Citrus Help and Advice Needed

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by Giantsteppin, Oct 10, 2008.

  1. Giantsteppin

    Giantsteppin Member

    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    I have a 3 yr old Meyer Lemon Tree that seems to be suffering. I just received it as a gift, planted it in a suitable pot (15in) using Miracle Grow potting soil (is this OK?) and it is rapidly loosing its leaves.. I am going to cut down on the watering and plan on supplementing it with artificial light. The kits at Gardens seem expensive so I've crafted together a setup using just 2 2ft bulbs, 1 cool white and the other a plant light. I've considered spot lighting the lower leaves, but I'm not sure if this will be necessary. I'm also putting a small humidifier close by to help the air around the plant. This will all be set up right by a west facing window, but one that has an overhang blocking direct sunlight until late afternoon so it only gets, at best (meaning a sunny day) about 6 hrs of diffused light.. let me know what I should do to make this plant thrive! I really want some fragrant blossoms to brighten up this winter.
     
  2. kennyso

    kennyso Member

    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    I'm going to guess it's probably suffering from transplant shock from repotting, being moved to a different environment
     
  3. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,626
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Upstate NY
    I found citrus to do better in a cool room, vs a warm one.
     
  4. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,698
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Denver,Colorado USA
    First of all Miracle Grow is not a good growth medium for containerized citrus trees. It holds too much water, and not enough oxygen, plus Miracle Grow compacts too rapidly. There are hundreds of postings on this site giving instructions on a proper growth mediums for containerized citrus trees. Whether a 15 inch container is a good or a bad container for your tree all depends on the size of the tress's root system. I doubt that transplanting has anything to do with the leaves being discarded from the tree, and neither is a low level of light. The probable cause of your tree suddenly dropping leaves is a very common problem called Winter Leaf Drop (WLD). There are many, many postings on this site discussing how to avoid the loss of leaves due to WLD. Use the search function and you will find a wealth of information on Winter Leaf Drop plus a host of information on the correct cultivation of container citrus trees. Spend a couple hours reading, and you will learn an amazing amount about your tree. Good luck. - Millet
     
  5. efutoo

    efutoo Member

    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Greystanes, NSW, Australia
    Personally I have found that generally plants do not like to be moved, they DO go into shock. As long as you keep an eye on it, remove any dead bits, maybe even cut it back a little, it should recover. I have also found that when they are in shock, make sure that they have plenty of water, at least until they recover. I am far from a plant or tree expert as so many of the people on this site are, but I can tell you what I have experienced many times. I recently moved a mango tree about 2 years old, and it went into instant shock, and I'm still battling with it. Most of the leaves fell off and it was looking rather sad, but I just keep watering it every afternoon, and cut it back to the healthy bits. I also gave it some liquid feed. I'm glad to say that it now seems to be starting to recover, though it did take some time. The idea of the lights probably isn't necessary, but might help so if your so concerned go with it and see how your tree reacts, the best thing is to listen to your tree, as silly as that sounds, try something and then keep a close eye on it. Go to your local nursery, and ask them what a really good feed is for a sick citrus tree and use it, once or twice, but make sure that its something that won't burn or is too strong. Good luck with it. Kathy
     

Share This Page