JR, you need to fertilize and be sure to also do a foliar application of micronutrients. Make sure you use a good citrus fertilizer that also contains micronutrients. Citrus varieties will flush at different times, and yes, the lack of sun may cause your lemon to flush later, and be smaller. And, those are very typical blossoms for a lemon tree. In fact, that's one of the ways to differentiate varieties - pinkish purple blossoms are found on lemon trees :-) Your lemon tree actually looks to be in very good shape to me. Just be patient, the pale leaves this time of year are pretty normal, especially if you're in AZ or S. Calif (your sig line doesn't tell us where you reside), due to the colder temps causing the micronutrients to be locked out. As our soil warms, your leaves will green up as you fertilize and apply micronutrients.

Patty S.

Hi Patty!

You are correct, I do reside in the Phoenix, Arizona.

I applied a foliage spray of micro-nutrients for citrus (at least labeled on the bottle for citrus). I believe it was made by Southern Ag. I applied this just a few days ago, plan to do it again in a couple weeks, I think this is what the bottle said to do. Now back to the fertilization, I just planted this tree 3 weeks ago, so I was holding off on fertilizing until it has been in the ground for about 5 weeks, and then I plan to only use half the recommended amount of fertilizer, then at the end of May I plan to give it it's recommended amount. BTW, I bought Arizona's Best Citrus Fertilizer (13-10-4). I have been told it works well with our soil type.

Thanks for response and I will be patient and wait for the warmer weather. Any ideas to what is chomping at my leaves?

JR

What's the pH of your soil?

I do not know the pH level. I hear it is high here in Phoenix, Arizona. Can you tell me a way to get the pH level? I have looked into some testing places, but really don't care to spend the cash.

Probably not super high, JR. You can ask your local extension office, they will probably know your area pretty well, or you can have your soil tested. Citrus prefer a pH of around 7 to down to about 6. My pH here in S. Calif. is between 6.8 and 7.1, testing with a fairly nice pH tester. Not as accurate as a soil sample of course, but I'm in the middle of "citrus country", and I know our commercial growers do not amend their soil (my back fence abuts an 80 acre orange grove), so I don't bother to do more sophisticated tests. You can probably fertilize a littler earlier, say April. Your tree will have become well enough established, especially if you apply 1/2 strength fertilizer. The product sounds like it's perfect for your area.

Patty S.

Your Meyer is hungry. The leaves should be a fairly dark green, with no yellowing. The new growth is the real test: the baby leaves should be a dark red, then open to green, then darken when mature.

I feed a little every month, which I find easier than the quarterly schedule. I also toss a bucketful of diluted liquid kelp or fish fertilizer with a good wallop of liquid iron, at least 2-3x a year over each tree. Especially as they mature they exhaust the soil around the dripline. They'll continue bearing even without food, but it kills the plant quicker and reduces harvest; normally a Meyer will live to about 75 yrs old.
{{gwi:567609}}

normally a Meyer will live to about 75 yrs old... that's a pretty bold statement, as the Improved Meyer Lemon was only released by Univ. of Calif in 1975; and the original Meyers from China were almost completely eliminated prior to 1950...they were found to be silent carriers of Citrus tristeza.

This issue was hotly debated here about a year ago. If I remember correctly (I'm on another computer so access is limited) the stock that was destroyed as carriers were from two of the three major CA nurseries. The third was certified virus-free. Stock from other states, such as Texas and Florida, was unaffected.

Where I live there are a lot of the original Meyers still around. The East Bay was still mostly small homes (on what is today large urban lots) and rural farms until the late 1960's; the Warren Freeway section of Hwy 580 was not completed until the mid-1970's.

I don't see any reason why a Meyer wouldn't live 50-75 yrs if properly fed (and that's a big IF, most people don't feed their Meyers as much as they should). The older citrus trees in our area were all planted in the 1930's and 1940's, and are still going like gangbusters today.

One of my co-workers who lived in Concord in the mid-1990's had a home in a former orchard-turned-development, and said there were Meyer trees all over her area. The trees bore great big gorgeous lemons year-round. A neighbor across the street from her, who was born and raised in one of the original tiny cottages circa 1920, said she remembered when the Meyer orchard was planted in the 1930's, and watched as the owner sold off the land to developers in the 1970's and most of the trees were bulldozed.

jkom,
I agree with you that the Meyer should live to probably more than 100 years if well tended; I was just a bit overwhelmed by your assertion that they normally live that long, when there really is a limited amount of experience with Meyers, especially in the commercial area.