There could be many reasons why one tree is doing better than the other. Maybe one has root damage from a gopher or root rot, maybe one variety needs less nutrients, maybe there are pockets of soil that are different enough to cause different nutrient availability, maybe they are growing on a different root stock? I have three citrus trees planted three feet apart in my yard. I feed them all the same. The washington navel orange is always dark green and rarely shows signs of chlorosis while the lisbon lemon and clementine mandarin almost always show signs of chlorosis in the spring. I don't know why three similar trees planted so close together act differently. When I fertilize them in the spring/summer they all become dark green.

Hi ernie85017, Yellowing of leaves or chlorosis can be caused by a number of things. Watering is always on the top of the list so in order to rule it out you'll want to start there. This time of year citrus need watered about once every two weeks as long as the water is soaking down deeply into the soil. The ideal depth is 3 feet, which creates a moisture zone that takes a while to dry out and enables you to water less often. It also encourages deep roots and the water carries salts down below the root zone. Salt accumulation can be lethal to plants. The easiest way to water deeply is to create a 6 inch berm around the tree at the drip line. Some folks like to add a second berm about 12 inches away from the trunk to prevent water from reaching it. Filling the basin should provide adequate water for your citrus. Here's a link to the University of Arizona bulletins on citrus (including irrigation) http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/pubs.htm#Citrus Nitrogen and iron are necessary to produce nice green leaves but soils that are too moist can prevent absorption of these and other nutrients. That's why its important to let the soil dry out a bit in between waterings. We're talking wrung-out-sponge dry, not bone dry. It's also a good idea to add a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch or compost over the soil in the basin. This will slow evaporation, keep soils cool in summer, release nutrients as it decomposes and helps to lower the pH. Lack of nitrogen usually causes yellowing of older leaves while lack of iron is seen in the new growth. To be beneficial to the plant, iron must be in an absorbable form. Ironite doesn't provide this but your chelated iron will. Here's information on nutrient deficiencies in citrus. I hope it helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Common citrus nutrient deficiencies and herbicide symptoms

Hello! Mike, JoJo! Hey, Mandarin! :-) Both Mike and JoJo are correct. I do have a variegated pink Lemon, I did re-pot in Gritty Mix, and the only problem I've had was my fault...leaving it where the deer were able to get at it :-( Now that it's indoors, it's blooming nicely. It is in a smaller terra cotta pot, though, and so I have to water about every 4 - 5 days or else the leaves begin to curl. Spider Mites are a constant issue with all of my Citrus, so I just spray them with Neem Oil + Pro-TeKt every couple of weeks (or if I see any fine webbing appear). I, too, left my pink Lemon in the nursery soil for its first season....but in November, we had a cold-snap in the upper-20F's and my Citrus took some leaf-damage. I was very unhappy with the idea of leaving the tree in the old soil for another Winter (I purchased in January and the tree struggled those first months). Then we had a storm that knocked the tree over and loosened it in the pot - so I figured it was time to re-pot, even though it was late in the season to be doing such a thing. I really like the 5-1-1 for Citrus, although it does break down sooner than true Gritty Mix. Here's a pic of my poor pink Lemon after the deer got to it. This is what I found early in the morning.

My goodness, I feel like I need to chime in here. I too have a little Meyer Lemon tree, a I am just amazed at it, It's just a little thing, and I've had it going on 3 years now. It has one huge lemon that seems like it must be a year old and almost ripe, then another about golf ball size and I see a baby about pea size on there now. It never had noticeable dropping of baby lemons. It seems like it blooms year round...but it lives in a greenhouse year round. I've never fertilized it, and it is potted in plain old commercial potting mix. Now that I read what it needs for potting soil when it grows too big for the pot I will mix my own. I'm really thrilled with this youngster. How long do they live? Should I be putting it outside in the summer?