Lemon Tree
Zorro2
Posts: 6
I bought a potted up lemon tree in April 2014. It is now in a very large pot. It has produced some blossom and tiny fruits in both years but they soon fall off. It's in the unheated greenhouse over winter and brought out in the spring. I have followed instructions such as feeding it with Citrus feed. Some leaves turn yellow and fall off. Help!!
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How big is the tree relative to the pot? Lemons (well, their root structure) can get lost in pots that are too big for them and will suffer for it. I don't mean they should be pot-bound, just that the root structure is restricted to an extent. As the tree grows, and the root structure develops, they can be potted up, but always with an eye to restricting the roots.
It's common for leaves to yellow and fall off. Sometimes it just happens, or it could be overwatering.
The tree is 4' from top of the pot and yes I potted it on as soon as I got it into a much larger one.
So the tree is 4' high? From the soil? Still on the young side. What are the dimensions of the pot?
120cm from soil. Tapered pot 42 x 42cm
42cm is about the maximum size a potted lemon would ever need. I've got a tree about 7 years old, taller than yours, in a 40cm pot and it's more than big enough. I think I've potted it up three times in its life as it grew.
Given that yours is still young, I'd wait till Spring and pot it down a couple of sizes. The roots will appreciate it. Its relative youth also probably explains the loss of fruit. They can take a few years to get going.
Thanks Bud, I will take your welcome advice.
Zorro2, we have half a dozen lemons, (Hubby was moaning yesterday) they are now in an unheated greenhouse, he likes them in the conservatory, but the scale insect make everything sticky. I know Monty says, keep them unheated, have a calamondin in fruit and flower in cons now. In the summer in this country, they need to be kept in the shade, he says the blossom drop is erratic watering, he mists the leaves. The ones in the greenhouse have fruit, quite bit, lost their leaves, now. Frost warning tonight, so going to bubble wrap them when it gets light. We rarely pot-on. Just add little top dress of citrus compost.
Thanks Nanny, I won't lose hope. We very rarely get frost in Penrhyn Bay.
Zorro2 is that Wales or Cornwall?
NW coast