Amateur gardener doing her best here:
I bought this lemon tree about a month ago and repotted it that day using Miracle-Gro citrus soil. I water it when the first couple inches of soil are dry (I’m using a moisture meter), and fertilize every other week with Expert Gardener Citrus Food (6-4-6). The plant is facing SW and gets some direct morning light followed by dappled afternoon and evening light.
Leaves have slowly been yellowing and falling off since I got the plant and I’m really not sure why! Any insights would be appreciated.
by indigodolphin219
4 Comments
I would chill out on the fertilizer, maybe once a month. The yellowing could be from from too much nutrients (fertilizers build up salts in the soil) or too much sunlight
Oo I also see its in a terracotta pot, the evening sun is the strongest and that material draws moisture out of the soil quickly. Maybe too quickly, citrus love water they just also need to drain well
I had the exact same thing happening to my Meyer, naval, and mandarin. I gave up and put them in the ground and they’re looking better. So now I just have to figure out how to make sure they don’t freeze.
If anybody has tips, I’m all ears.
I’ve got a few citrus trees one being a Meyer lemon.
The yellowing is likely a iron deficiency (mine was yellowing too and a close friend in the plant industry told me that). For iron I use a small amount of blood meal. Like others have said though you don’t need to fertilize them often.
Citrus plants want full sun. I’ve got a Cara Cara, Meyer lemon and ruby grapefruit and they all have done best on the corner of my property where they get full sun.
If the sun exposure is too much you’ll know, the leaves will curl to protect themselves and the branches will “sunburn”
In the heat of Texas summers it’s fine to water them everyday. I’ve noticed stems brown as well as yellow leaves when over watered. When you get into the fall and want flowers lemon trees like drought like conditions before flowing so you can cut back to watering every few days.
r/citrus is a great resource for new citrus folks.