Meyer Lemon light help

12 years ago

First and foremost, just gotta say that I've really got no experience with houseplants. I've had a garden for years, but nothing really inside. So please forgive me if this is a stupid question.

Okay, so my boyfriend got me a Meyer Lemon off craigslist for my birthday, as I've wanted one for forever. But I'm having some issues with the poor guy.

To begin with, the boyfriend didn't water it for about the two weeks or so he'd had it at his place. So it wasn't happy to begin with from that. And now the poor thing is dropping leaves like crazy. I'd been able to call the woman who had the tree before. She told me that she'd re-potted him in an organic citrus soil in the spring. (The name of the mix, or site she ordered from, escapes me at the moment.) She also said he'd lived outside all summer in full sun, and she'd hardened him off before selling him. I checked his roots, which all were nice and beige-white, and didn't seem to be suffering any rot. The woman who'd owned him before didn't experience these issues with him, but also evidently had a nice south-facing bay window he lived in all winter. So I'm thinking he's not getting enough light.

My house is nothing but north-facing windows, and to complicate matters I live in the Pacific Northwest. So it's pretty dark in my place. I'm not really able to get a full grow light set-up, so I'm looking for something I can put into a spot light with a reflector. Currently I've got it under a standard Lowes 'grow light' until I can get him something better.

In looking in the growing under lights specific forum here, I came across someone else in a similar situation, and someone recommended this light to them;
http://www.bulbamerica.com/products/compact-fluorescent-42w-120v-twist-light-bulb

I've never used grow lights before, and in trying to research different options, I've just gone and gotten myself overwhelmed and confused. Would that bulb be a viable option? Would it help my poor lil guy with some leaf re-growth? Or are CFLs even an acceptable option? I've tried reading up on more 'advanced' bulb types, and it pretty much might as well be all Greek.

My lil tree and I really just need some straightforward advice. Thanks so much for any help.
:)

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Comments (4)

poncirusguy6b452xx
12 years ago
13 watt bulb works fine in this setup. You can also use round trash cans if your tree is too large for the 5 gallon bucket.

Steve

The setups worked very well for more growth in the winter than summer. Click link to slideshow below

Here is a link that might be useful: http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/wreristhechimney/slideshow/sunshine2013
garret_87
12 years ago
I moved to the Pacific Northwest over the summer, and I can tell what you mean. Very low light and hardly any good sun windows with all the tall trees. I would recommend getting a 150w HPS grow light from either amazon or HTGsupply. I got mine for 70$ with tax and shipping. It is much stronger than CFL. With no natural light, I would say that a couple cfl grow lights might get the tree through the winter, but it wouldn't thrive and fruit. My light adds roughly 6-8$ a month on the electricity bill. If you are low on funds then a few cfl bulbs are better than nothing. Just keep the CFLs very close to the leaves.
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jrl1265
12 years ago
Hi, I live in Oregon and have had success with a Meyer lemon tree and cflÃ¢ÂÂs. I have my tree in an east facing window with two 23 watt cflÃ¢ÂÂs. I rotate the tree everyday so the canopy gets light from the cflÃ¢ÂÂs regularly. It flowers and grows during the winter. Your biggest problem is going to be the soil it is in and over watering. I use AlÃ¢ÂÂs gritty mix now and 511 in the past. Both soils are great for growing in the house since these soils prevent over watering. Look these mixes up using the search function. I also heat my trees from the bottom to keep the roots warm, it works for me and I have very little leaf drop doing this. Good luck, Jack
poncirusguy6b452xx
12 years ago
My trees are in a mix of back yard top soil and pure rotted compost. while I have done very well with this free mix, I would not recomend that anyone else use it. My soil drains freely but is heavy and I compensate by vacuuming out the excess water after flushing the plant. I also blow air up through the bottom of my containers 2 rimes daily to ensure there is enough oxygen for the roots. This sounds like a lot of work, but it is quick if you set things up. Every container below has a hole in it for a blow dryer to blow 10 seconds of warm air into the container citrus sitting on top. I t really work great.

Steve