HELP: Droopy Lemon Tree
Alli Tait
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Alli Tait
5 years agochristine 5b
5 years agoRelated Discussions
***help*** lemon tree dying ***help***
Comments (14)Oh boy. Even this "citrus nurse" is going to struggle, here. Okay, first off, let's get rid of all that grass under the tree. This poor tree is struggling enough as it is for nutrients, but the grass is simply using up any Nitrogen that might be made available to this tree's feeder roots. So, clear a very large circle under the tree. For this tree, I would suggest twice the drip line (edge of the canopy). Mike is right - paint the trunk white, never black. This may be the cause of the issue - you may have literally cooked the cambium layer with black paint. It is customary to use flat latex house paint cut in 1/2 with water to paint tree trunks. I would definitely try re-painting the trunk. The dog's damage may have girdled the tree, in which case nothing we tell you to do will save the tree. This tree is too small to have this many dead branches requiring pruning, so that clearly should be a clue something is drastically wrong. The leaves appear to be burnt. If you're applying any kind of oil to the leaves, you must make sure your outdoor temps do not exceed 35 degrees F (29 degrees Celsius), or you'll risk burning the leaves. Again, spiders are the "good guys". If you're referring to spider mites, that's an entirely different insect, and is often a sign of a stressed tree. Find out what insect you think is a spider, and get it ID'ed so you know whether or not you're dealing with a pest or a beneficial. CLM can be treated with Spinosad, with or without a hort oil added in (depending upon your air temps). You should be able to find it where you live. Be sure to use Spinosad in the later evening, when the bees have gone back to the hive, as Spinosad can kill bees. Spray every 3 weeks, 3 applications during your CLM season. You can use a hort oil to help the product stick better, but only if your air temps are low enough. Lastly, back to the watering issue. It looks awfully wet in the soil. We need to know what kind of soil you have. Is it clay, loam, sand, DG? You say you "water occasionally". Is this tree getting hit by lawn sprinklers? If so, that is certain death for citrus. They don't like their trunks constantly hit with water. It will damage the bark and leave the tree open for all kinds of fungal infections. If you're watering by hand, you want the roots to receive a good, deep (to about 18 - 24", or 7 to 10 cm) watering once to three times a week, depending on your ambient temps, humidity and type of soil. Check to make sure the tree actually needs to be watered, before you water it, so you can gauge your soil's water retention. I just use a cheap green plastic-covered plant stake, and push it into the ground. For me being on DG, if I can't push it in at all, my soil is dry (turns into cement when dry). If I can push it in, and the stake comes out moist, I'm good. You're heading into Fall now, but I think you can still get away with another application of fertilizer. Use a good quality citrus fertilizer with the proper NPK ratio (citrus require a lot of nitrogen, so you'll see the N will be higher than the PK, the best ratio is 5:1:3 in general for citrus), with the full complement of micronutrients as well (Ca, Zn, Mg, Mn, Fe). Stay in touch with your local gardening center, someone who knows citrus. Let us know how your little tree fares. I'm a little concerned about all the damage. I'm not sure if it is just how the tree is being managed, or if we're looking at something more serious, like a virus or infection of some sort. The good news - citrus are very resilient. Let's see if some better management allows the tree to spring back. It may take until next spring until you see some serious recovery, so be patient. And, remove all the fruit for now. Your tree cannot possibly support fruit production, it needs to use all its energies into recovery. Patty S....See MoreHELP!!! Please help me with my meyer lemon tree
Comments (10)Christina, those other leaves look mighty fine and dark green. You must of been doing something right all year. Many times citrus will drop leaves, turn color or even get attacked by pests this time of the year. The cold comes into play. A lot less direct over head sunlight like summer and watering has to be pulled back dependent on the temps.. That leaf looks like it just naturally fell off.....Mike When you sprayed with Neem, did you spray under the leaves too? Looks like you did the tops but not the bottom.....See MoreCitrus Help! Please help ID issue in Meyer Lemon Tree in AZ
Comments (8)I cannot dismiss early stage gummosis by looking at the picture above. I think a local expert should look at the tree. If this appeared on my roses I would say it is the work of a sawfly but on citrus? In the meantime I would isolate the tree if potted, treat the wounds and the soil with copper and if more of it appeared I would cut off the affected canes making sure the wood exposed looks nice and healthy. To investigate further ones needs to look at the state of the foot below the soil so a little digging may be in order. The fungal disease called 'Citrus gummosis' starts at the root and foot but there are also other types of gummosis. Also take a look at this, paying attention to 'citrus gummosis' and 'Rio Grande gummosis' https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/plantprotect/citrusdisease.pdf...See MoreHELP: Droopy Lemon Tree
Comments (1)pictures or you may get no responses, and after repotting I hope its in shade or semi shade for a few days...See MoreDenise Becker
5 years agoAlli Tait
5 years agoAlli Tait
5 years agochristine 5b
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agochristine 5b
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAlli Tait thanked Lemon Lime Orange Zone 6aLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAlli Tait thanked Lemon Lime Orange Zone 6aAlli Tait
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agoAlli Tait
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoDenise Becker
5 years agochristine 5b
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoAlli Tait thanked Lemon Lime Orange Zone 6aLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomyermike_1micha
5 years agoLemon Lime Orange Zone 6a
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