your Meyers look great considering they just came through a 110F+ weekend. Those burnt tips just tell you it was hot and it needed a bit more water. the weather is headed to a more normal range and so I'd suggest you keep doing what you have been doing. - nice !

BTW: my in-ground Meyers exhibit the same burnt tips here and there... I tend to under water so I expect such.

It might not be a bad idea to water without the Foliage Pro if you watered it everyday, or dilute the FP down just for this period of high heat. Since you've had such high temperatures, it's probably salts from the water being evaporated too quickly. So even if you're giving it more water, there will also be more salts than usual.

Your tree looks really amazing though. With that many branches and leaves, it can probably handle all the watering and fertilizer you're giving it everyday even if you don't change your current routine.

Thanks everybody,

molewacker, yes it was too hot for my comfort. Not used to that much heat in our climate. I see your in Napa, so you were hit with the same heat. The Meyers did very well, no drooping leaves at all, even during the worst of the heat.

johnmerr, thank you very much, coming from you with so many trees means a lot. I have studied Meyers for years (ever since I first started the air layers) and have been through ALOT with mine. They are CONSTANTLY eaither blooming or in fruit, and I mean a TON of fruit. But since removed from the mother tree (2015 I believe), I have removed all fruit. Root growth and tree growth has been my primary objective thus far.

kvetch, I usually flush the pots once a month for peace of mind. I may do that today just because....

With your temps of 100+ degrees, I bet it'll be demanding water again not too soon after you flush the pots!

Do you prune your Meyer often? Also, when do you remove the blooms and fruit? Your tree looks so healthy and full, I can't help asking! Mine is currently blooming but the last time I plucked the buds off when they were very small (less than 1/4"), I found sticky sap where it was removed. I want to prioritize root and tree growth but I don't want to attract aphids or honeydew producing pests because of my plucking.

Sorry for the questions. This thread was started to help you find answers and solutions but here I am asking you for advice lol

Kvetch,

the first 1.5 years I did prune a bit. Although I only pruned lower trunk branching I did not like. I also rubbed off new growth I did not like, too lengthy, hanging down towards ground, or too low on trunk. I soon learned I am removing 20% of the seasons growth and not making much progress in the canopy. So I have decided to let it grow the way it wants and when it finally reaches the canopy size, and tree size I like for the pot it's in, then I will prune any branches I see fit, although I am still rubbing off any growth too low on the trunk.

I do not remove flowers, only fruit. I wait until the fruit is the size of a small / medium marble. However, being that EVERYTHING IS GREEN, I do come out to water and randomly find fruit I have missed in the past the size of quarter dollars and some larger. I just continue to snip them off and go about my day.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1832803/meyer-lemon-air-layer-help

This thread is the the very beginning of my Meyers life and my education of Meyers. It's a good read with TONS of information for the new Meyer lemon grower. The Meyers you see in the thread are the same Meyers you see above, only right after being removed from mother tree with very little roots for size of tree.

Coincidentally, I've already read through that thread a couple weeks back while researching the 511 mix :) I did learn about many useful tips and information reading that thread!

I usually try to research the answers on my own first to my questions, small things like knowing when to remove the lemons or to remove the flowers at all..but they usually aren't the main topic of citrus growing sources. So thank you so very much for giving me a rough idea of how to go about this period of tree growth!

Love the airpots btw. I want to pot mine up using air pruning but I can't afford the very nice looking legitimate ones. I'm slowly collecting what I need to make a diy version. Hopefully a properly functioning one

I cannot prove it, nor will I try, but I truly believe the air pots have helped me succeed this far with my Meyers. I have visually inspected the most upper roots, and have been pleased and impressed with the amount of fine root growth. I have not taken them out of the pots yet since planting so have no information on root circling, but will be pulling them out just before spring and changing out the 511 mix with new. I will be leaving them in these pots for another season, possibly two, because I want a very dense healthy root system before potting up to the next size air pot. They are in the 15 gallon pots now which are the largest pots they currently make with a bottom. Larger then 15 gal air pots are bottomless, which making a bottom from plastic or using as they were designed would not be a problem at all. The mother tree is huge and OLD, it is also on its own roots, not grafted. So my plan is to eventually put the two larger trees in the ground and keep the smallest in air pots as a deck tree. Eventually being put into the ground is why I originally chose the air pot, hoping it would help develop and solid root system before eventually planting.

Thanks, Stick... it is how we all learn. I have no personal experience with air pots (not sure if they are to be found in Guatemala); but those who do always rave about them.

Stick: how old is that Meyer...? [you stated that it is really "OLD"] Could it possibly be a non-"Improved Meyer"? If so, it probably should be destroyed. ! ???

I found this article below... and a discussion on this forum:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/called-new-improved-meyer-lemon-tree-59193.html

The improved Meyer lemon tree is a virus-free version of the Meyer lemon tree imported to the United States from China. The original Meyer tree was banned from commercial production decades ago. It took many years to bring the new, improved cultivar to market, but it's steadily garnered attention from horticultural and culinary enthusiasts.

A California grower discovered the virus-free strain of the Meyer lemon tree in the 1950s, and by 1975 it was certified by the University of California and released as "Improved" Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri "Improved"). All commercially grown Meyer lemon trees available now originated with that clone. The improved Meyer lemon gained popularity as gourmet chefs discovered its unique attributes of sweetness and fragrance, and incorporated the fruit into their recipes. Its hardiness and ornamental characteristics make the Meyer lemon attractive for growers and gardeners

and this: [yikes!] from 2008:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1804499/meyer-lemon-vs-improved-meyer-lemon

citrange2

Meyers Lemon was introduced to USA from Asia and later found to be a symptomless carrier of the citrus virus Tristeza. This does not affect Meyers Lemon in any way, but can allow the disease to be passed on by aphids to commercial citrus varieties which are affected. The virus can be eliminated by various laboratory procedures such as heat treatment and shoot-tip grafting. Clean Meyers Lemon was propagated on a large scale in, I think, the 1960's and all old line Meyers should have been replaced with the new 'Improved Meyers Lemon'. Certainly, no old Meyers should now be sold in the USA.
There is no difference between 'old' and 'improved' Meyers (apart from the lack of Tristeza). They are the same variety.

Yes, one of my air layers were tested 2-3 years ago. Results are clean. Was told the tree may not be quite as old as we think, but don't know. The original homestead as written documents of a citrus planted a long time ago in the exact location, but doesn't state variety. Could have possibly been removed or died and replaced with another. We don't know as no more written documents have been found.

Great news!

Yes, it was sweet and sour news. I was happy they are clean, but now the thoughy the trees are not as old as we originally thought can be dissapointing. The central California tristeza eradication agency, told my wife that although the original citrus may have been replaced, it may not have as well. We don't know. It can infact be as old as we think. The multi trunks coming out of the ground are huge, as big as a basketball round. Regardless, what we do KNOW for a fact, is the tree is on a old homestead, now family ranch, the tree is huge, with huge multiple trunks coming out of the ground, and we do know the tree is very old. Just don't know if it's the original tree the homesteaders wrote about.

Wow, that is really cool! I do not know enough about Tristeza other than its yet another organism that wants to mess with Citrus. Could it be possible the air layer was from / of a branch that did not have the virus? I will stop there - I just do not know. However, I would - out of my own curiosity - have the old tree tested as well.

I do not know how large Meyer trunks get over time. I can tell you that I had a Navel orange and after 26 years, the trunk was only 6" or 7" diameter. ....So my gut is telling me you have the original tree!

There were a few... very few Meyers that were not destroyed in the 50's when they discovered that virtually all Meyers were silent carriers of the Tristeza virus... a tree killer. Any Meyer prior to 1975, when the "Improved Meyer" (read virus free cultivar) was released is a likely carrier of the virus. The tree itself is not a danger now; but should NOT be propagated. The CDFA literally went house to house to eradicate the existing Meyers; but there were a few they missed. Be prepared that, if they find you have one of the originals, they may well cut and burn it; and likely quarantine your area for some time.

Propagating it is why we had it tested, with the encouragement and help from other members here on this forum. Test were clean, and the Central California tristeza eradication agency told us to enjoy them. So we haven't looked back.

John, should I still be concerned my tree's may have the virus even though they were tested with negative results? I was confident we took the proper steps and the tree's are safe

String,

Your are good. The reason we have the Improved Meyer Lemon is because someone discovered a cultivar that was NOT infected.

On a positive note, I got home from work and decided to flush the pots. I was rewarded with happy tree's and plenty of new growth