Can I save this lemon seedling?

9 years ago

Went out of town this Thanksgiving and came back to a VERY withered lemon seedling. I must've forgotten to water it before I left--lack of water is definitely the problem, the soil was very dry.

The leaves are crispy, but not brown; the stem still looks green. Can I save it? I watered it about 24 hours ago, after I got back, and the leaves don't seem to have rehydrated at all. I've seen where chopping a third of the stem off is an option, but since this is a seedling and not a mature plant, I don't know if that's a good idea.

Featured Answer

Jennifer

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

You may want to try soaking it in a bucket of water for quite a while to see if you can rehydrate it.

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Comments (7)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Sounds like the leaves are dead, but that doesn't mean that the plant is. How tall is the seedling?
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
without a pic.. its really hard to opine ... how big is it???

severely damaged leaves will not recover...

most trees can releaf .. presuming you didnt kill the roots ... and that would be months of drought .. probably ...

but it can take weeks or months to releaf ...

so just keep it properly watered.. and hope for the best ... i would not have it in sun .. if outdoors ...

even a damaged leaf can convert sun into food ... so leave them there .. ugly as they may be ...

NO CHOPPING ... dont try to love it to death ...

lastly .. if you were only gone for a few days.. perhaps your pot is too small.. that it dried out that fast ...

how about a pic.. so we can show.. that everything i guessed is wrong ... lol

ken
0plantqueen0
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

It's about three and a half inches tall. I checked the roots and they still seem reasonably healthy... Off-white and plump. It sounds like the best course of action is to water periodically and keep it on a windowsill--it's an indoor plant anyway, at least for now.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
in my MI.. window sills are starting to get cold ....

isnt half as bad as i had pictured in my head .....

as with all trees ... keep it on the dry side.. now that it had an event ... dont drown it ... dont love it to death ...

be patient ... recovery is in tree time .. not our instant gratification world ...

as i said.. green leaves.. can still do their work ... they may still brown and fall off.. look where the leaf attaches to the stem ... look for buds .... when you see fat and happy buds ... you will now you are on the right track ... or more specifically.. it is.. lol ..

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
I'd plant some more seeds, if I were you. I enjoy growing lemon and orange seedlings periodically, and know that tiny plants can be pretty fragile. Once they've reached a foot or so, citrus plants can be pretty resilient indoor plants.

If you'd like further information about the care of indoor citrus, be sure to visit The Citrus Forum, where you'll find some helpful, experienced people as well as lots of interesting older threads to study.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
good thinking rhiz ....

also ... i never had much luck.. indoors.. with clay pots .... near impossible to balance out the variables.. in my forced air furnace MI ...

ken