Hello all, I’m a novice gardener and I’d very much appreciate some direction in regards to my struggling lemon tree. I’ve had it for about 7 months or so, but it is about 3 years old I believe. I keep it indoors by a southwest(ish) facing window where the temperature is in the low 70s. A few months into its stay here I noticed it had stared to loose leaves. I was mindful of over watering (only watered when the first couple of inches were dry - about every week to 10 days) and so I initially thought it was perhaps due to a lack of light, so I got it a UV light. While growing about 7 lemons, it still continued to lose leaves and I eventually discovered fungus gnats after misidentifying them as fruit flies. I got a yellow sticky paper and bought a neem oil spray in case there were aphids I was unaware of, but eventually had to call in the cavalry and incorporate beneficial nematodes (about two months ago) which seemed to do the trick. It continued to struggle so I got a moisture meter and discovered that while the top soil would register around a 4 or 5 before I was going to water it, a little deeper it’d spike right over to 12. So, I took a risk and repotted it (i understand this could’ve been a shock to it) with fast draining potting soil for citrus. I guess my question is: what should I be doing to create the best conditions for recovery? Should I nix the UV light and maybe move it away from the window to let it rest? Will pruning the fruit help it focus on its stems and leaf growth? It’s getting warmer her outside (about in the 80s low 90s), should I start letting it sit outside in the sunlight? I’d like to say “thank you” in advance for your responses and guidance. Wish I had found this forum about 6 months ago! Regards, Craig. Additional info: Soil temperature is generally in the high 60s. I have a humidifier that is usually running next to it. UV lamp is set for 12hrs on/off The air conditioner registers in the photo are closed to prevent a direct draft to the tree. The first photo is obviously the “before” and the other three are current. Thanks, again!
Also, if it helps, here is a link to the type of lamp I’m using: 27W Plant Grow Light with Auto Turn On Function, Slitinto 54 LED Plant Grow Lamp with 3/6/12H Timer, 3-Head Divide Control Adjustable Gooseneck, 5 Dimmable Levels for Indoor Plants [Full Spectrum] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H5D1YS8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RhV5CbN06MVSV
Citrus love lots of light, lots of nutrients, and plenty of heat, so I would not decrease any of those. I grow mine in full sun in a greenhouse that reaches 100+F in summer, and fertilize often -- they are all thriving: The great growth spurt and flowering is on! | Aprici The fruit does take nutrients from the tree, so if concerned about the tree surviving you may want to remove those. Also, prune away any dead or dying branches. You may also want to move the lights closer to the plant, just not so close that any heat they generate might burn the leaves. Lastly I would recommend giving it some fertilizer. Something like Miracle grow is easy to find and apply. It is probably a good idea to do a close inspection for spider mites (they are very tiny and hard to see without a magnifying glass) and scale (hard to spot as they are usually camouflaged green and just look like tiny bumps on the leaves or stem). The neem oil can treat those pests if you find any.
Thanks, I do have neem oil and I have a portable greenhouse on its way in the mail. Do you happen to also know if neem oil is harmful to nematodes? Thanks again!
oil will kill most tiny organisms simply by coating them. Neem oil also has additional insecticidal properties. It is probably harmful to any nematodes that it manages to coat.
