A significant issue is the size of the hole in which you planted your Meyer; if the new hole were about the size of the container it was in, you could expect to see new growth in a few weeks; however if the new hole was quite a bit larger than the container it was in, you might not see new growth for several months. Give it a good citrus fertilizer applied at the drip line and watered in well and have a little patience.

oatmealdonnie's ideas · More Info

Here's the photo.

It gets pretty hot here. It just so happened to get planted on the hottest day of the year (122 degrees), and over the first 2 months temperatures averaged 105-115, and in the last month has been 90-100. I do have it set to only go 4 days per week, perhaps instead I should do it once for longer.

Unfortunately I was not present she they planted it so i do not know about the hole size compared to the container size.

Thank you for the help.

If it did not get any shade and it was planted in such hot weather, you should have protected the new plants from the direct sun for a couple of weeks with an umbrella, tarp or something like that. I can't see a picture so I am just guessing. It will probably recover now as the temperatures cool. Someone from your area will probably be able to help you with your watering schedule. Did you try sticking a stick into the ground near your trees drip line to see how wet the soil is down about a foot? If the stick comes out dry you need to water, if it is wet cut back on your watering. Do the stick test every day or so and observe your trees leaves too. You will learn how much water your trees need if you do this.

Cory

Please post a close up of the leaves, the color on those from what I can see make me think they desperately need fast acting nitrogen though. It may also be soil pH issue, you should test soil pH and report back. Also do you know the type of root stock this was on, or is it on its own roots (Meyers are sold both ways, is there a graft line on the trunk?)

Newly planted young in ground citrus trees should be lightly fertilized every two weeks starting two weeks after planting. How often has your tree been fed ? Unless the tree receives the required amount of nutrition, it will not, indeed cannot, produce the expected growth. From the picture posted above, your tree's foliage looks highly deficient of nutrients. On a newly planted in ground citrus tree, do not use a fertilizer with higher than an 8-8-8 analysis on young trees during years 1-3 to avoid damaging the tree with fertilizer burn. If controlled release fertilizers are used, fertilizers can be applied once every 6-9 months, according to recommendations on the fertilizer bag. For young trees,, apply fertilizer uniformly in a 3-ft. diameter circle around the tree. As the tree becomes older, the area fertilized should be enlarged as the root system expands. As a rule of thumb, fertilize an area twice the diameter of the tree canopy. Care should be taken to avoid root or trunk damage by uneven placement or mounding the fertilizer against the trunk. The best to this tree- Silica

Another follow up here, don't over do it on the fertilizer now to make up for the missed time, in other words don't try to feed it 3 months worth of fertilizer at once. Start small, I can't tell you how small without knowing the type of fertilizer you plan to use, but I can say you should be looking at spoonfuls not cupfuls for most fertilizers. You also probably want fast acting for now not slow release until you get things under control.

The normal recommended amount of fertilizer for a 1, 2 and 3 year old in ground citrus tree is 0,3-lbs. (137 grams) of actual nitrogen per year divided among the number of applications. That means actual nitrogen NOT 0.3-lbs. of fertilizer. In year two 0.6-lbs. actual nitrogen divided among the number of applications., and in year three 0.9-lbs. actual nitrogen once again divided among the number of applications. Thereafter, increase the amount of nitrogen applied according to tree growth, up to but not more than 1.5 lbs. actual nitrogen per tree per year. Fertilizer rates can also be reduced if a citrus tree is planted in a landscape where turf and shrubs are well fertilized. - Silica

You've gotten some excellent advice here, but I fear your tree's failure to thrive is due to the ground there. I've lived in Las Vegas and the soil is imposssibly difficult to grow without completely removing the caliche soil (using the term soil loosely since many people have to jack hammer out a hole and that causes all kinds of additional problems) and completely filling in with banks of new soil. So I would guess that your tree growth problem is related to the soil. Did you happen to watch the installation? I imagine, but could be wrong of course, that the hole dug for your tree is acting like a pot and not allowing roots to grow beyond what was originally dug. I do know people in Las Vegas who successfully grow prolific Meyer lemon trees in ground, however, they had to totally buldoze out the top layers of earth and then installed their trees in raised beds to give them the needed root zone - and then added daily drip irrigation. I hope this gives you some additional ideas about your situation. Suzanne

Ps:. Some leaves appear to be sunburned- would guess from being planted close to that heat absorbing concrete wall and in full sun. The wall will be helpful in the winter, though, by retaining heat over night as well as providing wind protection. A sun shade during peak hours would help protect the new growth until it cools down a bit more in your area.