You have had the Meyer Lemon since December, and have never given the tree any nutrients at all. It is not suprizing that the tree is doing poorly. Nitrogen, potassium and magnesium are very water soluble, therefore they are leached from the potting soil every time you water. The leaf symptoms that the tree is now showing, pale yellowish leaves with darker green veins, is from a lack of iron. Surely this tree is also suffering from numerous other nutritional deficiencies such as nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and probably most of the required trace elements. The tree should have been fertilized once a month at the very least, with a complete fertilizer containg trace minerals.

Thanks for your response! Of course, now I feel terrible about starving my poor lemon tree. And if I had applied any common sense to my methods, I would have realized that myself. I have miracle grow- is that an ok food for now until I can get a citrus-specific fertilyzer? Also, I read on here somewhere that a rusty nail will help with iron deficiency- is that true? I have to admit, I read so many posts about people killing plants with love that I deliberately took a less-is-more approach, but I guess moderation is the key.

You may still be killing your plant with kindness. You said that you hose the plant down when you see creepy crawlies. Do you get much water on the soil at this time? The soil may be retaining too much water and not drying sufficiently before you hose it down again. Citrus needs very well draining soil in order for the roots to breathe. They need to breathe the same as you do. IF you were kept in a water filled container with no air spaces you would drown. This is the same as your plant may be doing. Soil that is dense doesn't hold oxygen pockets, instead it holds water. The roots do not extract the oxygen from the water but rather from the small pockets of air between the particles.

IF the soil drains sufficiently and its actually time to water, you can mix the MG up and use it. IF possible it should be the azalea/rhodo formula.
Andi

"Hose down" was an overstatement- I have Safer Soap (an organic bug killer) in a spray bottle and I mist it onto the plant thoroughly when I see bugs. I spray no more than once a week, following the instructions on the bottle. I didn't water yesterday, so I will water either this evening or tomorrow morning with the rhodie/azalea MG mix. The soil is draining well- I always test the soil by sticking my finger in a few inches down. Not bone dry, but not sopping wet either.