Lemon tree drooping

alexcpack

Hi, we have a lemon tree that is watered roughly once a week, it’s been very healthy for around 3 months until the last couple of weeks where the leaves are starting to droop, photos attached. Is it suffering from overwatering? The soil is bone dry so I’m a bit unsure whether this is the cause. Any advice hugely appreciated!! 

Thabks

pansyface

I would say too much water. They live in the Mediterranean where they get a lot of hot dry weather. Try watering when the compost at the surface is dry to the touch.

Lyn

OP has said the compost is bone dry, could that be the problem, I keep mine just damp, as pansy says, water when the top is dry. I would cut that long straggly bit off anyway.

pansyface

Oh yes, sorry. It looked wet.🙄

Which direction does the window face? North, south, east, west?

Is the window draughty or does cold air fall off it at night?

purplerallim

If it's a lemon it should be at rest now. Only limes have leaves all year round. To me it looks slightly yellow which means it needs feeding. If the temperature is kept up, by keeping it inside, it never has a 'winter' so will keep growing. Because of its growing now I think it could probably do with a bigger pot,  gently tap the pot off and see if its pot bound if it is go up a size or two, so it has about an inch or so of new soil around it and feed it winter citrus feed from any GC . Only change to summer feed when flowers appear. Hope this helps.🙂

alexcpack

Hi, thanks for all your responses. In answer to your questions Purpler, I’ve recently sized up the pots and used a citrus potting mix to replant, after this I was a away for a month with someone watering for me once a week. However when I returned the soil was very dry and the roots hadn’t grown into the new mix at all and were still in the being held I’m. E shape of the old pot, it was very easy to pull from the plant from the pot as there was no root establishment in the new soil. I’ve pulled them out, remixed the soil and repotted and watered. I’ve also taken out of the direct light as the window ledges were south facing and got lots of sunshine. Am I right in saying the plants should be in the shade a bit to establish more roots?? I read that somewhere!! Thanks again.

purplerallim

Citrus like light so no dark corners for it. It's more the fact of inside dry air that will upset it. Did you water with the feed as I suggested,  it will need feeding every week to encourage new root growth and mist it between to keep it happy. In May-ish it will love going outside as long as at night its brought in so doesn't get chilled if it turns cold. My lime in the conservatory has company at the mo as getting plants ready for the greenhouse, but its putting on a growth spurt and has lots of limelets. 🙂

Nollie

You won’t see much root growth in winter so I wouldn’t have worried about that. Lemons like sun, it could be the opposite and nighttime temps got too low so close to the window. I have a potted lemon that was really healthy and producing fruit, but the leaves started drooping and eventually most of the leaves dropped off and the stems died right back. It was in a polytunnel for winter and fleeced on cold nights but still not warm enough. My climate is not ‘Mediterranean’ though, despite living in Spain!

Obelixx

For roots to grow you need moisture and warmth.  Dry compost is not inviting.  Soggy compost is not good either.   You also need some humidity around the leaves, as PR says, so leave the roots i peace now, put it in the light, fix the watering and mist the foliage.