Meyer lemon recovery help!
Matt (zone9b)
6 years ago
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poncirusguy6b452xx
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMatt (zone9b)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Meyer Lemon tree help
Comments (27)Okay, let's start at the beginning. First off, where are you located? That helps us a bit. Secondly, you indicate that you have clay soil. For those folks on clay, you really should do a percolation test before you plant a tree (or any plant, especially a cultivar that will not tolerate wet roots). Dig your hole, then fill it with water. It should drain in 3 hours or so. If not, then you have drainage issue. I suspect this may be the case for you, and your tree is actually demonstrating being suffocated from too much water (which can look very much like not receiving enough water). In most "rescue" cases, I will usually tell folks to keep your tree in the ground. However, I agree with MeyerMike here - dig your tree up. Plant it in a well draining mix. I would opt to use a high quality Cactus Potting Mix (EB Stone makes a good one). It is not quite as well draining as the 511 or Gritty Mix discussed on this forum, but we're going to try to re-transition this tree to back in the ground, so I think going with something a little less well-draining is going to make for an easier transition. Plant in a container, and then water enough to moisten the soil, then do not water until you can feel that the soil is starting the dry out - stick your finger down into the pot and check so you know. Then water thoroughly. Keep your tree in a location that gets afternoon shade. Enough sun for recovery, but not so much that we're going to burn your defoliated tree. If you're in S. California, in a moderate temperature area, this might be once a week (or possibly less while the roots are working to repair themselves.) After about two weeks, start watering with 1/2 strength DynaGro Foliage Pro. Once your start to see some flushing of new leaves, you can also add a time release higher nitrogen fertilizer. I use Osmocote Plus, but I do not believe it is available any longer. See if you can find Dynamite Citrus & Palm, or Dynamite Select. Either will help your little tree to recover a little faster, along with the Foliage Pro. Allow your tree to recover in a pot for at least a year. I had to do this with two of my rarer citrus, as they were ravaged by Phytophthora (too much water for me as well, but the results created a proliferation of this fungal infection, I do not believe this is your issue, fortunately). Once your tree has recovered, let's try to plant it back in the ground, but this time, let's find out how well or poorly draining your soil really is, first. If you find that your hole takes longer than three hours to drain (don't be surprised if you find water still in it the next morning, if you truly have clay soil), then you will want to plant your tree on a mound. Normally I do not advocate amending your soil. This is not the current thinking with trees. With one exception - HEAVY clay soils. So, take a large wheelbarrow, and mix 1/2 native soil, and then 1/3 high quality soil mix high in organic material (Kellogg's GrowMulch is a good choice), as then a handful of gypsum. Make a nice, tall mound, at least 2' taller than your soil level. Plant your tree on the top of the mound. Don't bury your tree too deeply - seeing the root collar will be a good thing. Then, make a well at the base of the mound so that the water will collect at the bottom of the mound. Water once a WEEK, to a depth of 18 to 24" as John has mentioned. Then, next week, before you water, check the soil moisture. You can use a garden stake (I use one of those cheap green plastic covered stakes you can get at Home Depot). See if the soil really is dried out. Your tree will tell you if it's dry - the leaves will start to cup upward. If your tree is getting dry, water again, deeply. You may need to water more frequently if temps go way up next summer. Fertilize in ground citrus 3 to 4 times a year with a good quality fertilizer formulated for citrus. I usually fertilize in February, April, June, and September. Always water your tree first, then fertilize, then water in the fertilizer. Clay soil is actually very rich in minerals, and if you manage your water and drainage, is a great soil for growing citrus trees in. You just must identify your drainage, and then adjust your watering accordingly. Mike,just as an aside, I rarely protect my young citrus from the sun here where I live. Unless I have a tree that has a lot of trunk exposed, I don't need to do that. But, I'm in a fairly moderate climate for S. California, compared to those who live more inland. Not sure where jplee lives. He's in zone 10 like me, but that could also be in Florida (thought I doubt it). In areas of more intense sun and heat, it is a very good thing to protect young citrus from the afternoon intense sun. But, I'm guessing jplee is maybe from my neck of the woods. We have areas here in San Diego county (mostly further south of me) where they have very dense clay soil. I am fortunately on DG here in N. San Diego county. Patty S....See MoreHelp: Meyers Lemon
Comments (30)You might be able to get away with that soil mix for now, but I find that the mix many trees are sold in are only meant for temporary plantings, and if not traded out for a fresh mix can be problematic during the cooler months of the year. I would not use that MGCM you are thinking of unless you mix it well with half and half perlite..Make it a porous as possible without comprimising moisture in the mix so it dries out rather quickly, will not hold salt deposits and neither bugs sujch as gnats. It is a constant source of light that will keep your trees healthy and a night time drop of at least 5 to ten degrees..If you are going to keep your trees exposed to a constant 70 degrees without a drop at night, your trees will probably loose their leaves and branches eventually. They will also be susceptible to pest such as mites. Your goal is to keep them as healthy as possible without active growth during the winter months. It's ok if your trees rest during the winter months and in fact healthy. I would also encourage to loose the sticks and rope that hold them up and let which will encourage them to gain stronger trunks. If they are too top heavy, trim them back a bit during this active growth time and it will encourage lower growth along with good trunk development. If you plant on leaving them in that mix, or using just the MGCM right out of the bag, I would watch out for salt deposits over time. Stop fertilizing once fall comes if you want to avoid spindly weak growth meant only for pests. Mike...See MoreMeyer lemon help
Comments (11)My bet is nitrogen deficiency but possible iron deficiency is right behind. The plants have a hard time getting iron out of our soil at high temps, and I can't remember what happens to the nitrogen at this time of year but our soil is just generally lacking in it. I would go grab some fish emulsion (white Alaska brand bottle) and chelated iron (blue bottle) at your local orange big box store ($25 for both in gallons) and mix up a spraybottle with these two diluted properly. Spray the leaves of the tree at night. Try to stand down wind! Then on your next watering, mix up the fish + iron into your water (at correct dilution) and pour into your basin. Let us know how the tree responds. edit: Also I'd like to encourage you to rake the gravel away from this tree's base and put up a berm (little moat) with wood chips around it. The gravel retains the heat and does not add any nutrients to the root zone. And consider shading this guy a little - it is very small for a 3rd year tree. Needs some babying....See MoreNeed Help With A Meyer Lemon Tree
Comments (30)I have a question. I brought my Meyer Lemon tree and Lemonade Blue Berry Bush in for the winter. They are in a south facing window. When the sun is out they receive a lot of sun light. But with winter time in Central Ohio, that isn't to many days. I want to supplement the light with some CFL bulbs. I have a lamp with both a 6400K 100 watt (23 watts) bulb and a 2700K 100 watt (23 watt) bulb. My question is do I really need the 2700K bulb? The plant isn't blooming / flowering but I do still have lemons on it. On cloudy days I use the bulbs anywhere from 7 to 10 hours a night in addition to being in front of the window. Also, I have some small Lemon and Lime trees that I started from seeds. Should I just use the 6400K bulb for them too? They sit in the windows also. They are about 4 to 5 inches tall. This is my 1st season trying this. I saw on youtube that both the 6400K and 2700K bulbs together are more representative to natural light. But I don't want to waste eelectricity if using both bulbs together really don't help....See Moreuncle molewacker z9b Danville CA (E.SF Bay)
6 years agoMatt (zone9b) thanked uncle molewacker z9b Danville CA (E.SF Bay)Matt (zone9b)
6 years agouncle molewacker z9b Danville CA (E.SF Bay)
6 years agoMatt (zone9b)
6 years agoMatt (zone9b)
6 years agoMatt (zone9b)
6 years agojohnmerr
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMatt (zone9b)
6 years ago
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