My dad's lemon trees were kept inside a shed for the winter, like every year. They usually stay there for around four months during the colder weather and get watered every two to three weeks. They don’t get much light at all, but they’re pretty hardy and have been going strong for over 25 years.
This year, when we took them out, we were shocked to see the condition of the bark. The damage seems to have developed over just a few weeks, and it looks pretty extensive. We have no idea what happened.
Is there any chance they’ll make it? My dad is feeling pessimistic and very sad about it, but we’re wondering if there’s still any hope. There are still a lot of green leaves, and a few of the lemons ripened 🙁
by TheChopinet
3 Comments
I’m not a tree expert, but if it was any other kind of plant I would try to propagate a few cuttings of anything healthy…just in case.
Plants are resilient so it probably will be fine- but I am really not super knowledgeable about lemon trees, or any trees for that matter
Could it be Citrus Stem Canker?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canker
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotnelson/9497388492
In any case I’ve heard that all around loss or removal of the bark and green tissue below the bark will lead to the death of a tree since the green tissue transports most of the nutrients. So the upper parts that still have their bark on your citrus trees seem to be cut off from nutrients supply and will most likely die. My colleague, whose father is a hobby grafter, told me how his father saved an apple tree by using a sucker/water shoot to essentially bypass a dead or damaged main trunk. May not be applicable here.
Some people in this thread suggest an extreme prune.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gardening/comments/18utdkr/help_with_peeling_citrus_tree_bark/
You could also try to propagate some scions.
I am not an expert, just brainstorming ideas …
Any chance rats or squirrels or similar are getting into the shed somehow? Might be worth checking, also if any dropping are visible? Since you said the progression was fairly quick I am wondering if animals are involved.
I agree with those who suggested taking cuttings, that way if it doesn’t recover you still have some of it left. Fingers crossed for you, looks like a lovely tree!