A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Citrus, Avocado and Tropical Fruit Meyer Lemon semi-dwarf tree help

Hello All.
Three years ago I decided to try something a bit more challenging and purchased several tropical plans including a semi-dwarf Meyer Lemon tree. The "tree" arrived as a 5" seedling with just a few leaves. For the past three years it grew at a steady pace (summers in the backyard facing south and winters in the house by the south facing window) and is now over three feet tall. Well this winter it exploded into flowers and mini lemon production. The problem is that some baby lemons drop off; those that stay put don't really grow - the plant is probably diverting all the energy into new shoots and flowers/fruits (my guess). I used Jobe's Organics Fruit and Citrus once this past August. I also check its soil moisture with a meter - keeping it at moist but not wet. Another thing that I noticed recently is that the leaves have a fine crystalline coating on them (almost like translucent very fine crystalline droplets). Am I doing things right? Is it time for another dose of fertilizer (it's 3-5-5 with Calcium and Magnesium). I need to figure out how to attach pictures so you could see what I see. Thank you All! Arthur.

I copied the pictures to my dropbox account. Hope the link works: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p5h8rhwdkwemxqj/bXBvINFCQI

Make sure that you are feeding regularly and that your tree gets plenty of sunlight. You might also consider re-potting it into a fresh potting mixture or into a larger container if it is growing in a pot. Place them under grow light as they require plenty of sunlight to produce.

Thank you Shirley for your quick response. I will feed the tree the recommended dose of the fertilizer that I used before (it's been about 4 months since the last feeding). The side of the house where the tree is located gets to about 72 degrees even when it is below freezing outside - but other than that I can't really setup any other light source. I am planning on re-potting the tree in the spring. Is there a particular (store bought) potting mix you'd recommend? Also, will the tree bloom through out the year, or at a specific time / season? This is my first lemon tree - trying to learn all I can. Thanks again, Arthur.

Welcome, ArgoD. I have no clue as to what the crystalline powder may be on your leaves. That is probably a question for your local county extension.
I can tell you some of the habits of a Meyer lemon. They do tend to bloom almost all year long. Mine typically have ripe fruit, green fruit and blooms most of the year, outdoors in the ground. Until a few weeks about August. The fruit supply dwindles a bit in high heat.
Until my root structure was five years old or longer, I had a lot of fruit drop because the age was not conducive to fruit production. I was lucky to get 2 ripe fruits a year. Now I have to thin the fruit on the tree in order to keep it from breaking.
So it sounds like your tree is pretty healthy and right on track.

Thank you Tina for your post - good to know about tree's maturity and fruit production. And thank you for the words of encouragement. Do you mix your own soil or would you recommend a specific brand? BTW, I visited So. Cal. a few years back in April with my daughter - the weather was heaven-like. My God-mother showed us her backyard garden - where her Meyer three was growing filled with blossoms and ripe fruit. It's a bit different in Central NJ.

Our weather can be wonderful and change in the blink of an aye.
I do not mix much of my own soil. If I do use commercial, I buy cheap and, given my climate, I add water gel to help it keep a little damper.

Argo,it has been a while since you made your post. hopefully you might revisit your post. First, you are under feeding your tree. Your tree's leaves have lost their luster, and now how a dull green. At the very minimum your tree will need fertilizing one a month, once every two weeks during the growing season is much better for growth. Fertilizer spikes are not a good fertilizer to use on a citrus tree. Use a water soluble fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. Try to find a fertilizer with a formula having a 5-1-3 ratio. Also your tree is infected with an insect called scale, and needs to be sprayed with a good horticultural oil. Don't worry about some of the little fruit being discarded by the tree. This is very common. Only about 1 to 2 percent of blooms will produce fruit, if every flower produced a fruit the tree would be crushed under it own weight. It is very common for many of the original small fruits to drop from the tree. A citrus tree only retains the amount of fruit it is able to bring to maturity. good luck with your tree.