Hello, I am hoping someone can give me some advice, i recently bought a meyer lemon tree (1 yr) I planted it in a one gallon plastic pot put it under my grow light in my basement where it is always warm, it was doing great i got a couple of blooms even a small lemon starting to grow. I used osmocote plant food and fertilized with miracid every two weeks. Then all of a sudden a lot of leaves and even the blooms started to drop, and i noticed i was getting a lot of mites in the soil. I thought i may have been over-watering it so i recently re-potted it with better potting mix, i also put a layer of rocks on the bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage. Out of fear that i have already over watered it I left the new soil dry and did not water it. Was this the correct thing to do? or should i water it?? any advice would be greatly appreciated.
A few questions: What condition are the leaves in when they are shed? Normal looking? Wilted? Dried? Discolored? What part of the tree are they from? Did you notice if the roots were still in good condition when you repotted? Was the soil wet at that point? Could it be the light level from the grow light is insufficient? How long has it been it the basement? Did it recently spend time outside? If so, was it slowly acclimatized to indoor conditions and what was the temperature outside? Aside from the 'mites', are there any other signs of pests? Webbing? Sticky substance? Don't know if the 'mites' pose a problem. What do they look like? The layer of rocks actually degrades drainage as it raises the perched water table in the container. Remove it at first opportunity. The soil should be allowed to dry out somewhat between watering. At this point, with the loss of leaves, the plant will require less moisture so water should be reduced accordingly. Photos of the plant may help in diagnosing the problem.
Hello, the leaves look like they are in perfect condition when they drop no yellow colors, no veins, just green and healthy looking, however there were a couple that looked curled inward at some point. The roots looked like they were in good condition when i repotted it, no signs of rotting. The grow light I believe is in a good spot it is pretty close to the tree it is a CFL so i can put it a little closer than usual. It has been in the basement since i received it about a month and half ago so it has never been outside. I only had soil mites i did not see anything else and since i repotted i have not seen one. Actually I have not seen anymore leaves dropping since i repotted it and the couple of buds left on it look like they are progressing. I have not watered it since repotting so that may be helping. I will get some pics up soon. How long should I wait before watering it again? Also am I doing the right thing using the osmocote and fertilizing every two weeks with miracid?? Thank you so much for your help.
Until the tree shows signs of recovery I would stop fertilizing and water sparingly as described earlier. The tree must not like the new environment in some way. It's a matter of going through the usual suspects. I don't don't think it's the fertilizer at this point; there would have been leaf scorch if the tree had been over-fertilized. More questions: What is the temperature in the basement? What is the humidity level? Is the tree subjected to any drafts from a window or from a heat register? Is the container sitting directly on cold concrete? Are you watering with tap water? Has it been treated by a water conditioner? Do you know its pH?
The basement is usually about 75 degrees its always warm down there due to the steam pipes going back and forth i have a bunch of other plants (tomatoes, basil ect.) down there and they all flourish. there are no vents and it is not by a window. I cant tell you the exact humidity level but it is quite humid again due to the steam. I was told to spray the leave a couple of times a week with a spray bottle (with the miracid in it) is that correct??. The container is on a wooden table the soil is abou 65-70 degrees consistantly. I am watering with tap water, which is not treated i cant tell you the Ph at this time, but i have never had problem with my over plants. I think i just over watered it. But any more suggestions are grealty appreciated. Thanks again.
I don't recall ever reading about a tree reacting like this to over-watering. The only other thing I can think of is the possibility of shock from exposure to cold during the trip home from where the tree was purchased. I imagine the temperatures are in their lows at this time of year in the northeast where you are. But then again you've had the tree for sometime now. I asked about the water's pH as alkaline soils can impede nutrient uptake. Hard water will eventually lead to a build-up of soluble salts in the soil. I'm not sure a foliar spray containing additional fertilizer is required since the tree is already being fed on a regular basis.
Ok maybe i will grab a water tester from the depot maybe that can be the problem. What levels should i shoot for??
The water's pH wouldn't have such an immediate effect unless it's in the extremes. I believe the ideal pH for citrus is in the low 6's. You should be able to determine the water's pH from your local water authority; they might even have that information on a website. I've heard the testers that are commonly available are not particularly accurate.
The soil appears to be very dry which is what the the moisture meter is indicating. Assuming the soil is porous and quick to drain I would give it a good drenching, allowing water to drain from the bottom and not water again until the first inch or two has dried. You'll likely not have to water again for sometime. On the upside, the roots are in good condition and the stems are still green. The tree in the following thread also suffered leaf loss but for a different reason. Nevertheless you may want to have a look through it for advice regarding recovery of your tree. Also have a look in the thread which I reference in the first post. How long does it take for a sick citrus tree to get better? | UBC Botanical Garden Forums By the way, the light seems to be on the low side. You may want to do some research on that. Have a look at this thread in an external forum.
