Hi! I hope someone can help me. I have a lemon tree and the leaves are turning yellow. I'm adding pictures for you to see. This tree is about four years old. Was here when I moved in, and never had fruit until this year. And now I'm afraid I may lose it.Can someone help. Thanks for any information about this. Thanks Again. Junnieann
ummm, I'd guess its a magnesium deficiency. (leaves curling up slightly and way its yellowing). A small doss of epsom salts could help. Also, do you fertilizer regularly? i think lemons use alot of nitrogen and could just need some feeding. doesn't look to bad yet
Kurtty, Thank You for your help. I will give it try. When you say small dose. Like 1/2 to a gallon of water and pour around base. Thanks Again. Junnieann
First of all, get rid of the grass around the drip line of your tree. Second, applying this and that in hopes of finding something that will cure the tree's "problem", usually causes more problems. The yellow leaves on your tree are not due to a deficiency of magnesium. The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency shows as a green delta shape occupying 1/3 of the lower center portion of a citrus leaf blade with the leaf tips and sides yellow. Your tree does not need magnesium. I believe most probably their is nothing wrong with your tree. A citrus leaf has a life span of 18 to 24 months, then turns yellow and is discarded by the tree. The only yellow leaves on your tree are the bottom and internal older leaves. This condition is quite common this time of the year. As an added precaution so that we can be sure of our diagnosis, please tell us what the fertilizer program has been that you have given your tree. If their is any kind of deficiency at all, it will be a nitrogen deficiency. However, as you live in Florida, you certainly CANNOT fertilize your tree at this time of the year whether their is a small deficiency or not.
Millet, First of all Thank You for the info.And I will get the grass out of their. For fertilize I use a 666. And why can't I fertilize this time of year living here in Florida? Is it because it's still to hot.Need to wait for cooler weather? Thanks Again Junnieann
6-6-6 fertilizer is a good formulation to use on a young tree the size shown in your photo. I do not know how old the tree is, but listed below is the recommended fertilizer program when using 6-6-6 on a citrus tree growing in Florida. 3-Year old tree. 4-applications/year at 7 to 15-lbs. per application evenly spaced between March through September. 4-year old tree. 3-applications/year at 13 to17-lbs. per application evenly spaced as above. 5+ year old tree. 3 applications/year at 18 -23 lbs. per application evenly spaced as above. Fertilizer should not be applied between October 1st and February, especially in regions north of Polk county where severe cold damage has occurred. Winter fertilizer applications promotes the possibility of untimely tender growth flushes in the winter. It is important to understand that warm winter temperatures play a role in stimulating untimely winter flushes (new growth). If such young trees flush during winter months, fertilization may stimulate additional, tender growth, making trees even more susceptible to winter kill by reducing a citrus tree's hardiness. For young trees, apply fertilizer uniformly in a 3 - 5 ft. diameter circle around the tree. As your tree becomes older, the area fertilized should e enlarged as the root system expands. As a rule of thumb, fertilize an area twice the diameter of the tree canopy. Care should be taken to avoid root or trunk damage by uneven placement or mounding the fertilizer against the trunk. - Millet
Millet, I would to ask you something else about citrus trees.If you don't mind. The same tree we was talking about,When is it a good time to prune. I really never had citrus tree before so this all new and don't want to lose them. Thank You very much Junnieann
Generally, citrus trees are not pruned. During the first few years there is no need to prune at all, since research has shown that any cut to a young tree reduces root growth. This is due to the equilibrium between foliage and the root system. After a few years, depending on the speed of tree growth, climate and cultural practices, a selective canopy thinning my be carried out. The choice of branches to eliminate is based on the concept that any space with in the canopy must be covered by only one branch. It is not convenient to let surplus branches occupy the same aerial space. Anyway, thinning must not deplete any canopy sector. A harmonious citrus tree grows to an almost round shape. All this said, I recommend no pruning at all or only a slight canopy thinning to allow light to reach the inner portions of a tree. NOTE: any pruning of a citrus tree will GREATLY reduce fruit production. - Millet
Due to the natural dwarfing of a citrus tree caused by it is growing in a container, usually a container grown tree does not require much or any pruning. However, a citrus tree is able to with stand even a hard pruning, without suffering damage. Know, however, because citrus produces fruit on new flushes, any pruning greatly reduces any fruit production. In the case of a citrus tree that was planted from a seed, pruning will keep the tree from ever reaching the required node count, therefore the tree will never become mature, and will never fruit. - Millet
Millet, Thank you for the inf., just one more question. My citrus stay out side around mid. May, and they produce lots of baby fruits, but only 9-10 are mature. Can I do anything to help these baby fruit mature? Thank you Millet. et2007
A citrus tree will retain only the quantity of fruit that the tree is capable of growing on until maturity. As your tree grows in size, the amount of fruit that the tree retains will become greater and greater. Know that a citrus tree of any size or age will normally only retain and mature approximately 1-3 percent of the fruitlets that are originally produced at bloom. - Millet
