Hi,
I am here in Texas and recently planted a lemon tree. It started producing little lemons but they turned real black and fell off. What can I do to prevent this from happening? I tried putting lime around the tree.
Rod
Lime can kill citrus! Citrus wants an acidic soil, not an alkaline soil.
The little lemons died and fell off because the roots were disturbed during planting. You should not expect any fruit in the first year.
DO NOT FEED YOUR LEMON TREE! Feeding now encourages leaf growth before the roots are sufficiently established to supply sufficient water to the leaves. Next year, use a commercial citrus food spread in a circle under the outer edges of the top growth.
DO NOT OVERWATER! Citrus likes soil that is slightly moist and never wet. It needs deep irrigation after the top 2 inches of soil are dry. (This does not apply if the tree is a dwarf in a container. With a fast draining potting mix, citrus in containers may need to be watered daily in hot weather.)
Do you have any gardenias? Are they thiving? Citrus actually like the same care as gardenias, except that gardenias are hardier with respect to frost. They want fast draining, acidic soil that is moist but not soggy; protection against sunburn but lots of light; frequent but light feedings, with extra iron and zinc; and pruning only for aesthetics.
How old is it?
What variety?
Rootbound?
ALL leaves turning yellow?
Can you post picture?
My mistake:
John
Yellow leaves in citrus are a sign of several things but this is probably a mineral deficiency. Feed during the growing season (spring and summer) with high nitrogen fertiliser (eg chicken manure) or "citrus food". Don't overdose especially if using the granulated synthetic chemicals which is very strong or all the leaves will fall off. Several small feeds are better than one big one and water it in well. If this is the problem you will see results in a few months. If this doesn't work give them some trace element supplement.
David
Trees like lemon manufacture their own food. They are autotrophs. They however provide food for heterotrophs like humans. While your advice may be a good thing, calling fertilizers plant food is not. People who say they feed trees flunked photosynthesis. Providing essential elements sounds like a promising treatment if they are really lacking. The problem is that no one has done optimal fertility research for trees to understand exactly what elements are lacking. No one really cares about that research. However they fund research they do not understand.
Its hard to properly mulch a tree in a pot. That's you problem right there. If the pot was huge that would be better. Composted wood and leaves will provide many essential elements while stimulating benefical bacteria and micros in soil that make elements avalaible, when applied correctly.
here are two articles addressing the "feeding of trees" Troubles in the Rhizosphere
Eveergreen Gardeners
It appears that your soil lacks Iron, Kindly put a rusty nail 3inches under the soil, about 6 to inches from the plant.The problem will be solved B. Shah
If you are certain you aren't over watering, you can try to use black strap molassas with iron and epsom salts for magnesium which aids in the useage of the iron.
When you say there are stones, you mean in addition to also having holes in the pot...right?
Usual sign of iron deficiency, or chlorosis, is vein lines in plant stay green, but REST of leaf turns yellow.
If this is what your leaves look like, it may be chlorosis. In that case, you could add liquid iron in MODERATE dose, calibrated to size of tree. Read bottle directions *carefully* in order not to overdose.
If interested, do a Web search for "chlorosis in plants".
Here is a link with a picture:
Persephone
Explain than how you feed a tree.
Consider poor Joe who liked alcohol. Drank methanol rather than ethanol. He then quickly learned, as his brain got burned. That words are important after all.
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!
V.....relax....breathe in, breathe out...
It is not worth your being disturbed like this.
Peace Charlie
Now, thats not very nice.
If John ever learns how to communicate, he might be helpful. In the mean time, he is a pain in the tuchus.
Thus you demonstrate that you have entirely missed the point AGAIN. I give up.
David
In Out In Out...much better! Sometimes it seems like there is a cyborg posting here. I am just baffled.
I would suggest you might check the ph of the soil. My water has a ph of 8 and I find that over time the soil also becomes more basic. Lemons like a slightly acidic soil and I have to regularly give a dose of acid fertilizer (once a month) to keep the leaves shiny and dark green.
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