Sad Lucy the Lemon

7 years ago

Hi all! New to the forum. I'm living in Zone 5b with a meyer lemon and an orange that I move indoors and out with me. This year, the meyer lemon bore a nice crop of a dozen lemons, but it just looks sad and it keeps dropping leaves. (Meanwhile, its neighbor the orange is showing off looking perfect and sporting a bunch of baby oranges.)

Nothing has changed in my watering routine (letting it dry out between watering so as not to waterlogged the roots), feeding it with Miracid at each watering (which seems to be about biweekly-ish). No pests that I can spot, but I did do a round of insecticidal soap after a nice tepid warm shower to be sure I knocked anything off about a month ago. Still, leaves keep falling. I did one round of a foliar micronutrient spray at the end of October as I brought it in for the winter.

Lucy, as I fondly call the lemon, shares a 4200 lumen, 4000K LED shop light with the orange tree (Ethel), which is on for about 12 hours a day in addition to their south-facing window. Photos follow - they are a couple of weeks aged (fruit is off now).

Any thoughts from the wise experts on this forum? Is it normal to just see a big drop after coming inside, especially toward the end of fruit production? Should I be more worried that it's been inside this long and not adjusting? This is so unlike last year that I'm worried - although last year I didn't have any fruit to contend with. Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

bklyn citrus (zone 7B)

7 years ago

Your fruit is ripe pull it, I have meyers, the one tree that doesn't put out new growth along with blooms, take stress of tree, I feel your pain, hope you have enough leaves until spring - I see your in bloomlock, I'm in that currently, your pots below the sill doesn't get heated up, you need a heat mat or even better 1 or 2 spot lights low heating feeder roots on top of soil. Outdoors they seem to put on new growth and flower......thinking its a heat issue

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Comments (9)

poncirusguy6b452xx
7 years ago
5 years ago I had a seed grown Meiwa kumquat tree I named P.I.T.A.. They lose leaves like Meyers. I never found out what to do. I am listening.

Steve
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Vladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
7 years ago
It is WLD -Winter Leaf Drop. http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=13332.0
User
Original Author
7 years ago
I've pulled the fruit off at this point to reduce the stress (these pictures are a little dated.) Yes, I am getting some stress blooming. I didn't think of warming the soil - and no one has suggested that. Thanks for that idea!
dbarron
7 years ago
Please post back if that helps your issue. I'd like to know for future reference.
johnmerr
7 years ago
Well, you have probably made some of the classic Meyer lemon errors. First, when you dramatically change the light conditions a Meyer will drop most, if not all its leaves, to replace them later with leaves better suited to the new light conditions. To move a Meyer from outside to inside without the leaf loss, you need to move it from full sun to partial sun for 2 weeks; then to full shade for 2 weeks; then indoors; reverse the process when putting it out in the Spring... and please DO put it out, if you can; you will be rewarded with a happy, healthy plant.
Second, when you bring it indoors to a sunny window, the plant gets warm; but the roots generally stay cool; and citrus roots don't like to grow into cool soil... the solution is to put some sort of heater to warm the soil, or to put the plant a little further from the window. The thing to remember is first the roots grow; and then the leaves and branches.
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
Welcome to the forum. I am happy to see that I am not the only crazy person who names her trees..lol . You've been given good advice. I hope they improve for you!
User thanked Laura LaRosa (7b)
User
Original Author
7 years ago
Actually, I did make the gradual adjustment from outdoors to in. Although I am newer to the meyer lemon, I am no newbie to horticulture! In addition to Lucy, I also have an orange tree, an olive, a potted french lavender, and an avocado tree - all of which I move from indoors to out annually. Lucy is the only one who is suffering this year.

I've never had issues with soil warming, but I've also never had the stress of fruit production at this point in the year as well. Happy to report back that with the fruit removed and the heat lamp on, dare I say Lucy looks to be bouncing back? Couple more weeks should give us the real answer! I'm thinking of adding a heat lamp to Olivia the avocado as well. Ethel the orange is happy as can be - don't know what her deal is, but she has always been easy (except for a nasty bout with scale when I first picked her up from the nursery - ugh. That was a royal pain!)
bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
7 years ago
Just my personal observation on my 2 meyers, they love and adore the heat and light more than oranges and most certainly mandarins. A little extra love is required with them.....