Hi everyone! I have a ponderosa lemon tree that isn’t doing too well over the winter indoors. It dropped all its leaves but still has a yellowing lemon on it. Without the leaves, photosynthesis isn’t happening, right…? So will the lemon just die on the tree or should I continue to let it ripen before picking it?
by Putrid_Candidate59
15 Comments
No leaves, no energy – from where do you think it will get the energy to ripen it? Remove it.
If that’s a heating vent near the pot, do note that most plants do not like the underside wind they create, so the tree likely experienced temperature/moisture shock indoors and went bare. Citruses are notorious for going bare at shock and acting like divas, so this is not very surprising behavior.
Immediately.
In fact, when is this young, if you see a flower, pick it.
Yesterday
Now. Let the tree establish more before allowing it to fruit.
Lemon trees are not decideous. No leaves = death. Its putting all the remaining energy in to that one lemon
Water it.
The heater vent is likely what killed it if thats this trees winter spot. Plants dont like to be blasted with hot air on and off like that. It might bounce back in spring when you out it back outside or it might be toast, next time make sure if youre over-wintering plantd indoors its not near any vent or doorways that will have fluctuating temperatures.
The lemon likely wont ripen, and if it does it wont taste right. The plant is on life-support right now, nothing it produces will be decent quality. Id cut it off. In the future while over-wintering plants its best to just nip off any flowers that pop up so the plant can store its energy until spring
That floor vent beside it is why your leaves died. Pick it
James and the Giant Lemon.
Good lord man!
Leaf drop = overwatered
Dying at the tips = Zinc deficiency
You need to feed this, or its dead in a few months
I would have tried a sun lamp.
Wait… Citrus depends on the chill of winter in order to bear desirable fruit, in most circumstances! Why is it indoors, by a heater vent?
A teaspoon of Calmag – and another two weeks
When to milk the bone cow?
It should be moved away from the vent, be put it on a tray with pebbles large enough to lift it’s feet (pot bottom) out of water, keep the tray filled with a bit of water in it so it can continuously evaporate around the lemon, FEED your plant with a fertilizer designed for citrus that will help it maintain it’s health/grow. Allow it to ‘see the sky’ as well, citrus really needs light. Keep an eye on how much moisture the soil has and how often you needs to help it grow over the winter inside, but priority is to move it away from any heating ducts that can dehydrate leaves and make them drop off.