Hi all,
New to posting this forum, although I have found myself here after many a google search. (Disclosure: I also posted this question on another garden forum, but would like to get more feedback. If interested, you can follow that discussion here: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5733342/need-help-with-lisbon-lemon-tree-pics#24254003) I will try to keep both up to date in case there is something helpful.
Planted a Lisbon Lemon in the rear yard this past fall. When purchased, it was full green and full of blooms, and a couple fruit. We are in Phoenix AZ, so the winters can get chilly, but it pulled through. Between the transplant and the winter, I wasn't surprised to see it lose the fruit and blossoms.
But it never looked healthy, especially once it started to warm up. Wife had been watering it by hand up until 3 weeks ago, when I finally got the irrigation line run to the tree. Irrigation is from a 4-port drip, 6 gph each port, 2 hours, twice a week (If my math still works, 96 gallons a week) Tree is in a slight bowl to hold the water... about 2" deep.
We just got back from a week vacation, hoping it would start to perk up, and it looks much worse. Wife thinks it is still underwatered, I think its being overwatered at this point.
We have meyer lemon and a dwarf lime doing fantastic, about 15' away with similar sun exposure, but they are in a raised planter bed with heavily amended soil. This citrus was put in a pit about 3x diameter of the pot, and backfilled with 60% native and 40% citrus soil mix from the nursery.
We are using a citrus food the nursery provided, and were advised to feed it in March, April, and May, but not over the summer. Its 13-10-4. We used one cup each of those months, but none since.
The wall directly behind the canopy shot is directly on the south side, so it gets full sun past about 10am, and all afternoon.
Below that is a pic of the irrigation area that I took this morning at 8am. It last watered Thursday night at 6pm. At 9am this morning, it was still moist at the surface of the root zone. I checked just now, and its bone dry on the surface, but still moist a few inches down. It will water again for two hours tomorrow night (every three days, so a little over twice a week)
Advice?
Thanks,
Tim
