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Help with Yuzu and Meyer Lemon

6 years ago

This summer, I got 1 Yuzu tree and 1 Meyer Lemon tree. Both are having trouble.

Both started out in my sunroom, which is has no windows on the ceiling, but the south wall is a 1 big window and the larger west-facing side is all windows. No windows on the north side. Lots of bright indirect light all year round, but I live in the PNW, so there are lots of clouds and not much light in the winter. Some direct light when the sun is shining through the windows. Temps get up to 90 degrees in the summer (but good ventilation with breezes blowing through), down to 40s in the winter. I use a soil moisture monitor and water whenever the plant is totally dry.

Both plants were doing beautifully when I brought them home from the nursery, but both slowly started to have trouble in the sunroom. I eventually moved them outside, but I think it was too late at that point. Any advice on what I can do to save these plants for next year? Should I bring them indoors for the winter to avoid getting their roots soaked all winter long? Are they salvagable? Here are details on what happened to each:

1. Yuzu

Had flowers and beautiful leaves at the nursery. At home in the sunroom the leaves curled up and got crispy and dried out even if I watered consistently. I did have them in a terra cotta pot, so maybe it still wasn't enough water. Moved it outside. The leaves and flowers fell off, and there were little yuzu mini-fruit buds, but they never made it to full fruits.

2. Meyer Lemon

Also had nice foliage and flowers at first, but then started getting yellow leaves. They didn't really curl up like the yuzu did, but the foliage and flowers fell off too, even after I moved it outside (maybe it was too late anyway) and no fruit really formed.

I welcome your advice!

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Comments (4)

Parker Turtle
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Yuzu has unusually good tolerance to low temperatures for a citrus, so it's not the cold temperature.

I suspect not enough light, or the cold air was drying it out (when cold air gets heated it sucks up moisture).

Yuzu is pretty resilient so if you fix the problem it will come back.
Silica
6 years ago
I think the tree has root problems. Have you ever pulled the tree from the container and checked the tree's root system?
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Oftentimes, the damage caused by over watering cannot be 'fixed' by drying the soil out. Planting into a VERY coarse, rapid draining potting mix can go a long ways in preventing problems in the first place, even for those who tend to be chronic over-waterers. LOTS of us are guilty of this at some point, lol! Using a great deal of perlite, bark fines, and/or Turface (for example) insure that you'll have plenty of large pore spaces in your potting mix to promote the essential water drainage and a constant oxygen supply required for healthy root growth within a container. Please know, too, that moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate.
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Denise Becker
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
You mentioned "fully dry". Soil surface is suppose to be damp, not wet. It is possible the tree went into shock going into a new environment. I would leave them outside as long as possible allowing them to get some real sun. I looked at the pot, is there a saucer under it? If so, remove it so the water can drain away. Check the roots and see how they look too. Since you purchased the trees from a nursery, I would talk to one of the master gardeners and see what they have to say.
Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I agree with silica: the tree has root problems which means root rot. Root rot is caused by soil mix that is too water retentive and or cold roots (below 55 F). Also, terra cota pots allow water to evaporate which causes cooling of the pots. Not a good thing! You should probably repot into a mix like 5-1-1 or gritty mix. Throw away the moisture meter. It is way too inaccurate.
Check to see if it needs water by digging a couple of inches into the soil mix to see if it is damp. Alternatively, shovea wooden skewer halfway between the tree and the wall of the pot and all the way to the bottom. Pull it out and if you see particles on it, then it does not
need watering.

My version of Al Tapla's 5-1-1 Mix

· 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.) Be sure 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.

When repotting into a different kind of
soil mix, remove all of the old soil mix by dunking the root ball in and
out of water. You may have to use a garden hose to gently force the old soil
off. Or, use something like a screwdriver: stick it into the root ball and pull
down to loosen the soil. Dunk and repeat.

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