Leaves are yellowing. I am allowing it to dry between watering and it has good drainage. I am planning on repotting it after I harvest the lemons. I live in Livingston Tx. now. I have had the tree for 3 years from Tree search.
Suggestions.
Improved Meyer lemon
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I add about 1/4 cup Epsom Salts to mine twice a year. Helps the roots to take in nutrients that are otherwise bound. It is not salt. Trace mineral.
also do a deep water about once a week and shower the leaves about every other day. 100+ everday is killing a lot of things
Thanks, this is my first year to get a harvest. A whole 7 lemons. Better than last year.
Danea
How funny. I got 3 last year and there 7 still hanging on right now. Good luck.
It is very small for a 3 year old Meyers.
Can I ask what citrus fertilizer you are using and how often?
You should be using a minimum 7-7-7 every three months.
DaneaJ
I am interested in responses you get from your question about repotting. I plan on posting later today regarding choosing size and type of pot to replant my Myer lemon tree in but I haven't decided what the appropriate forum is. I just acquired my lemon tree back in February and it had 13 lemons on it and it appears to be about the same sized tree as yours. The two smallest lemons turned black and fell off, the other 11 were starting to ripen and turn yellow as I was entering the hospital a week ago. I haven't seen it in a week but last time I saw it none of the leaves were turning yellow. I water my tree, which is in a 3 gallon container, very thoroughly once a day, so the soil never completely dries out, and I have never fertilized it. The hail storm we had on April 14th knocked all of the leaves off except for one, but luckily none of the fruit. It then made a miraculous recovery putting out lots of new leaves and a few blossoms. When I return home I look forward to having a large glass of iced tea with some Myer lemon juice in it. Interestingly when I attended a class on canning and preserving a couple of weeks ago they cautioned us to use regular lemons, not Myer lemons, since Myer lemon juice is sweeter and doesn’t have as high an acidity as normal lemons have.
Very early in the spring, I found "tree sticks" at Home Depot for citrus. I have three trees in 20 gallon pots, lemon, orange and Mexican lime. They are very lush. I have pulled them into the shade as the suns rays were cooking the leaves. My Japanese Bloodgood maple is fried.
The tree that covered it died and we had to have it removed.
I replanted last Fall into the 20 gallon pots using cactus/citrus soil. Pretty expensive but all 3 trees have doubled in size. In late winter I pruned them as they were more like bushes than trees. We put them in side the tool barn with an electric heater in the winter. DH has to use a two wheeler to move them.
LouC
Since we both live in the same area and have the same weather, how much and how frequently do you water your citrus trees? And do you think that you will ever need to move them to containers larger than 20 gallons?
All my citrus are in full Texas sun with no leaf burn. I have an 8 foot Pomelo in a 15 gallon. That is my largest pot. All my other citrus are in 10 gallons and range from 2-6 feet tall.
I water very deep once a week. In this extreme heat I have been giving a spray with the hose about every other day. Just to cool the leaves. I had to bring them into the shade.
I am also in zone 8b. I am using Dyma,ite Palm and Citrus food, 13-5-11. I have only put 1 apprlication on this year. I was afraid of making it loose the blooms, We are in extreme drought. I am watering every other day. Maybe I need to purchase one of the moisture measuring devices. My lemon, lime and orange are in 5 gallon pots. The Meyer lemon has had the least amount of growth of the 3 citrus that I purchased. They actually came from one of the Galveston county sales. I had a round with the leaf miners last year. I didn't know about the leaf cooling, I will definitely try that.
If you need more info just ask.
I am no expert about anything. I spray the leaves because it seemed like a good thing to do. Most plants take in moisture (and loose it the same way) through their leaves. If anything works for me it is sheer luck.
If you spray the leaves with water when it is hot, the leaves will burn.
Never spray leaves with water when they are in direct sunlight and it is over 90F.
Christi, spraying the leaves may also knock off any Giant Swallowtail caterpillars, just saying. Any plants need the dust knocked off occassionally when we don't get rain, but if sun gets on their leaves it steams them like Lee said.
JuJu...I have small ones in pots too and need to repot this year..thanks for the tip on the fertilizer I need for them. I know you have extensive fruit tree knowledge from lurking on other threads.
A good rule with spraying leaves is the same rule with foliar feeding sprays.
I dont know the exact temperature but plants stop absorbing foliar sprays somewhere in the mid 70F. That is why most people stop foliar sprays in the summer because they have little benefit. I assume the leaves would stop absorbing water around those same temps as well.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for all of the responses. What is the best time to re pot???
I knew about the sun and water on the leaves. They are in dappled shade and seem to be thriving.
Sheila, I always look for the cats. When I say "spray", I don't mean "blast". I have a mist setting that I use most often to raise the humidity very briefly in the area. There is new growth up to 6 inches on all three plants. They are truly getting huge so I must be doing something right. Actually, we do all we can and then God decides whether it will work or not.
So sorry for our friends in Phoenix. Another dust storm and the season is not over yet.
I have seen your trees Christi and they are lovely, glad to hear you are watching out for our friends too.
Dane......I am interested in the best time for repotting also .....Lee??
jujubetexas
I'm glad to learn that it doesn't help to use foliar fertilizers when the temperatures are above the mid 70's. I guess I would be wasting good worm tea if I was still spraying my vegetables with it.
A Florida citrus growers' website states that palm tree fertilizer is the best to use on citrus trees. I have been using it since my friend gave me a Myers lemon. This fertilizer has the trace elements that citrus trees need. Epsom salt works well too if the leaves yellow in-between the fertilizer applications.. How much sun is your tree receiving? The size of the container determines how many fruit your plant can sustain.
The best time to repot is in the spring; however, I have repotted in the summer as well. Just be sure to water a little more often.
This message was edited Jul 19, 2011 11:53 AM
htop
That's good information to know. I have a thread going in the Vegetable Gardening and Texas Gardening forums asking about what size container that the Meyer lemon tree should ultimately be in. And do you gradually move it to larger and larger pots as it grows, after I determine what the correct size is, or can it be replanted just once into the final pot that it will stay in forever?
Epsom Salt is my standby for almost all of my plants...in moderation.
Thanks for your input Hazel, good info.
On the epson salts, Christi, I know you have used it for a while; you don't dilute it first?
I had it in direct morning sun until about 2pm. I had it located on concrete, the pot was sitting on a wooden stand. I moved in back in where it does not get the hot direct sun. It is putting out new growth and seems to be doing better. The epson salts, do you dissolve the salt before adding to plant, or just spread like the fertilizer and then water it in???
I only use a couple of tablespoons per plant. Just scatter around the bottom in the root zone. Water it in and it does it's own thing. Couple of years ago we had a very long thread going about Epsom Salt. I believe the website is: EpsomSaltCouncil.com. Gives lots of information. Mainly explains how it got it's name and it is not "salt" but a trace mineral. Many nutrients are bound in the soil and the ES combines and releases them to the roots.....or something like that.
It is like magic for roses. Almost immediately get more basal canes and lots of growth and blooms.
When you say scatter around the bottom?? Do you mean on top of the soil in the pot in the root zone?? I just want to make sure I have this right.
Yes, on top of the soil. I don't break the soil, just water it in. I dissolves very quickly.
Thank you
I hope you notice a difference. I almost always do. I'm always open for a suggestion from anyone. We are all in this together.
Sheila_FW. your welcome.
hrp50, mine is in a 16 by 20 inch container as is my key lime. I trim mine back each spring because I move it into a greenhouse or my house in the winter if it is going to be extremely cold so it has to be a manageable size. I re-potted it twice as they grew. If you put it into a container that is too large, it will develop a lot of roots at the expense of top growth and blooms. I have been watering my lemon and lime every other day right now. In this size of container, I had so many key limes that I had to give them away. Tree rats ate the lemon blooms as well as the baby lemons; however the both the Myers lemon and the key lime has lots of new blooms. They actually bloom all winter in the house. My love bird loves to play in them when I bring them inside.
I had blooms inside one year also on my Myer Lemon. My Kiwi has never done anything, going to try the epsom salts on it for sure.
So should I wait until spring to repot them or do it when I pull them inside in the fall?
This message was edited Jul 22, 2011 8:16 PM
htop
If 16" x 20" are the sides, then high tall is it? Can you estimate how many gallons of soils it holds?
DaneaJ,
Meyer Lemon trees are naturally smaller than other citrus, but jujubetexas is right, yours should be larger by now. It's not getting the nutrients it needs or it is not getting them at the appropriate time. Citrus trees grow in spurts and need to have the nutrients available when the spurt occurs. Because potted citrus are watered more often and much of the fertilizer can be washed out, use a slow release citrus fertilizer that contains all the micro-nutrients or divide the recommended dosage into smaller but more frequent applications.
Your tree show signs of chlorosis, but in citrus, there are a variety of reasons why it develops. The soil pH may be too high, drainage may be poor, roots may be damaged or compacted, lack of or insufficient nutrients or the rootball may be getting too hot, a real problem here in Texas. My potted citrus had hot rootball issues, but before I could get my DH to make some shade panels for the pots, the grasshoppers ate all the leaves and bark off leaving only the below ground rootstock. Shading the pots would have kept the roots cool yet allowed the tops to get the full sun they needed. Citrus need a minimum of 6 - 8 hours of direct sunlight. Full sun would be better.
Citrus shouldn't dry out between watering. The soil should be moist at all times, but not waterlogged. Drainage must be excellent because over watering easily leads to root rot. You need to come up with your own flexible watering schedule. What works for other may not work for your tree since the environmental conditions won't be identical to theirs. Use a moisture meter or cheaper still would be to use a finger inserted to a depth of 2" - 3" to check the moisture level at that depth. Water when the soil at that depth is barely damp.
When potting up, the usual recommendation is a pot 2" larger all the way around. Potting up to a larger pot than that encourages root rot because soils that don't have roots in them drain more slowly. The roots then sit in waterlogged soil that keeps oxygen from getting to the roots.
Magnesium is essential for a number of plant functions, but is needed in small quantities. A complete citrus or palm fertilizer that contains all the micro-nutrients should be able to provide all the magnesium the tree needs provided the soil pH is in the appropriate range. However, used with caution, using epsom salt, magnesium sulfate, now and then won't hurt, but it is a salt that can build up in the soil. Plus in high quantities one nutrient can interfere with the uptake of other nutrients. It's a good idea to run water through the soil every once in a while to leach out salts.
You may find the following links useful:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ozdyUy-ptF4J:www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%2520chalker-scott/horticultural%2520myths_files/Myths/Leaf%2520scorch.pdf+will+water+on+leaves+in+hot+weather+burn+the+leaves&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShrz2Q8V4FoC1UxuQJbXKpOekCSuRGAaRkygGHKJuCkl-nleKvXl45fVuGF9FxpwBIz5MIexPx-U7j6IZWUxXN0enmZhvxLpDrDSxmB9iQK6L6GVZEsnk6ZMBx0Z-y_TigZ1hV4&sig=AHIEtbT-_nZ-nmW2L5syox-7lcvXYFKDfA
http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/june03/4.htm
http://www.simplynetworking.es/calida-416-66-11-citrus_tree_problems_–_yellowing_of_leaves.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/citrus/citrus.html
http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Mg_Basics.htm
BettyDee ~ I always appreciate the wealth of information you share.
Could you recommend the best type of soil for potting these trees up and also the best time of year.
Between buds, blooms and fruit, I am afraid to do so.
Sheila_FW, if they are drying out every day now or haven't put on any new growth, I would repot them now if you haven't done so within a year's period. Usually, it is best to repot them in the spring. If your plant becomes root bound and you don’t want to graduate to a larger pot, remove 1/3 of the roots and cut back the top approximately 1/3. Then, add new soil and repot in the same container. This makes an bushy dwarf tree. Do this only before new spring growth starts. Be careful with fertilizing if you repot them using a potting mix that has fertilizer in it already. The fertilizing schedule using citrus or palm tree fertilizer that is recommended is February, May and August. Some people recommend fertilizing them in October which I don't do.I use half the recommended amount for in-ground trees. Newly planted citrus trees should not be fertilized at all until they have been in the ground or pot for at least one year.
hrp50, my containers are round. So, they are 16 inches tall by 20 inches in diameter. I'm not sure how many gallons of soil they hold. Some experts recommend a 5 gallon container. But as bettydee pointed out, using a container that is too large can lead to root rot. In the past, I killed 2 plants ding this. Topdress large containers with compost once or twice a year/ Some chemical plant foods destroy the naturally occurring soil organisms and the compost will help replace them.
I have found magnesium deficiency more frequently in potted citrus; this can be remedied with 1 Tsp of epsom salt for every 3 gallons of soil and then water well. When watering, be sure to add enough water to thoroughly wet all of the soil in the container. Do not add epsome salt frequently as bettydee pointed out. I on;y add it in-between my fertilizing schedule if the leaves are starting to lose their deep green color.
bettydee, thanks for all of the info. What do you use for shade panels and how do you place them?
podster, Calvin R. Finch states that you should fill the container with 2/3 of a high quality soiless potting soil and 1/3 well aged compost or a mix of one third washed sand and two thirds well finished compost.