Garden

[Rosehill_1]

I have had as many as 4 meyer lemon trees, but last year lost one. I now have three- two aren't doing too badly- but one that is planted in a glazed cement pot is having branches that are drying up and turing brown. Leaves on many of the stems are dropping off. I have babied these trees and do no want to loose them.

Does anyone know if this tree is too wet or too dry? I go back and forth with thinking it should be watered, then thinking it is too wet. I am at wits end. They are in an east facing room-we are in Ohio and not too much sun for the past few months. I turn on overhead lighting and two lamps in the room to augment lighting- I know that there is no replacement for natural sun though. Does anyone have a clue?

[JustJazzmom]

Check the root system-- it might be root bound and you may need to repot into a larger planter. Check to see how much water you are giving the tree. The soil should be thoroughly watered well (water should run out of the bottom) and then the plant rewatered when the soil feels dry when you stick your finger down into the soil.

Do not feed the plant now since it is stressed.

[Nadjalu]

I am having issues with mine too...Michigan here. Are there tiny webs on the leaves or branches? If so spider mites have gotten to them. An easy fix is dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Just mix until the water is a slight light light blue and spray all the leaves and branches, soaking the webs. Bump up the feeding to every week. If no webs you could be dealing with a humidity issue. Placing a small humidifier by them will help. Also spritzing the leaves with plain water. I have brought mine back and it is flowering. Good luck, hope you can save them!

[Nadjalu]

Oh another thing you can try is a grow lamp. Its natural sunlight, you can get them pretty cheap, just clip them on the pots.

[barrel racer]

We had a Meyer lemon tree for about 20 years in the front of our house in California. We enjoyed lemonade for years and then one year it just died.

[Mindy D]

Sorry, might benefit from repotting. Check root system. Citrus watering is key. When watering let it run out bottom, then don't re water until dry, there should be sharp sand in your soil mix to augment drainage. You definitely don't have enough light or warmth. make sure the soil you use can dry out--no powdery mold on soaking wet soil with poor drainage. Do not fertilize now. If you see any signs of chlorosis--yellowing, you'll need some iron in spring; but what you describe is not chlorosis. Take room temperatures near plant at different times of day. lighting should be very bright, and on for recommended amount of time for your tree. Use plant lights or some fluorescents.

[Rosehill_1]

Thank you for all of your answers. I repotted all of these meyer lemons last year with a cactus/palm special mix-so it is a good draining soil. I just checked the soil and it is very dry-I think I may have been under watering them because I was afraid of overwatering. So I gave them a drink this evening, and no water came from the bottom of the pots-that is how dry they were. I will check them tomorrow and give them a little more.

I went to Lowes yesterday and bought two grow light bulbs and put them in those silver reflector lights that you plug in-they are on the trees right now. They didn't have the new energy efficient ones and I will check Home Depot to see if they have them. Hopefully these trees will perk up with a better watering schedule and with the lights on them. I check in next week here and give an update.

[terrier3]

Curling brown leaves sounds like spider mites.

Give all your plants a good washing with detergent and water, especially on the underside of the leaves.

If they have been OK for several years and you haven't changed anything else, I suspect spider mites or another insect.

[Nadjalu]

I agree with terrier3.

[Mindy D]

Put saucers under the posts and water until you see water come out the drainage holes into the saucer. Wait a few minutes and then dump the extra water. You are definitely not watering enough. I'm leery about the richness of the soil mix you chose. Yes, it will have good drainage, but that mix is not good for citrus. Research online to find the best mix for Meyer lemon. You could have mites, look closely at your leaves and see if you see any tiny webs. You definitely were not watering enough. If your soil is well-drained and if you empty the excess water from the saucers you can water much more. The soil mix you chose would probably be nutrient deficient, so find a better mix.