Yellowing leaves on lemon

[vette-kid]

I'm hoping this is just due to excessive moisture and cool temps. Leaves are yellowing, although it's blooming as well. It's been in this spot for about a year and did well last season. Any thoughts?

 

[Chuck]

It's possible the leaves are yellowing from cold but its more likely that the plant is suffering a nutrient deficiency. Citrus has a habit of running out of trace minerals like iron and manganese. If it were mine I would fertilize with an organic fertilizer and Iron Chelate. Also, see if you can find a bag of Greensand. Greensand is full of trace minerals and it's a one time application as the stuff lasts a LONG time and is good for all of your plants.

Why are you pruning it so drastically?

 

[Silentrunning]

Chuck is right. Something is missing in its diet. Citrus is a relatively heavy feeder and your problems with this tree are only going to multiply as it grows. If you are growing this tree for the fruit and not as an ornamental, I would get it in the ground now. Many years ago I bought a “patio lemon” in a cute pot. I struggled for 4 years before I got disgusted and put it in the ground in the back yard. I didn’t touch it for a few years and it grew into one of my biggest and most productive trees.

 

[vette-kid]

It's possible the leaves are yellowing from cold but its more likely that the plant is suffering a nutrient deficiency. Citrus has a habit of running out of trace minerals like iron and manganese. If it were mine I would fertilize with an organic fertilizer and Iron Chelate. Also, see if you can find a bag of Greensand. Greensand is full of trace minerals and it's a one time application as the stuff lasts a LONG time and is good for all of your plants.

Why are you pruning it so drastically?

I have not done any pruning at all. If assumed the leaf loss was due to the effects of winter with a few freezing nights. I'll try some fertilizer and see how it does.

 

[Chuck]

I have not done any pruning at all. If assumed the leaf loss was due to the effects of winter with a few freezing nights. I'll try some fertilizer and see how it does.

You have not only lost leaves you have lost stems as well. If it were me I would repot with a fresh soil/compost mix into a larger container. When a plant is in a container it leaches nutrients faster than when in the ground and that is why the plant is chlorotic, all of the nutrients have drained out of the bottom. Basically the plant is starving. If you can I would put the plant into the ground where nutrients are less likely to leach away, even in sandy soils like in Florida. It will still need fertilizing no matter what you do. And when it is going to freeze cover it up with Nsulate or its equivalent.

 

[vette-kid]

You have not only lost leaves you have lost stems as well. If it were me I would repot with a fresh soil/compost mix into a larger container. When a plant is in a container it leaches nutrients faster than when in the ground and that is why the plant is chlorotic, all of the nutrients have drained out of the bottom. Basically the plant is starving. If you can I would put the plant into the ground where nutrients are less likely to leach away, even in sandy soils like in Florida. It will still need fertilizing no matter what you do. And when it is going to freeze cover it up with Nsulate or its equivalent.

I'm not sure a bigger pot is an option. I may try and put it in the field behind our house though.

 

[asadur709]

I bought a Malta lemon tree quite a few days ago and this tree had a lot of flowering, so I thought that the fruit would be fruitful, but in the last seven weeks I saw that all the flowers from the tree were stormy, but the plant's beauty was normal. By doing this I thought that the reason for the hurricane flutter is the humidity because the moisture in which I have collected the trees is not correct due to the humidity of my garden is not correct, but I am hopeful that at the next time my fruit will certainly produce fruit.