OK, I've propagated citrus for 35 years, now I acquire a meyer lemon.... a new green house and now this... leaf curl and dropping blossoms galore...no pix required....the lemon tree was recently purchased last fall, and transplanted in coir as, de rigour, now the problems... do I dare plant it out of doors in a sheltered local? Any suggestions you pros out there?
There would be nothing unusual about the dropping of blossoms. All varieties of citrus, including Meyer Lemons, drop the vast majority of blossoms. Only 3-5 percentage of blossoms will develop small fruitlets, and approximately only 5 percent of those fruitlets will remain on the tree until maturity. You wrote that you transplanted the tree into Coir. Was it 100 percent Coir, or is it a blend. A citrus growing medium should be a mix of large, medium and smaller particles that are still in the coarse range. The three most important ingredients in a growing medium for citrus are 1). Oxygen, 2). Oxygen, 3). Oxygen. Is the leaf curl along the leaf margin, or is the leaf tip curling under? -Millet
Hi Millet, The coir is consistantly fine. Temp. in greenhouse min10-13c to +25c daytime... Here are two pix.
First the plant in the right picture is deficient in Magnesium. The visual symptom for a magnesium deficiency in citrus is the green delta shape shown at the bottom of the leaf. Thoroughly dissolve 1 level tablespoon of Epson Salts, (Magnesium Sulfate), in a gallon of warm water (32C) and apply two cups for every 6 inch size of container. Magnesium is very water soluble, and leaches from the "soil" with each watering. Therefore, you need to apply the nutrient every 3-4 weeks. You need to re-pot the tree into an acceptable type of growing medium. Pure Coir is much to fine, staying wet much too long, plus the texture does not allow the diffusion of gasses into and out of the container. I use Coconut Husk Chips (CHC), but they might be difficult to locate in your area. A good medium is 1/3 conifer bark, 1/3 peat moss or Coir and 1/3 COARSE sand. Do not use play sand. Play sand is much to fine. Builders sand or grit is much better. The plants have a generally unhealthy look. How often have you been fertilizing them, and what formulation are you using? Take care.. - Millet
The Epsom Salts should help. The clippings on the photo are from the one plant. Fert. only once.. last December using a 15-30-15 ..... not the right one I know... Thanks a bundle.
You need to fertilize the trees a MINIMUM of once a month, twice a month would be much better, at 300 PPM Nitrogen. UCR fertilizes their container trees at 300 PPM with every watering. Unfortunately 15-30-15 is an awful fertilizer to use on citrus. Citrus roots absorb nutrients from the soil in a 5-1-3 ratio. In other words, for every 5 parts of nitrogen the roots absorb they always take up 1 part phosphorus and 3 parts potassium The fertilizer formula that you used has a ratio of 1-2-1. A 1-2-1 formula is almost completely backwards from what citrus require. Nitrogen is available in various forms, Nitrate (NO3), Ammonium (NH4+) and Urea. Use either the nitrate or ammonium form for best results. Be sure the fertilizer you choose also contains trace minerals. Water ONLY when the top 1-2 inches feel dry. The very best of luck to you and your tree. - Millet
