things I love about having them indoors...when everything is dead and the day is gloomy, I'm surrounded by green and the scent of citrus blossoms. Killandwarrior your light should make a big difference. Let us know how it improves.
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greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
7 years ago
Killian, for the 5-1-1, mix in 1 Tablespoon of Lime per true gallon of potting mix.

Josh
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Laura, I will. Tomorrow is supposed to actually be sunny here, other than that I'll leave the light on for a few hours each night.

Josh, thanks for confirming about the potting mix!
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
I think this is new growth on the branches... Apart from the thorns... (Sorry my phone didn't feel like focusing today)

Also, the light I got has blue and pink colored bulbs... Is that correct? I think one is for sprouting... I see Laura has regular color bulbs. Here's a photo:

Also I've left it on each day for about 3 hours... For now, is that enough? Thanks!

Sorry if I blinded anyone ;-)
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
That's great!! That looks like growth to me. Even though my trees live in very bright rooms for winter, I leave the lights on from 7am-10pm. I would leave the light on longer. By the way, the reason I leave them on that long is because Silica says that's what he does and it works for him.
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you, Laura!
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I have another small problem... but Just another quick update for those of you interested. I think everything's fine now for the leaves, so thanks to everybody that commented, all of it was great advice! I'll just post a few pics of my Meyer's current state. There's quite a bit of leaf growth near the main"trunk" that's not really a branch, so I may need to prune those later. Anyways, here's the photos:

As you can see in photo 2, I probably have yet another problem- you can see the edge of the branch is turning brown. That part feels dead to me. I haven't turned the plant for about a week and we just got a snowstorm. Is it the cold? Because I'm 99 percent sure it's not light... That part had been getting the most light, and was closest to our chilly windows. Any thoughts, suggestions? Thanks! :)
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
I don't know what caused that branch to die back. I would cut off that small piece. How are the sprouts doing?
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks! I will do that... Doesn't seem to be much help to the plant anymore :). They look to be doing fine. All in all, I probably have about a dozen plus. They're all green and healthy, the size of the ones in the photo. I'll be able to do a happy dance when I get a leaf! :) Thanks for your comment!
Krystal Edmond
7 years ago
Sooo glad I found this, usually posts I stumble across are years old! My Meyer lemon tree is about 2 years old and it literally JUST did the same, dropped all of its beautiful green healthy leaves seemingly for no reason and I freaked out. After checking several factors and ruling them out I figured it has to be the dramatic change in lighting so like you I ordered a grow light but I keep mine on from 7am-8pm, is that too long? Please keep us updated I need to know this little tree will get its leaves back! Here are some pictures about a week apart :(
Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
7 years ago
This might be helpful: http://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/leaves-falling-off-my-lemon-tree.34618/
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myermike_1micha
7 years ago
How that soil mix behaves may have a lot to do with it too...It looks like it is very dense. Can you give us in detail what it is and how long before it dries out? How often you water? The last time you re potted? How often you fertilize?
Krystal Edmond
7 years ago
It's a mix of whatever potting soil my tree came in from the nursery and cactus and citrus potting soil. It takes about a week and a half to dry out since I've brought it inside for winter, repotted only once when I got it back in September. I fertilized with Jobes citrus fertilizer spikes for potted plants when I repotted but nothing since. All my leaves were a lovely dark green and shiny when it was outside getting at least 8 hours of sunlight. I inspected often for pests. When the temperature started to drop below 45 I brought my baby in and put it in front of a south facing windows, misting it twice daily with tepid water and it did great for a month. However the last few weeks we've had very little sunlight and my tree began to drop leaves at an alarming rate and now she's nakee! I bought a grow light and I'm looking into a humidifier to help
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
There are many factors that can lead to that..What concerns me is that I see branches turning black. That is usually a sign of roots going bad..

It seems either a 911 in a repot into a well drawing mix is in order or a better way to help dry that mix out much faster than a week and half..You can start by not misting the leaves anymore since wetting leaves and maybe finding a way to wick that mix right away.

It's getting plenty of sunlight if it's in a south facing window, enough to at least keep it's leaves and grow ever so slightly.. I would flush that mix out and take out whats left of that feriltizer stick. Salts can damage roots too..

Others will chime in with anything I might of missed...But the soil and the amount of time it takes to dry out along with flushing the salts out will help significantly..
Krystal Edmond
7 years ago
Turning back? I'm not sure I know what that means, I'm really new to growing anything, this is my first tree
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Krystal, that amount of light is more than you need for sure (which you may already know). I just keep my light on for about 3-4 hours each day and you can see from the photos after about 1.5 weeks that's the growth I got. What I found is that the lemons just need about 5-6 hours of light in the non growing season (so now and fall) and more light in the growing season to produce fruit (about 8 hours).

Also, I doubt you need to invest in a humidifier. What I do to keep humidity up is keep a pot saucer with rocks and fill the rocks up halfway with water. Then the pot with the plant just rests on the rocks so that it isn't directly touching the water but that keeps humidity up for about a week. Along with that I spray the leaves as well.

Hope that helps any :)

And thanks to Vladimir, although you may not have intended the link for me it does help a lot :).
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Yaaaaay yet another problem. I was just looking and noticed some bugs crawling around on the lemon trees soil. They are small and look like sightly large fruit flies? I don't see any on the plant because there's no leaves but can someone tell me what they are and how I can remove them? Btw I saw about 10 of the little bugs.

Update: I did some research and it looks like it is fungus gnats. Ugh Im waiting so patiently for the spring so I can plant with the 5-1-1 mix!!!!
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
Hey Killandwarrior....Good luck with the advice given above)

Krystal, I am sorry, what I meant to say was 'black;...I corrected it)
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Krystal Edmond
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Oh lol! No, mikerno_1micha, no black branches I just have really poor lighting and a camera that refuses to focus when I want/need it to! Alll of my branches are healthy and green even at the tips I just take terrible pictures without the help of sunlight. Speaking of sunlight, huge thanks to Vladimir that link was extremely helpful the sign of WLD is exactly what happened to my tree! Killandwarrior ok I will definitely take your advice and not leave the grow light on as long. Any suggestions as to how to keep my roots warm this winter? A heating mat maybe? My house gets really cold sometimes
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Oh jeez, more obstacles for the poor plant! I was checking the soil today and found what I think is mold growing on the soil. I haven't watered in a week and my moisture meter is at 2, so the amount of Fungus Gnats had dropped dramatically. But I'm worried if I water again they'll lay more eggs... Any tips? Also, I snipped the dead part of the branch off and now more of the edge is dying... I'm worried if I keep cutting I'll be left with no branches! Anyways, now to the new problem... Mold. It doesn't look like the mold on my Areca palm (I'm too lazy to scrape it off, as I read it's probably harmless). I'll include a photo. Does anybody know what I can do about these problems? But some good news: the little growths on the branches are growing in nicely! I'm not sure if they are leaves though... Can someone confirm please? Now I'll include all the photos I promised!

Thanks for any input!
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Those may be buds and leaves. When citrus get stressed, they bud as a last attempt to produce fruits and leave seeds behind if the parent tree dies. I don't think your tree will die, don't misunderstand me, but that may be it. Those are fungus gnats...annoying, but not as big a problem as other pests. Your mix is definitely too moist. You can spray the top of the mix with neem oil. I have also added these yellow sticky traps I got from Amazon, which attracts them. Here's a pic:
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks Laura! I was looking closely and they did not look just like leaves to me! :) And I'm moving it a foot away to the heater in case that's why it's dying.
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
So... Update: I got the 5-1-1 ingridients and I have a few questions. First, I'm guessing I should wait until early spring to transplant? Is it risky right now (I'm assuming the answer is yes)? Also, just a few questions on what I bought... My phone camera isn't working, so I'll have to explain. First, I found a bag of peat moss and sphagnum moss mixture with some extra stuff... I can say for sure tomorrow... Anyways, is that okay? I also bought a package of long strand sphagnum moss, would that be better than the mixture? Also... I tried the home remedy for mold with tea that I'm pretty sure worked :). Tomorrow I'll give a bit more detail and hopefully photos :) Also, Merry Christmas, everybody that celebrates :)
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Merry Christmas to you also! I find the holidays so stressful that I have a love/hate relationship with them. I spend hours wrapping presents for my four kids (this year will be easier because my two older ones are only getting a couple of things) and then in a matter of minutes, it's over! Argh! Anyways, about your mix...don't put in the strand stuff, only the composted peat moss. I can take a pic of mine tomorrow. I think if your tree is recovering, you may want to hold off and be extra careful with the watering. I got a blood orange from a local nursery about a month ago and repotted it immediately. It has not sprouted, but is perfectly happy and has not lost one leaf. However, your tree is stressed...you may not want to stress it further.
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blee828282
7 years ago
For the fungus gnats you might want to go straight to NeemCake. I've tried a lot of things. Hydrogen Peroxide, sticky gnat traps, Neem spray, vinegar gnat traps, using a vaccum cleaner, letting the soil dry out completely, and Gnat Mix. So far the Gnat Mix has worked the best but they are not completely eliminated.
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Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Not totally gone, but significantly reduced.
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks guys :) I will wait until March to plant it again, probably. For the moss, thanks; I did think it very odd to have the long strand in a potting mix. Lining planters makes a lot more sense! :) I will try the Neem Cake. Good thing fungus gnats aren't hurting the plant, as I'm quite lazy.... XD About the holidays, I can relate. It's just good that the other holidays don't need so much preparation! ;) Thanks both. I'll also see if I can get my hands on some yellow traps.
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Yay yay yay new leaves! :-D Here's some photos!

Above are the leaves. This is the only sprout that looks like this.

Above are just a few of the flower buds coming through. Sorry the picture is blurry, but they are definitely growing!

Here's how bad the dead parts of the branches have gotten. The very tips and an inch down seem completely dead, but I can tell the rest is just drying. It's happening on the other branch as well.

Here's... I'm not sure what this is :). But I thought someone could tell me....? Haven't seen anything like it before. May be my lemon inexperience.

Here's a pic of the whole plant and the light setup.

So... Overall, going okay. I think it's improving, what with the flowers and new growth, but the dying branches worry me.

Anything I can do about that? Also, what should I do when (or if) the buds open? And is a slight draft okay? Last, I do have some Thrive Alive B1, do you guys think that will help? Thanks for any help and info! ^_^
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Update: The problem may be root rot due to the soil holding moisture. I feel dumb for not noticing the signs... Leaves dying, fungus gnats, mold, and branches dying. I'll need to repot with 5-1-1 immediately, trim roots, etc. in hopes that he'll recover, but I'm not very hopeful at this point. But answering my other questions may still be helpful. :-) Thanks for past help everybody.
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
I think you're right. I would cut back the dying branches. I think the reason you are getting buds is because of the severe stress the tree is under. I had a Meyer with root rot and it was pushing out lots of blooms. I would definitely repot into 5-1-1 and pray! It may pull through. If it manages to set any tiny lemons, pluck them off. Don't pluck off the flowers though bc it will just use more energy to bloom again.
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Sorry, I have been on vacation (bad timing, I know). About the comment... Thanks, but I will not be repotting the plant again. I'm not home yet so I do not even know if the tree is dead yet, and there is a good probability of that. The vacation was a bit rushed so I didn't have anybody caring for my plants while I'm gone. As for the root diameter, the main roots were about 6 inches out, the smaller roots at least 2 extra inches out. I have it in a 9-in. pot. Thanks for everybody's help and happy upcoming New Year. ;-)
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
It is alive! Not sure how long it'll last, but right now it is alive. :-D

I also notice very little fungus gnats, so they're probably mostly gone now.
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
How big is that 'clay pot'?

If it was my tree, I would not do a single thing that would disturb the roots and just do a re pot into a smaller pot, same kind of fresh mix..I think your tree has finished it's job of dying off and is finally focused on increased strength...
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andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
The pot is about 9 inches across. :-) It may still be dying off a bit at the top, but I haven't checked. The only problem with repotting again is that the roots have not had enough time to re-establish so I'd end up doing a bare root planting, which I'd not like to do again.... Therefore smaller roots may be lost and it could be stressful. I'll think about it. That may be my best option right now... We'll see how it survives until then, though. ;-)
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
That's what I said, I would NOT do a bareroot this time and just carefully lift that tree out of that pot and see if you see any roots at all..If you do not, I would stick it into a smaller pot and clean off some of that dead soil off...Maybe refresh with a newer mix until you do a bare root come summer...Really, I think your watering can is not satisfying the needs of your tree properly..It's not always the mix but the hand that carries the water at the wrong time or unevenly, incorrectly..

Did you know that even in the best of mixes such as the 5.1.1 mix, you can easily over or under water a tree if not watered correctly...It's important that one knows exactly when the proper time to water is and how to due it correctly..
andy99mich thanked myermike_1micha
andy99mich
Original Author
7 years ago
Yes, that is a good point :). I'm trying to be extra cautious with watering right now, watering when top 2-3" are dry. I'll see what I can do. Sorry if I misunderstood you before :-)