1st Time Meyer Lemon Owner - Pic + Planting Question
Leslie Chen
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Denise Becker
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Meyer Lemon Root Ball Question
Comments (14)I read in a few threads on this forum that when transplanting lemon trees it's essential to make sure to get rid of as much of existing soil as possible so that there aren't two different layers of soil which would restrict the root growing. Maybe they were only referring to repotting after a few years, not fresh out of the nursery? But also like Josh said, even before I was about to seriously meddle with the root, the soil kinda just fell off and a part of the root ball fell with it. After that I didn't dare to touch it much. I noticed that this plant doesn't really have a distinct trunk above the rootball. The tree starts branching off immediately on top of the rootball, giving me almost no space to pile soil on top of the rootball. I did my best to sprinkle soil on the root ball but they rolled off after a few days. As a result the top of the rootball is pretty much exposed. My soil is also mostly barks with perlite, but the rootball is too shallow to support the tree, especially when there's no soil on top of the rootball. I don't know if staking helps much because the tree is pretty straight after I put the brick on the rootball. So if I were to replace this tree, I should just repot (I need to repot it to a bigger pot or else it's really ugly) the new tree without losing any nursery soil into my new mix?...See MoreMeyer Lemon Question
Comments (12)Great ideas! Andrew, good job as always and thank you Steve for you for your help! I like to leave my Meyer Lemon trees outside as LONG as I can....So in oder to keep them consistently growing, I like to make sure the root zone is always above the 50 degree mark... So if night time lows are going below the 50's, I bring them into a heated area...Then I put them back out in the sun by the a.m letting them continually grow... If you choose to leave the out in temps below the 50's, you risk root rot, tightened new leaf growth, slowed growth and yellowing of leaves...That is in pots... So it is always a choice for most of us..Do you want your tree to be pristine looking and growing all the time, or do you want them to slow down and show signs of nutritional deficiency as they grow and stop, grow and stop, etc.... As for Neem, at this time of the year I can get away with spraying whenever I want since the sun is much cooler now..But since your tree is in a hot surrounding like that, I would spray at night or very early a.m. Are you sure you have mites or could of been just a plain ole spider? Are you sure you have to spray insecticide? Sometimes a good ole spray of water will do fine..Wash all the leaves well.. F.E is great, because not only is it a natural light oil that does what Andrew says, but it is also a fertilizer... I fine that all my plants come in bug free up until about mid winter using it..Spider mites will sometimes appear no matter what you do, but controlling them through the winter is key, not total death...I have a hard time believing that anyone who has a mite problem or one at one time has killed every single one of them while the problem occurs indoors.BUt outdoors, it is possible to rid them for good..lol Mike...See MoreNew Here! Meyer Lemon Question
Comments (6)Took pics. Last year the foliage and fruit was so abundant that I could not see into "it" But now having pruned it and taking pics...I see that it's actually TWO trees! Here is the pic of one trunk... Clearly the ground underneath needs to be cleaned out and all the ferns removed. There is also a little "volunteer" tree growing out of it that needs to go. I do feel that these trees were doing better when it was left alone....the previous owners were there 8 years and never fed it or paid much attention to it. All the trees are starting to fail....could they be too old...(there are also two pink grapefruits, some sort or orange and some sort of "quat" maybe a loquat. .one of the grapefruit trees was great...and now that seems to be dying...but I think that's because the original owners put a tomato cage around it when it was a tiny tree and it actually cut into the trunk...it's wounded)...See More1st Time (Finally) Repotted Meyer, Please Advise!
Comments (29)Laura, any success thus far and down the line is mostly a result of everything I've learned from first, the people on the Container forum (Al and others), who taught me how to make my own mix, and from you and others--John, Mike, Vlad, and more--here on the Citrus forum, who inspired me to take another chance on a Meyer and have given me the knowledge I need to care for it. I've wanted a Meyer, and roses, for so many years, but felt it was impossible here; my first Meyer, some 4 years ago, was miserable almost from the start and died--I didn't know what to do for it and was terrified to re-pot it. I would never have had the nerve before to mix my own planting mix, or to bare-root a tree when re-potting, for example, and I've done it now with all my formerly sad potted roses and my two new citrus, thus far with great results! I've read both forums for days (mostly nights) at a time! and admired your beautiful healthy citrus trees--yours are gorgeous!--and learned so much from your experience. I hadn't gardened in years, and I have a very small very challenging spot, but these forums (also Antique Rose forum, where I'm spending a lot of time now) are the reason I am gardening now. My dreary little space is already transformed, since April, with herbs, strawberries, blooming and budding roses, flowering/scented perennials, and my citrus trees, and already I find many bees and butterflies visiting. It's incredibly rewarding and a great little retreat for me. THANK YOU ALL for your inspiration and help! Sheba...See MoreLeslie Chen
5 years agoDenise Becker
5 years agoponcirusguy6b452xx
5 years ago
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