Meyer Lemon tree in trouble - dropping leaves
Hello all,
I hope you can help give some direction on how to nurse my Meyer lemon tree back to health. It has dropped a lot of leaves, and I am concerned. Here are some pictures of what's going on: http://imgur.com/a/iIgWH
So it up until a few months ago, it was living on the east-facing deck of my house. It was doing pretty well, although it got a scale infestation that hit it hard. I cleaned it off and am still dealing with it now, although it is a lot better. When the temperatures started to get low (I'm in Vancouver BC), I brought it inside. It also got attacked by a squirrel, so I needed to protect the new growth that hadn't been gnawed off already.
It did well indoors for a while, I sprayed it with water to try and keep it damp. But when it started to get really cold outside, I think it got affected because it was near the door. Many of the small older leaves started falling off. I figured this was a typical response to adjusting to the indoors, and so I wasn't too worried. But the rate of dropping kept accelerating, and I got more worried. I thought that maybe it was because it wasn't getting enough light, so I got a light and put it nearby. The dropping leaves slowed, so I thought I was in the clear.
But now the large leaves that recently grew have started to brown at the edges, and some of them have dropped too. A couple of the lemons have fallen off as well. I read that it might be a buildup of fertilizer, so I watered it well to get a good amount of water draining out the bottom (one solid watering a few days ago). But I am concerned it may be something quite serious. Any thoughts?
Comments (7)
myermike_1micha
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Meyer Lemon tree leaves yellowing and dropping
Comments (5)Hi Jean, Thanks for the watering tips. When I bought the tree, the garden gave watering instructions: daily for a certain number of weeks, twice weekly for a certain number of weeks, then once a week after that. They said to have the hose on a very slow drip for about half an hour. Because of kids and dogs messing with the hose, I have instead stood there and held the hose while I water with a rapid stream of water, but still did it once a week. If you think it needs more water,I can definitely do that (the soil is very sandy so it doesn't hold much moisture) but the tree doesn't look the way I would it expect it to if underwatered. My other three citrus trees receive the same watering treatment and are doing okay. Just the last few days, I have seen black spots of the leaves- they're almost fuzzy like a fungus is growing on the leaf. I was guessing that it is greasy spot as that seems to be a problem in this area. However, I treated the tree with a neem-based product last weekend, and I think that ought to cover greasy spot, too, although I haven't seen any change yet. I'll try your watering suggestions today! Thanks!...See MoreMeyer Lemon, Lemon Drop & Mexican Lime Trees
Comments (5)To answer the original question it seems as tho the plants are just super stressed, and when they get stressed they drop their leaves and fruit to survive. They are getting much different conditions than they were at HD, where they outside or inside a greenhouse in HD? I am going to guess that they were inside or at least shaded, they had to be hardened off in before just putting them in full sun. This is done by SLOWLY introducing them to the sun for a short period of time gradually working up to full day sunlight. Stop fertilizing and watering until you know for sure they are dried out. Than completely soak and repeat the cycle. Citrus will survive slightly dehydrated better than they will flooded. The meter you are using measures the electric conductivity of the soil so if it is littered with fertilizers you will get false readings. Are you able to post pics of the trees and their pots? I would suggest a re-potting and pruning, but as you said you are new to gardening and this may scare you a bit. Do you have any friends with a green thumb that could help you with this? Don't expect any flowers or fruits till next year as said since the plants are so stressed, but you never know with some TLC and luck you may get some winter blooms. Again pics would really help, and good luck!...See MoreMeyer Lemon Tree Dropping Leaves!
Comments (31)Looking mighty good@! Laura, as a side note..Your mix for your trees ALWAYS looks might pretty! Remember one thing, if you were to use a mix with ,more finer particles, you would have to be very concerned about keeping your trees out that cold on those nights if the mix was still wet. With the 5.1.1, it's not an issue for you to ever to worry about.. If you get leaf loss, it will be because you brought them into a warm heated room from the cold they are use to being exposed to. But don't panic, they should recover))...See MoreMeyer lemon tree leaves turning brown and dropping
Comments (6)The leaf drop is most likely Winter Leaf Drop (WLD) due to cold roots and leaves getting a lot of light. See: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=13332.0 Also, in addition to WLD, your soil looks to be too water retentive which means you may have root rot due to wet soil. Moisture meters are not very accurate. You are better off relying on your fingers. Dig about two inches into the soil and feel if it is moist. Or, stick a skewer to the bottom of the pot an pull it out. If you see soil particles sticking to it that means the soil is moist and the plant does not need watering. If you do have root rot, you should repot into 5:1:1 or gritty mix. Here is the recipe of the 5:1:1: 5 parts pine bark mulch (remove ½” pieces through 1/2 inch screen) (Some people use Repti Bark instead of mulch. They do not screen it.) Try to soak the bark overnight. · 1 part sphagnum peat · 1 part perlite (coarse, if you can get it) · 1 Tb garden lime /gal 5-1-1 mix (measure the 5-1-1 mix) · Osmocote plus (follow manufacturer’s instructions). This is optional. · Moisten well and wait at 2 days before using, if possible. If it is salt, fill the pot with water and let drain. Repeat three times....See More
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