New lemon growth usually has a purple-brown tint to it--both on new leaves as well as flowers. That's normal.

The yellowing leaves can be a couple of different things--macro- or micronutrient deficiency, too much water, too little water, low soil temps, senescence, etc. However, since you are getting new growth, that is a good sign. Is it truly new leaves that are forming, or is it the little leaves that can surround the flowers as they form? The reason I ask is that massive flowering can be a reaction to abnormal or severe stress, as opposed to just physiologic flower formation (which also requires a stressor, but the stressor is not severe enough to make the tree weakened)--and whichever you have gives us an idea as to how happy your tree is. In general, if the tree is able to generate and mobilize enough energy to put out new growth as opposed to just freaking out and flowering, it's prolly doing pretty well.

It sounds like the tree is in the ground? And you're in the Bay Area right?--if that is your zip code, and therefore you also grow on very hard clay soils (I live near you then)...If so, unless there is some extenuating circumstance, be careful about watering too much. We have had a relatively dry winter but the temps have been low still and it hasn't been completely dry. Depending on the age of the tree, you might not need to irrigate at all at this time of year. I have only watered my in-ground trees maybe 2 times since summer ended, and most years I don't have to water them at all in the wet weather, usually starting up in late spring. If you're not sure what to do, use a probe into the soil to see how wet it is.

One more thing--is it a Meyer? If so, IMHO then all bets are off, lol...I never saw such a temperamental tree in my life as Meyer lemons, tho I find them surprisingly hard to kill :)

HTH.

Here is a link that might be useful: nutrient deficiency pix

Yes I am in the Bay area, Concord to be exact. Is it a Meyer? How would I know, it has nasty thorns on the branches. I believe the leaves are new growth. It is in the ground on the pation surround by cement, it has about a 4 foot square opening for the tree. It was looking really week, leaves curlling and dropping so I pruned, fertilized and watered the heck out of it for a few days.
Can this be transplanted? I would like to move it to another area in the yard. When can this be done?

Thanks

Meyer lemons, thought to be a lemon hybrid really, produce a fruit that tends to be smoother-skinned, ripens to a more golden color, and have a flavor and fragrance that is different than typical grocery-store lemons--some people love them, but I think of them as slightly musty. The thorniness of the tree apparently varies.

As to transplanting your tree...personally I think that is a difficult task if very mature but I am sure that others do it successfully. It will be easier on a younger tree of course, and I think you always run the risk of losing the tree altogether. If it's not urgent, the best time to do it before the spring growth flush--which for us is in February or so.

I am sure someone may be able to give you better info than I can, but what you can consider is to drive a shovel or spade into the ground surrounding the edge of the *rootball* (*not* the trunk) in a only a few areas, with the idea being to sever the ends of *some* of the roots and force growth of new roots closer to the main axis of the tree and make the rootball more compact--essentially you are partially root-pruning underground, in situ. Then you wait a while and let it generate those new roots and then do it again in areas around the root mass that you didn't disturb the first time. And then when you've accomplished this around the circumerference of the tree, you can transplant it before it's first major canopy growth spurt in the spring. Wherever you move it to, make sure that it gets good sun and drainage (raised beds or even a raised mound helps a lot on our clay soils), do not amend the soil in the hole you are moving it to, make sure the hole is not much larger than the root mass you need to accomodate, and plant the tree in its new spot so it settles to the same depth it was previously. You may wish to read up more on it if you wish to attempt it, and hopefully someone else will comment.

Lastly, I would be hesitant to move a tree if it is not looking very healthy--it may not have the vitality to withstand the stress of transfer. That's something I have learned *the hard way* :)

HTH.
(thanks alphadog)

When I first read your questions, Jeff, I thought, "Hmmmm - here's something I can potentially offer a little input on, on the Citrus forum." Then I read the advise you got and said, "Hmmmm - funny, I'd probably have answered exactly the same way as RJ."

You got good advice. ;o)

Al