Help needed for an unhappy lemon tree!

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by becka1248, Aug 5, 2009.

  1. becka1248

    becka1248 Member

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    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Hi there, I'm hoping someone is going to be able to help save my lemon tree.

    I bought my lemon tree May time and its gradually gone downhill since then and has been really unhappy for the last few weeks.

    I only water it every 7 days approximately as doesn't dry up that quickly. The temperature doesn't seem to be a problem as is constantly between 20C - 26C maybe a little warmer on the sunny days (I'm in the UK so am keeping the plant indoors due to cold weather conditions we experience).

    After about 6 weeks the plant looked like it had developed an iron deficiency (I had been feeding it with a summer citrus food which states is high in nitrogen and contains other trace elements) anyway I thought I'd try a different feed I tried the B&Q concentrated citrus food and there did seem to be some improvement in terms of growth.

    The plant seemed a little pot bound so I did repot it in specialist citrus compost - there was a little be of rot/brown on the roots (not many affected) at the bottom when I did so which I'm guessing was from me over watering and it not draining properly so I cut the damaged roots off and have been watering less since. Also at this point I did prune it slightly as the shape wasn't good and this seemed to spur on some extra growth.

    After a couple of weeks the one lemon which was getting big fell off and since them numerous leaves are dropping and those on there seem quite discoloured as the pictures show. The plant seems to have stopped growing full stop with the little leaf buds not developing any more as the photos show.

    Last weekend I tried a Sequestrene plant tonic in hopes that that would lead to some improvement but to no avail - the plant seems worse than ever with leaves looking very pale/yellowish, brown tinges on the edges and a substantial amount of leaf drop.

    I don't think this plant has been over fed or over watered but there is definitely something wrong with it so any help/advice would be much appreciated!

    Thanks

    Becka1248
     

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  2. Ray from PA

    Ray from PA Active Member

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    Location:
    Feasterville, PA, USA Zone 6b
    Hi becka. I'm no expert on citrus, but I have had alot of success by doing the things I was told on this forum by people that I consider to be experts. All I can do is pass off that good advice to you.

    Firstly, and most important, I don't know what brand "citrus" soil you used, but if it was Miracle-gro brand palm and citrus soil you need to to get it out and repot it immediately in a lighter soil. The problem with this soil is that it's mostly peat, retains too much water, breaks down easily and drowns and suffocates your roots. I used to use the same stuff until Millet turned me on to CHC, which is Coconut Husk Chips. I had a hard time finding them so I went to the local Pet store and bought these...

    http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092177

    ...soaked them overnight in a bucket with a tablespoon of Epsom salt (which you can find in the pharmacy area at Wal-Mart for $1.32, or any pharmacy for that matter) and mixed it 4 parts chc to one part peat moss. The advantage to this mix, which is widely considered the very best citrus mix you can use, is that it retains water to nourish the plant while simultaneously draining well and providing much needed oxygen to the roots. In fact Millet said you could water the tree 10 times a day with this mix and never worry again about overwatering. If you do nothing else for your tree at least change the mix you have it in.

    The Crystal Company sells chc also, but I think it comes in a huge brick. I've found the little brick in the link is a nice alternative for someone with just a couple of trees.

    Next is the fertilizer. The optimum fertilizer you would want would have a 5-1-3- ratio with trace minerals, so for example you would want a 10-2-6, 15-3-9, etc. These are next to impossible to find so if you use a 30-10-10 with trace minerals you should be fine. In fact Miracle gro rhododendron is 30-10-10 with trace minerals, that's what I used to use.

    Finally, I don't know the temp in your house, but if leaves are falling off of your plant, search the forum for something called wld, or winter leaf drop. It happens when the roots are too cold to supply moisture to hot leaves.

    These are the three biggest problems I can think of that could be affecting you plant. I don't know alot about deficiencies, but if you do the above and create an optimum root growing environment, chances are it will eliminate any deficiencies you might have.

    Good luck.
     
  3. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Denver,Colorado USA
    Three questions:
    1) How often do you fertilize your tree?
    2) What is your fertilizer's formula, & does the fertilizer contain trace minerals?
    3) What type of medium is your tree planted in?

    Millet (1,251-)
     

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