Yellow spots on Meyer lemon leaves

7 years ago

I planted this Meyer lemon tree in early July. It has loads of flower buds and is putting on new growth, but several of the older leaves are developing yellow spots and dropping.

It is planted about 8 feet from the south wall of my house in zone 9b/Sunset 17. It gets full sun from about 10 am onward, though much of August was cool and foggy. I've been watering once a week and have fertilized monthly, first with Dr. Earth Citrus and most recently with fish emulsion.

I've had some degree of yellowing since early August, but it wasn't in round spots like this. I sprayed some chelated iron/zinc, which helped a bit, but not entirely (it didn't really look like chlorosis, but I figured it wouldn't hurt). Last week I applied the fish emulsion hoping it would green up, but it has gotten worse and the splotches are more pronounced.

I have another Meyer lemon, several years old, in a container nearby that is not having the same symptoms.

Any thoughts on what's causing this?

Featured Answer

uncle molewacker z9b Danville CA (E.SF Bay)

7 years ago

In cool weather, my organics fail. Planting in July,,, Give it time to settle and grow some roots. If it were my youngster, I'd feed it inorganic liquid food such as ammonium sulfate. But WAIT. If you are in a frost / freeze prone area, then it's too late in the season to goose growth.

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Comments (10)

johnmerr
7 years ago
Check the underside of the leaves for scale.
Elena
Original Author
7 years ago
I'm not seeing any sign of scale. A month or so ago it had a few aphids and accompanying ants, but they've been gone for a while.

Interestingly, I was at a garden center today and saw that several of their Meyer lemon trees had the same thing going on. It was not the place where I bought mine, but the grower was the same. I asked the guy working if he had any idea what it was, but he was no help.

Could it be fungal? I never water the leaves, but as I said, August was cool and foggy, and fungi of all kinds love the climate here.
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lgteacher
7 years ago
What is your location (county)? That would help with diagnosis, as different problems are more common in different parts of the state. In LA, Orange or Riverside counties, we would consider HLB.
Elena
Original Author
7 years ago
I'm at the other end. :)

I'm in Humboldt County, on the coast. The grower was Four Winds, which I believe is on the central coast.
myermike_1micha
7 years ago
Also, I would most definitely check the soil for nutrients and pH. Have you done that yet? It will help you to determine what your tree really needs)
Elena thanked myermike_1micha
Elena
Original Author
7 years ago
I've never had it tested. My soil is acidic and fertile enough to grow herbs and huckleberries with no significant inputs, and blueberries with just one or two applications of fertlizer a year. I guess a lemon tree in the ground is going to be a bit more demanding! Probably time to track down the county extension, or any one of the many soil labs we have here.
faerygardener z7 CA
7 years ago
http://californiacitrusthreat.org/pest-disease Check the blotchy yellowing pics (and the map) and watch your tree. I know UC is selling HLB free rootstock, not sure where Four Winds gets their stock or trees. Nutrient deficiencies usually show up along vein lines. This UC page has pics of everything - yours could just be sunburnhttp://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/C107/m107bpleaftwigdis.html.
Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Every wholesale grower in CA is growing HLB free stock. There is only one quarantine zone in CA now that the two zones have merged into one. All cases of HLB in CA have been confined to urban areas in SoCal. The ACP and HLB have not been found in NorCal yet. So very very unlikely to be HLB.
Elena thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
faerygardener z7 CA
7 years ago
We have had spottings in NorCal, though nothing like SoCal https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article160187304.html.

Hadn’t caught that she is in Humbolt, north enough to be away from it.