Well a few weeks have passed since I've repotted my Meyer Lemon Tree and been growing it according to the directions that Skeeterbug and Millet have kindly provided on this forum. The tree is showing signs of much improvement thus far. Over the past few days I've noticed small green buds appearing all over the branches- I think they are new leaves starting to form. I've read on here (I think Millet posted it) that these trees work in cycles (a couple months on roots, a couple on leaves); correct me if that's wrong. If this is indeed the leaf cycle starting up- is there anything besides my normal watering and checking routine that I should be doing to help the leaves along? I fertilized with the high nitrogen fertilizer pellets a few weeks ago and that seems to have helped the tree. Is continuing my normal routine of checking the water level, root temperature, and watering when need be proper for the growing of new leaves? A second quick question: how often should epsom salts be added? I watered with epsom salts probably a month or so ago (if I recall). Is there a routine for this, or is this something where you watch for the green "delta" and then add?
Glad to hear your tree is recovering. You are doing fine, no need to do anything else, except watch for bugs (scale, aphids, and mealybugs are the main threat). You won't need to add epsom salt if you get a slow release fertilizer with trace minerals including Mg. If your fertilizer does not you need to add it a couple time a yr. Skeet
I've been keeping up what I was doing- though I am not sure whether the buds are flowers or leaves. Is there a reference material out there that will tell me what they are (pictures, etc)? I'm also getting a bit of a troubling effect right now as well- one of the large leaves has started to yellow and brown at the tip. The damage is primarily confined to the tip of the leaf (probably the final 1/2 inch or so of it is yellow with some brown). Some of the new buds also have some small brown spots that appear to be some kind of burn. These primarily seem those that get the most sun (the buds I mean). The rest of the leaves are green still, though some seem to want to role up into themselves a bit. None of the other leaves have turned brown or yellow yet. I've heard that brown tips indicate salt damage, but so far there is only one leaf with this yellowing and browning at the tip (wouldn't salt burn a number at once?). I've also been using dynamite slow release (as I posted earlier) that has trace minerals (except for the Epsom Salts end), and when I water I water so that a significant volume drains from the bottom of the pot (owing to the chc and soil mixture). I've been testing the soil about 2 inches deep with my finger for moisture. What symptoms would indicate salt burn vs. overwatering? As for soil temp- the tree sits in my apartment with a west view and warms up due to large windows. The room temperature is always above 70 when the tree is getting full sunlight. Readings with my soil therm. tend to show in the upper 60s or low 70s for soil temps. Any ideas on what this could be?
If your "problem" is only one leaf, I would not worry about it. Because you are using only a slow release fertilizer, I strongly doubt that your tree has a high soluble salt problem. High soluble salts almost never exist when slow release fertilizers are used. Just be careful that you are properly watering. - Millet
Those are flower buds starting to develop on the left side of your picture. Like Millet said, I would not worry about one older leaf. With CHC it is difficult to overwater, unless you have too much peat moss in the mix, but CHC will also hold water for some time, so another good way to tell if you need to water, is the weight of the container. When CHCs are dry they are very light. When you have some young leaves, you can tell by the firmness of the leaves when it needs water.
Thank you both- I'll roll with it for the time being and see how it does. I read that stress can induce flowering- does this mean the tree is stressed, or that it was stressed earlier but is doing better now? Or something else? Thanks again.
The earlier stress probably induced this bloom cycle. Normally, cold is the stress that induces bloom formation, but it takes about 850 hrs below 68 F. Bloom formation can also be induced by drought. Skeet
Hmmm I've had a couple more leaves with the same trend now as the one pictured above over the past couple of weeks- a yellow to brown tip process. The leaf stays on the tree for awhile and turns yellow then to brown at the tip. As for more details: the fertilizer is called "Dynamite" and is in pellets that claim to feed for a number of months. They are nitrogen heavy compared to other elements, and also have the trace elements (except epsom salts). I do watering where a substantial quantity of the water I put in drains from the bottom of the pot. Drainage takes 30 sec-1 minute or so total. I was concerned about the fact that my pot was too big for the tree (it probably had almost 3 inches unused on all sides of the rootball). I repotted in a pot several sizes down (leaving some, but not a lot of room around the rootball). Again I used a mixture heavy in CHC in the pot. Anyone have any ideas on this one? It's a bit of a mystery to me as I've been trying my best to follow the helpful advice I've gotten (thanks again to Skeeterbug and Millet).
Hi, Vigo, Not sure if Im much help here. I currently have mine growing in a 10 clay pot with just regular potting soil. It gets direct sun for about half a day and is grown outside. I fertilize it like the rest of the plants about once a month. Currently the only problem is keeping the bugs from chewing the leaves. Im a little afraid to put any kind of insecticide on it because of the fruit. These are really very cute trees. I got mine because there blossoms smell sooo good. This little thing cannot be more then 2 feet tall and produced 8 lemons.
Citrus trees take time to recover, so be patient. You should not expect much growth during the winter as the tree is semi dormant. The leaves in the picture look like older leaves and a citrus leaf only lives for 1 1/2 to 2 yrs, so some drop from age can be expected. Just maintain the correct moisture and wait for the tree to respond in the spring. Millet says it is almost impossible to overwater with the CHC mix if it does not have too much peat moss, so if you are concerned that it is too dry, you might increase the watering frequency some-- at least until the tree gets some of the roots into the CHC chips.
Sunrize- that is an excellent looking tree and some nice lemons it has going there. I hope mine comes around to look so nice eventually. Skeeterbug- ah perhaps my tree has slowed down a bit then in terms of growth. I'll keep my routine up and see where it takes me. I went pretty heavy towards the CHC side of the mixture so the medium should be pretty dry and have decent oxygen. It drains very fast- which I guess is the mark of a CHC citrus mix. I think I'll also look into some light strands to heat the pot a bit. Maybe that will help too.
A citrus tree will always drop a leaf or two every now or then. When using CHC a good ratio is 4 parts CHC and 1 part peat moss. Sounds like your doing everything correctly. When you potted the tree into a container that had 3 inches on each side of the root ball, that would have been OK. With CHC you can also place your container in a large pot and let the CHC soak for about 2-3 minutes. Coconut Husk reabsorb water almost instantly. Take care. - Millet
Thank you for the advice- now that the flowers are out, would it be wise to pollinate them, or should I leave them to reduce stress on the tree? I currently have two lemons on there that have been on since I got it in August. Would pollinating the flowers induce more stress, or in some way prevent the growth of new leaves in the near future?
Fruit development will reduce foilage growth, but the tree will only set fruit that it can support, so it is up to you if you want to have fruit or growth. I would at least enjoy the fragrance of the flowers, even if I were going to remove any fruit that set.
I see- I'll leave the flowers but won't actively pollinate. It's indoors, so I figure pollination naturally will be minimal. I will say I'd rather get a little growth going before having more fruit- haha I can always get some lemons at the store if I need them in the meantime. Thanks for your help.
Actually it does not matter whether you personally pollinate the blooms or not. The tree is self pollinating, and will set fruit either way. Further the setting of fruit by a citrus tree does not equate to the word "stress". The setting of fruit is a natural phenomena of the tree. - Millet