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sammers510

Need some Meyer lemon advice

9 years ago

I received this Meyer lemon in May for my birthday, it had tons of flowers and has since produced quite a few baby lemons I would say at least half drop on their own which I take as a sign that the tree is only keeping what it can succufully carry. I now have one lemon that is much larger than the rest and finally starting to yellow, but it's getting cold outside and I want to move it indoors but I don't want to sacrifice the fruit it spent all summer growing. What is the best way to move the plant in and keep the fruit on the tree? It's on my patio facing west and will move directly in the house in the same position. I'm concerned with light level as winter comes. A few pictures of the tree and the spot it will be during the winter. Not sure if the heating vent will be harmful but it's the only spot with a window it can go.

Comments (9)

  • 9 years ago

    What John said..But how cold are we talking here? You should be able to leave your tree outside for weeks in your zone..The worst thing you can do it take it inside at this time, even if your night temps drop into the 40's..That lemon will still grow by day in your warm sun and slow by night..It will still mature..You risk loosing it inside so suddenly..

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you both for the advice! I have mid to high 40's in my area the next week or so, so I'm leaving it out for now. I am not as concerned about transitioning light levels now as its literally going 3 feet inside of its exact spot that its in. but I am concerned about pests. This is my first year with fruit trees and I've already lost my apples and fig to what I'm guessing was spider mites. One week they were fine and healthy then they started drooping and turning brown. I didn't see an pests so I assumed it was a watering issue but once it was too late (they were all brown/shriveled) I noticed fine webbing that seemed to be on the remains of the leaves. I assume they are beyond salvage but I cant bring myself to toss them out. I plan on washing my pot of the lemon tree and spraying it but I have no idea what to spray with or how much. I've sifted through the forums and seen HO and neem mentioned as well as insecticidal soap but I'm not sure what brand to get or how to treat. Any suggestions or favorites?

  • 9 years ago

    Either HO or neem will work fine. Just follow the instructions on the back of the bottle and spray away... I would do it asap and then again before bringing it in. If you seen any sign of them once indoors, treat again...don't hesitate. Like John said, harvest that lemon and enjoy it. Lovely tree and welcome!

  • 9 years ago

    Thank you for your help! I had posted a few times in May when I went on a tree buying spree and got no feedback so I am very happy to hear back about my questions. I try to search the forums first as to not ask too many duplicate questions but I've found that its harder than I thought to find answers. I ordered some neem, HO and a ready to use insecticidal soap spay since it was on $6 add on cost through amazon. I figure between all of that I should be OK. The temps are holding out here lows of high 40's to low 50's so I'm hopeful to be able to get a few rounds of treatment before it makes the move. I am completely in love with my little lemon tree and am so excited to enjoy its fruit and flowers for years to come. It has me searching out what other citrus I can have in containers and I fear that I will end up with more trees than space in my house!

  • 9 years ago

    Sammers,

    Before you move your Meyer inside, move it to shade for a couple of weeks and then to inside. Maybe it is only 3 feet in distance; but full sun inside a window is roughly equal to full shade outside. A gradual light adjustment will save you the common agony of leaf drop that is so common for a Meyer when you significantly change its light conditions.

  • 9 years ago

    Sammers i was wondering the same thing my lemons are not turning yet. They are still outside. High today was 85 low tonight 55. My key lime has started to bloom but it also started dropping lower leaves i see some webs and have been spraying for past two weeks. So glad for tlhe advice of others

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks John, I will move it to the shade and spray it a few times over the next two weeks then move it inside. I am willing to be extra cautious to keep it as healthy as possible.

    I've been out of town and didn't get a chance to pick my lemon yet but its yellowed beautifully and a smaller lemon has yellowed as well. I am picking them tomorrow and make a VERY tiny batch of lemon curd to sample my efforts.

    You can't tell from this photo but the first lemon(right)is roughly the size of a Persian lime and the second one (left) is the size of a key lime. They are both fully ripe and I wanted to know is that normal to have such small meyers?/variying sizes on the same tree? is there something I can do to affect the size of the fruit?

  • 9 years ago

    I have seen very small Meyer lemons in the store, but my tree grows big ones. I don't know if that is a product of the particular cultivar or just the tree size. I wonder if John can answer this. Meyer lemons have LOTS of juice, so don't be surprised if you "small batch" of lemon curd ends up bigger than expected. I am sure it will taste wonderfully!

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