I have a lemon tree that is a few months old. I grew it from seed, in a smallish container in regular potting soil. It grew nicely, but eventually got to a point where I felt it needed a larger container. As I've read that they don't like too large of a container, I planted it in a med-size container, again in reg potting soil. The bottom leaves began to yellow. I wait between watering, maybe 1-2 times a week. It then dropped one of it's bottom leaves. I decided to buy dr. earth's citrus fertilizer, and mixed it with reg potting soil, then moved it to another slightly larger container. This seems to have stressed the plant out, and it's dropped another leaf since. I decided to move it back to a smaller container, thinking the last one was too large, keeping the fertilizer/soil mix. It has begun to sag, as seen in the photos. I don't know if I should leave it and see what happens, or if the potting soil is too heavy? I found some orchid potting mix, which I believe would be ideal for lemons as well, as they thrive in similar conditions. Any suggestions as to what could be causing this? Thanks, Nick
A 4" pot would be sufficient for a seedling this size. Don't worry about the first leaves dropping as they're not true leaves anyway. Perhaps it's just the perspective but the plant in the last picture appears to be planted too deeply. Droopy leaves would be an indicator of either under- or over-watering, more likely the latter. Do not water until the medium is on the dry side. The plant does not appear to be suffering greatly.
ok, thank you Junglekeeper! I will take a look to make sure I didn't plant it too deeply and keep an eye on it!
So, it was planted quite deep, so I brought it up a bit...will it need some sort of support? Another thing is, when digging, I found this larvae-looking thing...anything to worry about?
No need for support, not yet anyway. An indoor plant will tend not to have as strong a stem as it is not exposed to wind. I can't imagine the larvae would be good for the plant.
I noticed the whole pot is littered with these bugs...not sure where they came from...there's no sign of them in the fertilizer bag or the soil bag. I will be moving it, once again, tonight because I fear these bugs are eating the roots of my tree!
Also, at my local garden centre, I noticed both of their lemon trees had a layer of rock covering the soil...is this beneficial in any way?
Offhand I'd say no other than perhaps aesthetics. The rocks would make the container heavier and more difficult to handle. It also makes it more difficult to see how much moisture is in the soil.
Thanks so much for your help, this is what I was thinking as well...I'd have to move them everytime I wanted to see if the soil was dry! As for the larvae, I don't know where it came from...the only thing I can think of is, last week, I put it outside for 30 minutes during a warmer day and the flies, which may have been attracted to the manure, may have layed eggs in the soil! Regardless, it's all in the garbage now (the soil, that is!).
I use the weight of the container to gauge the amount of moisture present so view of the soil surface is not necessary. However it's useful to have it as confirmation.
Update: The lemon tree is not doing so well...looks like the leaves are drying up and it's almost a certainty that it's going to drop those leaves...can anyone confirm this? Is the plant itself still ok, by the appearance of the shute? Or is that too hard to say? I transplanted it so many times in a short period of time that I probably shocked it to near death! I hope not though... Any advice/suggestions would be really appreciated!
It didn't look bad before but it's certainly taken a turn for the worse. It's done for if the stem turns color and starts to shrivel. You could always start a new seed. It won't be long before it gets this big under the right conditions.
I'm just wondering where I went wrong...these plants are so finicky! Was it too much direct sun? Was it those bugs? I invested a lot of energy into this poor plant :(
These plants prefer high light levels so unlikely to be too much sun unless it's insanely hot behind the window. By the way I think you would be much happier with a rooted cutting from a mature tree. You'll get fruit within a much shorter period of time.
Thanks junglekeeper...the local nursery currently has 2 plants, which are at least a few years old, being about 4 feet high...I might get one of those. There is something so satisfying about growing from seed though...
So this is my new seedling...he already looks much better than the last one did at this age, so I suppose it's possible it was a bad seed, although I'm sure I shocked it with the transplants! My plan for this one is, move it to a bigger pot soon, in Dr. Schultz orchid potting mix, and with every water, giving it dr. Schultz orchid plant food (which is high in nitrogen). And also keeping it in a south facing window permanently, which gets quite a bit of direct sun. Does that sound like a good plan? I want to do this one right...
Don't be so quick to pot up; wait until the tree has had a chance to build a significant root system. Don't over fertilize; apply as recommended on the label. Dilute proportionately if you want to fertilize more frequently. (e.g. Fertilize at half-strength every two weeks instead of once a month at regular strength.)
Hey Junglekeeper, thanks for the tips! So, I water about once a week, letting it dry out significantly between waterings. I should only fertilize at half strength every other week? Every week would be overkill? I've moved it to a south-facing window, getting lots of sun, but not directly in the window sil. About the potting, how long, roughly, should I wait to pot? And is there a trick to doing it without shocking the tree? I really want this one to last! Also, I've ordered an olive tree, which should be here next week, and I'd like to place it next to the lemon tree, by that south-facing window. Will that cause any problems with either of them? Thanks! Nick
You could fertilize weekly but at quarter strength. Follow the overall recommended rate of application on the label whichever interval you choose. Kind of hard to say - at least after several sets of leaves. One sign is when the tree needs to be watered more frequently. By then it would have built up its root system making it easier for you to ease the entire rootball out of the pot thus minimizing disturbance to the roots. No.
