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Meyer lemon lost all leaves, maybe rotten roots?

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I have two meyers that have been in the exact same environment since we got them (both go inside, outside at the same time)

One lost most of its leaves a month or so ago, while the other was thriving, a week or so ago it lost the last leaves, and I don't know what the heck to do, I pulled both trees out and the soil is soaking wet all the way through, though they haven't been watered in a bit over a week... should I pull them out, wash the planting soil off of them and replant them in a better material? I know there's the one mix talked about on here, but not confident in my ability to properly mix it, or find the right stuff... is there any source for pre-mixed stuff?

Also, on the leafless tree, there are some brown dead-looking branches, are they dead? Should they be cut off?

As far as the roots, posts about root rot refer to a smell, I didn't really smell anything, but did notice that the roots seemed... soft, and the soil was full of smaller broken roots, along with some medium sized roots

Featured Answer

Valalvax
Original Author

7 years ago

Well, I manned up, re-read the 5-1-1 mix, googled ingredients instead of just going "What the heck is that?" and after work today went to Lowe's... trees are replanted, turns out most of the roots were dead, (brown), blew as much of the old potting mix soil away with the hose as I could (and a lot of dead roots) and replanted them in the same pots, pics soon as my phone comes back on

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Comments (12)

myermike_1micha
7 years ago
Root rot is certainly taken hold if what you are saying is true..Have you taken any pics to show us?

How bad is that mix? Is it older, like decayed? Is it very fine?

Since you can not make the 5.1.1. mix as quick as you would like too, why not use a very porous bagged mix, a nursery brad or add perlite and use a clay container? One that is just a bit bigger than the root ball?

Mike
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Meyer lemon tree lost all leaves
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There's a good chance that it was a combination of the mites and the dryness of the air in your house. When I bring plants in for the winter and the furnace is blowing all that super-dried air on them, they lose leaves like crazy. Last winter I put most of my plants in one room and set up a humidifier in there to keep the air moist. I also shut of the vent in there so the air stayed cooler. A couple of plants were tropicals and I misted them just to provide a little extra moisture to their leaves. Once you are sure you have eradicated the mites from your tree, begin providing more moisture to it everyday, but don't increase the watering to the roots. If you can maintain the temps in your garage above freezing it might be a better environment for your lemon tree than inside the house. It should begin to put on new leaves within a few weeks or so. Another thing you may wish to look at is the pot your lemon is in. Have you repotted it since you bought it? If not you may have a pot bound root system that cannot absorb water or nutrients. If you need to repot, use a good mix that includes some grit, like a cactus mix and feed it with plant food designed for citrus, like citrus tone. Cheryl
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I would do one of two choices. I would put it in a bigger pot filled with mulch or soil, the pot in pot method so the bottom of the planted pot will rest on or be in contact with the soil or mulch and the water will be tricked to come out of the planted pot with a wicking action....This way the perched water will sit in the empty pot filled with mulch rather the your potted one... Or I would push a nylon or cotton wick into the bottom of one of the holes of your pot and set the pot on a stand so that the wick dangles...The water at the bottom of your pot will continue to come out and dry in the air leaving you with virtually no perched water at the bottom.. This is just to hold you over until the best time of the year to root prune and bare root being around Fathers Day when your tree is actively growing...This way it gives it a chance to recover much more rapidly..
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Here's the sad part, unless you use a heating pad or some other device, your inside temps would have to be at least 80 degrees to get them that warm....Or you could choose to elevate your pots and keep them from being cold from the floor...Try that.. Then too, you could keep them in a much cooler room that gets no warmer than the mid sixties by day...The warmer you grow your trees indoors, the drier the air you expose your tree to and the more invite for mites...The cooler your home is, usually the better with only a few hours of sunlight..In winter, there is not enough sunlight to cause leaf drop unless you are using lights to supplliment. Are you aware of the fact that certain soaps, including Dawn can actually harm your trees leaves? I would invest in a good horticultural soap of a natural one. Safer's soap is a good one. Ivory is better than most, and then there are natural soaps too...
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Mike, Thanks! So glad to join this community :) it is inside my house right now so the temps are about 23-25? They are getting 10hrs of grow lights a day. They're in a well draining 5-1-1 and I water when the top 2/3 of the soil is dry using a dowel to check. I don't let it get dry all the way to the bottom because it was just repotted this past summer so I don't think the roots have reached all th way to the bottom yet and I don't want it to wilt plus I find it hard to re wet the 5-1-1 soil if it goes completely dry. So I guess I water about once evey ten days or so using foliage pro and vinegar so I feel like I'm doing everything right? I sprayed neem oil before bringin them in for the winter back in October. pip: no I don't water on a schedule I use the dowel method but maybe you're right! I just want it to get bushier faster I've nevr been one for patience :). I mean after all it has been April since it's completely defoliated so it's taken so long to even get this far.
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Valalvax
Original Author
7 years ago
https://imgur.com/a/42rea

My phone died after the second pic, so had to steal my wife's, not pictured is after washing the dirt away

In the dirt you can see dead roots, and in the ball you can see lots of dead ones unfortunately, I haven't properly cared for them.

Now that they're replanted should I water them and give them some fertilizer? Try to let them dry out?
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I would never give fertilizer until new roots are at work which usually takes quite some time. I would wait until you see remarkable growth on the stems then do so.

I would water the new mix through then make sure you are giving LOTS of diffused sunlight and warm temps...What kind of mix did you use?

I am worried about the salts..That is why I asked you so many questions you have yet to provide))

Did you completely bare root the plant? If not, you are still left with undisolved salts and rotted roots in the center which needs to be completely removed..

Mike
Valalvax
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Sorry, I didn't intend on avoiding the questions

The mix was some Miraclegro potting soil, probably 3 years old at this point, as far as fine... uhh.. I don't think so? Seems to be about the same consistency as it was when planted, but yes, very old... actually, I noticed it turns into a sludge when watered and stays that way, I had started breaking it up to kind of aerate it and hopefully allow it to dry out... I had a PH meter and it pinged out on the acidic side, added lime to try to balance that out, but even after 3 doses the meter was still pinging out on 8 (or was it 1, anyway, acidic)

There's still some old soil, I'll go pull them again and get rid of that junk... was afraid of doing more damage to the roots, but I guess if pressured water tears them they were no good to begin with?

I did the 5-1-1 pine bark (yard conditioner), sphagnum peat moss, perlite

By diffused you mean in the shade? Not sure I have anywhere in my yard that it can get shade all day

in the pictures the brown branches, are they dead? Should I cut them?

Here are some more pictures of the cleaning process http://imgur.com/a/dxpM4 (well after I was done, I got 99% of the dirt, but some of it was very stubborn and hard to get to... I can definitely understand why trees need to recover from that now
dnedd1 zone7 LI NY
7 years ago
Similar symptoms with some of mine now. So sad because this week I brought most outside. I have planted all the dying ones in ground hopefully to have them recover before October when I bring them all back inside.

Here are some pics from my phone
dnedd1 zone7 LI NY
7 years ago
More in poor shape
Valalvax
Original Author
7 years ago
Wow, mine haven't ever produced lemons that got to the yellow stage :( biggest one I ever had was close to a grape
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
Do you see how very very 'fine' that mix is? The worst kind of mix for citrus. That is why within a year or so from purchase it is very important to change the mix out they came in into a very porous mix such as a 5.1.1 mix or a peat mix with lots of per lite. The water you use leaves dissolved salts behind along with fertilizers...Do you fertilize all winter? And, do you flush you your mixes out at all? Two very important questions...

Planting in the ground will serve no purpose when roots are that rotted..A nice clay pot left in a very warm area with sunlight is best so that the potted roots can warm up. Also too. you could use a pot then place 1/4 way pushed into the soil to act as a raised bed to help drain water away.

You could cover your trees with a shade cloth, or bug screen or anything to lessen direct sun for a week or two until your tree begins to recover.
dnedd1 zone7 LI NY
7 years ago
In winter I do not fertilize and water with collected rain water but didn't flush at all. Tomorrow I will get some clay pots and dig them up.
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
That's wonderful....Then make sure you still flush your mix out at least once a month all year if using anything less than porous mixes for your citrus. Rain water is always best sin't it? I collect rain water too for my orchids...That's great
Valalvax
Original Author
7 years ago
What about the brown dead looking branches? Are they dead? Should I cut them off?

I think my poor tree is already doing better, it had a flower on it today, and some new green growth

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