Requesting help for neglected lemon

16 years ago

Hello Gardenweb;

I have a potted lemon that isn't doing so well. I have been browsing the forums and I realize now that I have been neglecting it :(. I have picked up a lot of information, but I'm unsure what specifically I should do as many of the instructions on the forum were for plants in the ground or that were not subject to my condo restrictions.

It is a 5 year old Myers Lemon tree, a little over 5' tall. I live in South Florida and it's on my balcony which faces south and gets a high amount of sun.

It's in a 20"x15" pot. The soil is whatever it came with + some generic houseplant potting soil.

The only supplements I have been giving it are 20 drops of Miracle Grow Houseplant Food twice a week for the last 6 months. It flowered a lot over the winter and has been growing 8 or 9 lemons since February.

I water it with about half a gallon of water every day. I have to be careful with my watering because my condo is very strict and I am not allowed to have anything other than rain flow off my balcony.

It has small black ants in the soil; they came in on some potting soil that I added to it about 6 months ago. It also has soft brown scale - my diagnosis from looking at pictures online. The scale is brown, oval, and mostly on the upper branches.

To combat the scale I have been spraying it with a little dish soap mixed in with water. I've also been gently rubbing the leaves and branches once a week with a towel which gets off a lot of scale.

In the last month, many leaves have started to turn yellow. Large new leaves started to grow at the same time, but now some of those are turning yellow as well. I'd say it's lost about 40% of its leaves.

I see that I need to:

1. Defeat the Scale - with neem oil?

2. Add Nitrogen to the soil

3. Change the soil (Al's gritty mix? & get rid of the ants)

4. Possibly get a larger pot/water more

I am looking for any suggestions or further details on exactly what, where, and how :) I will probably be going to Home Depot as that is the only garden supply store I'm familiar with.

Your help is very much appreciated! I'm hoping I can save my tree.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

meyermike_1micha
16 years ago
Welcome,

If it were me in order I would...

1. Change the soil asap to a "soilless mix", stop watering as frequently, and do not over pot...

2. Give it a good trim, taking off most of the dead branches and rid the scale.

3.Forget the fertilizer until the roots are healthy again..

4. Leave it out of the full sun for a few days until the plant adjusts to the repotting..

Someone else can offer more or better advice...I hope your poor tree survives and looks great after coming here.

Mike
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
16 years ago
How about flushing the soil with water and vinegar to start?
(I know this will be difficult without a large tray to catch the run-off).

I, too, encourage a re-potting.
After re-potting, I'd keep the tree out of direct sun for two weeks. Once the tree starts
indicating new leaves, then I'd gradually introduce it to more sun (using a screen/shade if needed).

As Mike says, don't worry about fertilizing. The first two weeks aren't critical, and as
Al says, Soils low in initial fertility are conducive to root-growth.

Josh
Related Professionals
Davenport Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Vancouver Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Vicksburg Landscape Contractors · Rocky Mount Landscape Contractors · Sioux City Landscape Contractors · Mansfield Landscape Contractors · Anchorage Landscape Contractors · Rock Hill Home Builders · Nashville Home Builders · Champaign Home Builders · Barnstable Home Builders · Escanaba Home Builders · Allentown Home Builders · Concord Home Builders · La Grande Home Builders
cath41
16 years ago
With an old toothbrush dipped in alcohol rub the scale off of all leaves (check the undersides especially), branches and the trunk. Then repot, removing all old soil. I use Fafard, others use Dr. Tapla's mix. Just make sure it drains well. (Miracle Grow potting mix does not.) Water until it comes out the bottom of the pot. If necessary, place a tub under it and throw out the over flow in the tub when the pot stops draining. Do not leave the pot in the standing water. Place in shade for about a week. Check the tree every few days to a week for scale and repeat as necessary. This plus natural outdoor predators usually solves the scale problem. If not, I have found that beneficial nematodes sprayed on the soil finish the job. This never made sense to me. It just worked. Then I read that scale can be on the roots as well. I guess if scale gets on the roots, it can keep reinfecting the top. And the nematodes kill the scale that is underground. The Fafard has traces of fertilizer and so you won't have to start that until the tree has started to show signs or recovery.
cath
cath41
16 years ago
When my pots are in the house over the winter, I cannot have the water draining on the floor either. I use galvanized feeding pans under the pots. They are about 20-24" diameter by 4" high (for chickens, I think) from Tractor Supply. The pots are placed on brick, 2 for 16" and larger pots, 1 for smaller. This keeps the plants from sitting in water, allows them to drain and I don't have to empty saucers. The brick is easier to clean than pebbles and makes it easier to see the water level. These pans are ugly. You might be able to spray paint them but need more expert advise on that than I can give.
Cath