Lemon tree yellowing?

last year

Hi,

I planted this new meyer lemon tree in a container a few weeks ago. Since I am in zone 5, I will be moving the tree indoors to a well lit space in the winter.

I noticed that the tree had this slight yellowing even at the nursery, but I liked the form so I picked this one. Now I feel as if the yellowing is a little more prominent.

It is planted in miracle grow potting soil, and I have not fertilized it as of yet.

Any ideas on what it could be?

Thank you

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Comments (10)

Silica
last year
Notice that the veins of the leaf are darker green then the rest of the leaf. That is a symptom of an iron deficiency in citrus. All in all your tree looks generally good. Go ahead and fertilize it with a good fertilizer that also contains the micro nutrients.

. All in all your tree lookm
Marble _
Original Author
last year
Thank you! I will try fertilizing it
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I agree with Jean. I would use a very well draining mix. I use EB Stone's Cactus Mix, but there is also a good recipe on our forum to "511" mix or "gritty" mix that you can search out. Definitely needs to be repotted, and the roots straightened out if you see they're circling in this small pot. Also, I would consider switching fertilizers. 4 fertilizer applications a year for a container citrus is not nearly enough. Fine for in-ground citrus, but not for container citrus. I would consider using Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro, and use 1/2 strength with every watering. And, I would also supplement with Osmocote Plus (it must be the "Plus" formulation so you have the best NPK ratio along with all the micros, very important). Your tree is in bad shape. I would expect after re-potting and correct fertilizing and watering that you'll see these old leaves drop, pushed out with new flush. Patty S.
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Top of leafbottom of same leaf. The slow release fertilizer is 17-2-7 NPK I've also used a 22-6-12 NPK liquid fertilizer. The symptoms were not there 6 weeks ago as there was no new growth. It seem to be on new growth. The soil is 6 months old max premium potting mix. The tree gets watered 2 to 3 times a week. I got my ph kit from my local agriculture shop. It has 2 lemons on it now which are transitioning from green to yellow. I think it's severely lacking a trace element like zinc or manganese or both if it isn't a disease/virus
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Did you really break up the root ball taking out the older mix so that you didn't end up with two different mixes? It looks like the root ball collected water while the mix around it drained away. There are many variables with root isues. To name just a few. Your root ball may be repelling water while the mix around it absorbs it. The old mix may be staying wet too long while the newer mix drains rather rapidly. The previous care could of been terrible and that tree could of been neglected. To make sure of that, check the roots out. Have you taken a good look at the roots yet? The pH can b corrected with something as simple as vinegar in the fertilzer solution but I would not blame that just yet. What I would do if it were my tree is make sure the mix you are using is properly dispersed throughout the whole root ball and that it's not drying out unevenly. I would not play with fertilizers until I have disqualified all possible threats to the roots themselves. You may even be dealing with salt burn at the fine roots. Who know how that tree was cared for before you got it. But we do know it's missing nutrients suggesting a problem at the root zone first. Once you have established the roots are very healthy, possibly the fertilizer is not providing what it needs, but highly unlikley. Let us know. Don't blame yourself for it's issues at this point. Just make a check list of all possible causes and see if any of then pertain to you before you guess what nutrient it needs. A quick solution may be to treat the leaves, but a permannent one is in order for you on this tree. Mike)
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thanks for your help. I purchased this with 3 others from Lowe’s mid June and repotted within a week. I put them in galvanized steel pots. I used the miracle grow fertilizer for tomato, fruit and veg 10-5-15 around end of June because I couldn’t find any citrus specific fertilizer. I purchased epsoma citrus liquid feed a few weeks later because early July it was already yellowing and had leaf pattern changes. I’ve been researching about yellowing and thought the liquid would boost the nitrogen. I’ve used the liquid fertilizer per directions with water and feed every 2-3 weeks. I mix liquid 2 doses with Proper water and spread amongst 3 trees so maybe it hasn’t been exact. Question : Did You notice the leaves are malformed, they aren’t symmetrical like my other trees. The other thing I can’t figure out is the yellowing started on lower leaves and is extending upwards. The upper leaves are still green. would that be normal if it was a nutrient deficient? i will try and pick up a ph meter or test Kit this weekend first and see if that could be the reason. Id hate to pull this tree out of pot and stress it more, plus I have no clue what to look for. can You point me to good website or even video that shows how to differentiate good root and bad root. And might have good techniques on pulling this out of soil
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decoenthusiaste
last year
last modified: last year
Maybe it has gotten too much rain lately. Can you put it on a covered carport or porch and see if it improves when it dries out some?
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
last year
"Thank you! I will try fertilizing it"

You mentioned repotting in Miracle Grow potting soil- check the bag and make certain it does not already contain fertilizer before you feed it anything else on top of that.

If it does not contain fertilizers then you can go look for a citrus fertilizer- they have specific needs.

You might also check the soil pH as mineral uptake is regulated by soil pH, so that slight chlorosis you see could be no more than your soil pH a bit too high.
Ken B Zone 7
last year
Miracle grow potting soil is a citrus killer. It holds much too much moisture and will most likely lead to root rot.
Silica
last year
last modified: last year
It isn't the water that causes damage, it is the lack of O2 that does the damage. I realize that watering a plant reduces the medium's air spaces., but for Miracle Grow that takes time. Many many many millions of plants are grown in Miracle grow every year. I also agree that Miracle grow potting soil is certainly not the best medium for citrus, at least in the long run, but the damage to a tree would normally take a year. Miracle Grow Garden Soil would be a better choice, 5-1-1 would be a lot better choice. I have a Ginger Lime (a wonderful tree) growing in 50/50 mix of Miracle Grow Garden Soil and Turface MVP. Time will tell, but so far it has been an AMAZING medium. I'll watch the 50/50 medium for another year to evaluate, and then make a final judgement.
Marble _
Original Author
last year
Id be willing to change out the soil to a more appropiate mix, should I wait to do that until the fall before I bring it in?
Marble _
Original Author
last year
Hi,

So now the leaves are curling inwards.
poppiepink
last year
hi im not real sure … i think this plant has a disease… either the beginnings of mealy bugs or some type of fungal disease… … it is showing symptoms of dying unfortunately…
Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
last year
I'd be confused with all the info given here although good intentions.

I would make sure you are giving a good fertilizer at a weak dose every time I water and as mentioned above an acidic one of add something like vinegar with make make your solution acidic.

How is the soil mix the roots?

Also, I would let nothing grow in the same pot that could rob nutrients from your tree.

Lemon tree yellowing?

Comments (10)

Silica

Marble _
Original Author

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decoenthusiaste

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Lemon tree yellowing?

Comments (10)

Silica

Marble _Original Author

Related Discussions

decoenthusiaste

cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)

Ken B Zone 7

Silica

Marble _Original Author

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poppiepink

Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)

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Marble _
Original Author

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