I have a Lisbon Lemon tree that is 3-4 years old, about 5 ft tall and 4 ft across. It looks healthy except for a few of last years leaves that apparently had leaf miners--I have been spraying weekly with dormant oil to eliminate borers and that appears to work. The problem is that the tree has very few flowers (I have seen maybe 8-10) and doesn't set any fruit. I have used a commercial citrus fertilizer, sprayed with a foliar spray for trace elements. The tree is planted on the NE corner of my house and gets morning sun. It gets water from a sprinkler system (currently every other day) and from roof runoff. Do I need to move this tree?
This was the first question I posted on this forum, but I never got any input. Since then I have stopped the sprinkler from hitting the tree, so roof runoff is all the water it gets. We have been in a drought, but the tree has never shown any signs of wilting. The trees is growing great, it is now over 6 ft tall. I have moved the splash pan so that most of the runoff flows away from the tree. I still wonder if I should move it to a part of the yard that does not get sprinkler water or roof runoff? Would late winter be the best time to do that? How much should I cut it back? If I do not move it, are there any things I can do to stimulate blooms and fruit production? It seems like a lot of the lemon trees I see on this forum are much smaller, yet full of fruit.
I think your tree may benefit from more sun. As you've noted it only gets a few hours a day. I don't know how easy or difficult it would be to move a tree that size though. The experts may be able to offer their advice.