Hello everyone, I'm not too experienced with citrus and got into them last year. I have a Meyer Lemon, Kumquat and a Australian Finger Lime and a yuzu ( I left the yuzu outside and it is doing fine). I live in Vancouver. They rest are grown inside for now and I have a grow light. A few weeks ago I found the leaves starting to drop and realized mealy bugs infested my Meyer Lemon and Kumquat and not the Finger Lime. I'm not sure if it is only the mealy bugs or something else wrong. So I got some neem oil and put some dish soap and made a solution as suggested on the bottle and I sprayed the plant outside. After bringing spraying it outside and bringing back inside it appears its dropping leaves at a even faster rate. I'm not sure what happened. Attached is a picture of my Meyer Lemon with no leaves and the branches are turning brown and my Kumquat still have leaves but it is slowly dropping as well. Does anyone have suggestions on saving the Meyer Lemon, it was doing so well in the summer outside, and was doing well inside until last week, all the leaves dropped.
First suggestion - pick all the fruit off. That is way too much fruit for such a small tree. Keep in mind the fruit take resources from the tree that it now needs to try and make a comeback after the shocks given to it by the changing conditions (outside to inside), the bugs. and the oil and soap. Citrus tend to drop leaves when they sense an imbalance. Each of those shocks creates an imbalance, so am not surprised the leaf drop rate increased. Hopefully it is not too late. Cut any dead branches back, remove the fruit. I would also suggest giving it a mild dose of soluble fertilizer, keeping it warm, the air humid, and plenty of light. I have some pages on suggestions for growing citrus in our area available at the following link: Growing Citrus on Vancouver Island | Aprici
Thanks for your advice Will. I will try that tonight. Do you think I over watered it by accident or if it has root disease ?
I can't tell from the picture. Root rot is definitely a potential problem with citrus that I have read about, and overwatering is a condition that is likely to cause it, but I have yet to run across it. I think given the four other conditions you already have that cause leaf loss (too much fruit, change of location and season, mealy bugs, oil and soap spray), I don't think you need additional possible causes...
I just cut the branches and the lemons off. At this point what else should I do, should I put grow lights on it or change its soil ? I really hope the plant can rebound.
Definitely do not change the soil unless you are absolutely sure there is a problem with it. Changing the soil would disturb the roots and further stress the plant. We already suggested a few more items, per my previous post: "a mild dose of soluble fertilizer, keeping it warm, the air humid, and plenty of light." ... so yes to the grow lights, though make sure they are not too hot and burn the plant.
Thanks Will. Have you or anyone else have leaves dropped like the picture attached. The leaf and stem are falling off like that, is it more of a stress issue or a bug problem. My kumquat's leaves look good but then by the end of the day leaves chip off like that.
Yes. Thinking about it there are four kinds of leaf drop I have seen: Sudden, with the leaves looking healthy and the parts coming off easily. This is usually due to shock. Shock usually due to conditions changing rapidly. I think this is what happened in your case. The leaves almost pop apart in your hands. Slow, with the nutrients appearing to get sucked back into the plant as the leaves turn yellow and show other signs of micronutrient deficiency, even though the soil has plenty. This usually signals the plant is either going dormant or preparing for a burst of new growth. However, it can be due to disease so it is good to check conditions. The leaves hang on until dry and crispy. Usually I see this when there is a fungus infection, or when the plant is too close to a heater or vent. Usually the whole branch will die. Leaves show brown patches that grow until the citrus decides to drop the leaf. A sign of disease on the leaf. I always remove all signs of disease as soon as they are spotted, otherwise there is a chance it will spread. Dispose of diseased tissue in the trash or burn it.
