A few questions: how often do you water? What kind of soil mix is it in? How close to a heater is it? Have you given fertilizer/what kind/how much? What all have you done to the tree (insect treatments)? There are a lot of things that can cause leaf drop and more information can help with figuring that out.

i water when the moisture meter is at 4ish (what it said for citrus) (usually once every 2 weeks and i wait a few days after i use the meter bc it sometimes feels damp still)

it’s mixed with half regular potting soil & half cactus with added perlite. he is not near a vent but he is near a humidifier.

when i put him in new soil last summer i mixed in slow release fertilizer, and last week i added an iron supplement (iron, copper, and zinc) (recommended from the local garden center) to his water trying to make sure he wasn’t deficient.

i believe he still has spider mites attached to him, which i’ve tried to get rid of by spraying him completely down with neem oil once per week.

usually the leaves tend to have brown spots at the tips, which i thought was a watering issue/nutrients, but some that look perfectly healthy fall too

thank you so much for helping!!

Do you have it under any kind of lights? How long have you been using the neem oil? How cold is your water when you water your tree? How alkaline is your water? How do you water your tree?

i have city water but i try to let it sit for 24 hours before i use it so all the nastys are out & it's room temp. it isnt under any kind of lights but even during the winter (granted there are cloudy days) it usually gets 8+ hours of sun. for the neem oil, ive used it weekly for the past 3 weeks and before that it would be about once per month. i clean off any webs i see daily. right now he is budding with about 20 buds so i wasnt sure if he was focusing the energy on that instead of leaves. last summer he was on a screened in porch that got eastern sunlight so i thought it might be better for him to stay inside all year round if hes getting southern light

he also is in a pot that might be a little to big for him considering the millipedes or just being smaller he had a small root system, but all the pots i’ve bought to transplant him, once i bring them home, i don’t see a significant difference in the size. it’s a glazed ceramic pot so he isn’t drying out too much but it could be the opposite in that the bottom is holding water regardless of my watering schedule. i’ve done so much research! i just want him to be happier!!!!

Out of curiosity, when you check the moisture level do you check in one spot or in multiples? For example: do you just pick one area near the tree or do you pick 4 or 5 areas to check in a circle around the tree, some areas close -some to the edge of the pot. Sometimes if your pot is oversized you can find areas closer to the tree that are dry while others are very wet. Also how far down you're inserting the meter can change your reading. It is also important to note that the meters aren't always super accurate, you kind of have to figure out what your meter reads as wet and dry and go off of that. You can check pretty easily by using a wooden dowel or a chopstick for a few weeks with your meter to figure out where it's really reading wet/dry.

i will definitely try that!! i do multiple readings. i do a few readings around the tree and where i feel the roots are mostly at, and then some deeper. obviously, the deeper, the more moist, and that’s why i try to wait a few days after i feel like he needs water in hopes the bottom gets slightly drier than when i put the stick in. i know it’s not a very accurate reading, but it’s definitely better than my mother hen instinct to give him a drink when he doesn’t need one yet! should i wait out the bud season and during summer assess if he needs to go into a smaller pot to possibly help with the moisture problem? my only thoughts besides the watering is to make sure he has the proper nutrients... and i feel like i’ve been slowly addressing that, but leaves just keep falling

I would caution against fertilizing an already stressed tree, better to give it a chance to recover before you keep doing more. Something to remember about citrus is that they tend to grow in flushes, and they can grow very slowly. So when you make a change it can take some time (several weeks) to see the results of that change. I might also go a little easier on the neem oil as it can be harsh as well on a stressed tree. Mites are more easily killed by water either by moving the tree into a bathtub and spraying them off with a jet of water, or by misting for awhile with just water. With how stressed your tree already seems I wouldn't try soaking it as that can do more harm, but drowning is a pretty good way to get rid of spidermites. I might wait a little to see if the tree will bud out with new leaves, then start making changes. As well I notice that you say you let your water stand, that's a good way to bring your water to room temp, but if it's alkaline it won't really do anything for the alkalinity. I might suggest taking some water in a clear glass, add some vinegar and see if it fizzes. If it does, it's alkaline. If it doesn't, take a glass, fill it with water, and add some baking soda. Once again, if it fizzes then it's acidic. If neither fizz, you can make a pretty good bet it is closer to neutral. If you find your water is alkaline, try adding about a tablespoon per gallon of water of vinegar before you water as some citrus are really sensitive to alkalkine water. How much drainage does the pot you used have? And a final question, how warm is the room where it lives?

If the moisture meter you have is in doubt there's always the finger trick.

Moisture meters have killed many plants. Fingers are much more reliable and safer..

For me the best way for me to judge how dry the tree is is to pick it up. Takes a while to figure out how heavy it feels when it's time to water but once you figure that out it is foolproof.

Ken B is 100% correct. I also use the containers weight as a watering guide.