Hello, I have recently acquired my Dads old Lemon plant that he potted from a seed (its probably about 15 years old roughly). As it had been in the same pot for a very long time and looked a overly bushy I decided to look up pruning and re-potting the plant (I know...). Firstly I pruned following steps on e-how. Then I found a suitable pot and carefully re-potted it with a good layer of small pebbles at the base for drainage and slow release fertilizer mixed through the soil. The plant has been moved moved from and office environment into a home lounge where the temperature in winter will probably be around 16-18 degrees C through the day and 20-22 in evening with heating on (I'm in Scotland). The plant seemed happy to start with and even sprouted some new leaves! A few weeks later all the leaves are drooping south and much to my dismay some are starting to drop off! This recent past few days some leaves are going crispy, curling and dropping off. The plant currently sits next to a large window to get as much sunlight as possible. Its been watered infrequently - just now the soil feels damp so i am leaving to dry out further. I'm really worried i'm going to loose the plant - its like a family heirloom - I'd be devastated to loose it. In hindsight and after further reading I think I should do the following: Not pruned! Left to let establish in new surroundings for at least a year Re-potted at another stage when it was happy!? Unfortunately I can't change what I have done, I am just hoping someone can guide me to fixing my stupid errors.... I'm a bit scared to re-pot but I think I need to re-pot with no fertilizer in the soil ?? Make sure it is re-potted with a suitable drainage soil mix...??? Look forward to any response on this, Thanks so much Zoe
The description of leaves suggests the tree may not be receiving enough moisture. Was the rootball loosened to allow the new and old soil to mix when the tree was repotted? If not, then it is possible for the soil to appear to be moist when in reality the water has barely penetrated the rootball. Another possibility is the tree was exposed to light while its roots were cold. Citrus root activity is reduced as soil temperatures approach 13C and ceases below that point. Under these conditions the roots cannot supply the moisture necessary to support photosynthesis thus resulting in leaf drop. The fertilizer should have little effect at this point since it is the slow-release type. Should you decide to repot I suggest the layer of pebbles be removed as it actually inhibits drainage (Ref: The Myth of Drainage Material in Container Plantings).
Hi junglekeeper, thanks for replying. I did loosen the root ball when re-potting, taking care not to pack/compress the soil I was quite surprised at the size of the root ball which was about the size of a womans or petite mans fist. The plant is about 1 metre high with the main trunk girth around 20mm thick. I've repotted into a plant pot 30cm diameter by 50cm tall. The smaller leaves appear to be drying out first with higher larger leaves remaining droopy... If you can advise watering then I will do but am reluctant to re-pot :/ thanks again , Zoe
Assuming the size of a fist to be 10 cm, a 30 cm wide pot would be too big; one half the size would suffice. (As an aside the rootball seems rather small relative to the rest of the tree.) In an oversized container the soil surrounding the rootball will remain moist even though the rootball itself may have become dry. Perhaps that is what is happening here. Such an environment will inhibit proper root development. I would suggest the tree be repotted to a more suitable container, minus the layer of pebbles. If you're not already using an airy medium, consider adding bark chips and perlite to increase soil porosity. You might also inspect the roots when you repot to make sure they are in a healthy state and not mushy and rotted.
Thanks so much I'll try out your suggestion and post again in a few weeks for an update, your advice is very much appreciated. :) :)
The other thing citrus seems to get when indoors is spider mite, which can also cause loss of new leaves and drooping of older ones. Seems to be worse in the lower humidity of the winter months. I have had to make very sure that mine is nowhere near a heat register, and I also put it in the bathtub and give it a lukewarm shower every couple of days to keep the problem under control. keke
At the moment I've watered it very thoroughly the leaves are still drooping at the top and smaller lower leaves are curled and crispy - will these leaves become fleshy again or is that them gone? I am thinking of repotting today as suggested with pearlite and removing the pebble base layer - hopefully won't stress my poor sick plant out any more than he needs :/
The droopy ones will recover if they're not too far gone. Add medium-sized bark chips to the mix if you can. Be sure to inspect the condition of the roots; they should be creamy in color and fleshy. Also, as Keke alluded to, make sure the tree is not exposed to drafts, cold or warm.
Hi Again, I been out and bought special citrus plant soil which is a premix with drainage and nutrients specially formulated / slightly acidic soil. I have also bought vermiculite for improving aeration and moisture retention for re-potting. I have attached a pic of what the roots look like just now - i have not yet re-potted but found that the plant pot had no holes at the bottom when i took it out - im now thinking it was maybe water logged in heavy dense soil??? Before I Re-pot I was hoping to get some advice..... should I go ahead with re-potting in the special soil with a combination of the aeration vermiculite or is the root rotten and should i give up? :( Thanks again Zoe
It's worth trying to save it since you consider the tree to be somewhat of an heirloom. There's still a chance if the roots are firm and not mushy; this cannot be ascertained from the photo. I would not use vermiculite; I believe its aeration properties will degrade with time and will actually decrease porosity of the mix. Calcined clay can be used instead of bark chips if that is not available. It is definitely an advantage to use an airy mix for citrus. Hopefully that is the case with the pre-mixed medium that you have. The new pot should have drainage holes. If you have one, a heating mat for germinating seeds can be placed under the container to provide warmth to encourage root growth. After repotting place the tree in a location where light and temperatures will be at moderate levels until it has had a chance to recover.
Hello, I have re-potted now and moved into a more shady environment away from direct sunlight and drafts and have placed a heat mat under the pot as suggested. I am struggling to judge the watering still as I am a bit worried about over watering... The root ball wasn't mushy but quite firm so I am happy that it's not a complete lost cause :) the lower leaves are still crispy and now some of the smaller top leaves are begining to curl and dry.... The larger main leaves remain droopy. Do you think I should be watering more - I've read some people water until it comes out of the base then they empty the tray so as not to drown the plant but to know that you have thoroughly watered it - is this something you have heard of / good idea for my situation....? Thanks again for your help and advice
That's a good way to water as it prevents salt build-up in the medium. Now that the soil has been saturated, lift up the pot to get a feel for how heavy it is. Forgo watering again until the soil has lost much of its moisture which can be determined by a relatively lighter weight container. Over-watering is not a problem if the medium is porous and quick to drain. Since the tree has lost some of its leaves it won't need as much water as before, so it'll be longer between watering.
Good advice, Junglekeeper. I find that my Meyer lemon needs water only about half as often this time of year because it's getting that much less light. I'm lucky in that the lemon pot also contains a healthy "volunteer" oregano plant, probably from when it summers outside. I use the oregano as an indicator -- if it looks a bit wilty, it's time to water! The only thing I worry about is repotting in the dark of the year, so to speak. If it can be delayed even a month or six weeks the chances of a good outcome are MUCH higher. keke
Hello happy new year :) the plant seems to be ok in the darker room with the heat mat and thoroughly watered with drainage holes. I'm not sure what the next steps are - should I leave the plant now until summer to feed it ? Also when would be best to move into a lighter area? Kind regards, Zoe
Happy new year. I suggest you abstain from fertilizing until the tree produces new growth. Is there an improvement in the condition of the leaves? Have they firmed up? If so, then you might consider increasing the light level slightly; what to do after that depends on how the tree reacts.
The leaves that dried are still crispy and dry the main larger leaves are still waxy but drooping down, there has been no further loss of leaves. Should I expect to see the leaves perk up? The larger leaves are about 15cm by 10cm...
I would expect the droopy leaves to firm up at some point, probably after the tree has developed some new roots. Hard to say when that would be though. All you can do is wait.
Hmmmmm I am really at a lose end the leaves are all dry and crispy now and despite watering and letting roots suck the water up I'm not sure what to do now :/ I am worried he has given up on me now ....
I'm sorry to hear that. You could scratch the stem to see if it's still green under the bark. There's a chance it'll recover if there is. I can't think of anything else at this point.
I've just scraped a little back and found nice bright green under the bark. Is it recommended to remove the crispy leaves ? The plant will just be bald if so....?
It wouldn't hurt to remove the leaves if they're crispy since they're already dead. Now that the tree no longer has any leaves I would consider placing it in much brighter light in the hope of stimulating new growth, moving it outdoors into sunlight when temperatures permit.
I have it in a really bright spot with a heat mat under the pot to maintain the temp. Would you reccomend feeding with plant food yet? I notice when I water it the water is sucked up from the drip tray within a day. Leaving watering to about once every 2 weeks but judging by feeling the soil. If it needs to grow should I water more frequently? Let me know what you think, thanks again for advice so far :)
Be mindful of the soil temperature with the increased light and the extra heat that may follow. The optimal temperature for root growth is 29-36C. Do not fertilize before new growth is evident. The tree will need very little moisture now that it is bare. Resist the urge to water and do so only when the soil is relatively dry. I think the best indication of how much moisture there is in the soil is by the weight of the container, as mentioned earlier.
