Lemon Tree Troubles

I’m still failing with my lemon tree. It looks like it’s being eaten but I spray it regularly. I planted it out in the garden a few months ago. It was in a pot but the soil was going mouldy and ants decided to call it their home. So I planted it in the same position that the pot was. It grows new leaves but then the leaves curl up and some have gone silvery. Has it got some sort of fungus?? What’s going on? I’ve struggled with this tree for 3 years now. Will it ever get better?? 

Citrus Help

Oh citrus, how I struggle with thee.

My lime tree was coming along nicely. I took this photo less than a month ago:

And since then it’s been looking better and better…

Until last week.

Out of nowhere, it’s leaves curled up and shrunk.

The only insects on it is the odd ant because I’ve been inspecting it for dreaded aphids everyday and I’ve got my little army of lady bugs to help the aphid fight. We had about three days of fairly constant showers (not rain, just showers) last week, could it have gotten too wet? But it’s in a pot with good potting mix so it should have good drainage. The only other thing I can think of is that I’ve fed it some iron, magnesium and powerfeed (with mostly has phosphorus and nitrogen) over the past month. Just one dose of each because I’m paranoid that my citrus are hungry and some of the leaves had a little yellow coming through. Could I have overfed it??

Next citrus question:

My brand new, much loved and cared for Meyer Lemon has been on a very slow decline since I bought it about a month ago. It’s in a pot with good potting mix. I’ve also fed it iron, magnesium and powerfeed (one dose of each) plus sprinkled slow release fertiliser on it. I’ve moved it out of a full sun position to a spot that gets morning to early afternoon sun only, and full shade after that. I make sure it doesn’t get too dry, but it too was out in the constant showers last week so it may have gotten a bit wet, but once again, it’s in a pot. It doesn’t look especially bad, it just looks a little sad with a couple of the older leaves which have gone completely yellow and the other leaves have tiny yellow spots all throughout. Any advice/suggestions?? I really want my citrus to be happy!

The Start Of A New Lemony Era

So my lemon tree officially died a few months ago. My love and worry and care was not enough. I failed with the first plant we planted in our first garden. I’m blaming it on the rocky start it had to life: being put directly into clay soil with poor drainage. But I’m still pretty shattered. 😦

I tried to salvage it with food (so much food!), love, insecticide and water. I could have bought about 3 new lemon trees with the amount of “love” I spent on it! In the end I dug it up and put it in a pot where I could control it’s environment a bit better and give it some nice soil with good drainage. The pathetic amount of roots it had when I dug it up to put it in the pot was an indicator that it needed a miracle to bounce back. And the barely there amount of roots it has now are a tell tale sign it didn’t stand a fighting chance.

I’ve been keeping my eye out for another Meyer lemon for that past couple of months and I finally found one today. My neighbours are successfully growing a Eureka lemon straight into the clay ground, but I wanted to get a Meyer again because they’re the best. I figured if I start it off in a pot with good potting mix, where I can control the drainage a bit better, and keep it well watered, well fed and pest free, it should have a good start to life. Down the track I can think about putting it in the ground.

I’m already feeling a motherly bond to my new lemon tree. I was talking to it all the way home in the car. I’ve explained to it (well, her) that I have every type of food she could possibly want and that if she’s hungry or thirsty to tell me straight away. I’ve introduced her to the brussels sprouts and tomatoes that are growing next to her and shown her her citrus friend, the lime tree on the other side of the vegie boxes. Call me crazy but I really want this one to be happy! Wish me luck!

First And Last Lemons?

I finally decided to pick the two tiny lemons that my lemon tree managed to produce before they fall off and die like all the leaves have. (Yes, my lemon tree is still hanging in there but looking worse and worse as the weeks go by. I keep telling myself we’ve had a cold winter with some frosty days and it’ll come good when it warms up again. I’ll certainly let you know if I’m right! If you don’t hear anything from me by mid summer, don’t mention the lemon tree!)

Although small, the lemons actually look and smell great! Very juicy. If only there were more… 😦

Thought I’d do the first taste test with a good ol’ lemon in water drink. I did consider a GnT but I’m not a massive fan of gin or tonic so water it is! And it’s not bad at all if I might say so. Let’s hope I get some more home grown lemons to tart up my water one of these days!

Lemon Tree Update #3127 (or so it feels)

Well, I’ve fed it everything under the sun, I’ve taken every slight inkling of a pest off, I’ve given it sunshine, water, love, urine, until I finally gave up, bare rooted it and put it in a well drained pot with expensive potting mix especially for citrus. 3 and a bit weeks on it repays me by turning the 3 measelly lemons yellow. No new growth. No sign of ever being a happy lemon tree. I’ve done my best Mr Meyer, but I think it’s time to replace you. I say that with a heavy heart 😦

On the plus side, one of my orchids has decided to flower! A little early there Mr Orchid?

Final Attempt, Mr Meyer

This has been a long saga and has been the subject of several blog posts including:

Lemon Tree Diagnosis?

Lemon Tree Update

Lemon Tree Update (Again)

My parents gave us this Meyer Lemon Tree soon after we moved into our house. It was the first plant we planted in our “blank canvas” of a backyard. We had an established Meyer lemon at the house we rented before moving to this one and the fruit was stunning. So much flavour! But this lemon tree has never been happy. It’s been a year and a half of feeding, pest controlling and generally giving it lots of love and attention and it still looks like this. We have clay, poorly drained soil, which is likely it’s main problem. So, thanks to the suggestion of Kate I’ve potted it. This way it’ll have well drained, well fertilised soil, it can stay in it’s full sun position, and will hopefully have nothing to complain about! If this doesn’t work I’m giving up for sure!

After a year and a half in the ground it’s roots are pretty dismal. This doesn’t give me confidence.

I gave the roots a good rinse off in case of any nasties amongst them.

The pot is 55L and matches the lime tree pot on the other side of the vegie boxes. If Mr Meyer thrives I can get a bigger pot, or even attempt to plant it again. But we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it! The only thing it can complain about now it being a bit more exposed to the wind. We’ll hopefully be replacing our fence soon and the temporary fence behind it will go so that should keep it pretty sheltered. In the mean time I’ll just focus on keeping it watered just the right amount and keeping the pests away. I bought good quality potting mix so it shouldn’t need any food for a month or so. Hopefully my next lemon tree post with have photos of luscious green, happy, healthy leaves!

Lemon Tree Diagnosis?

This is a meyer lemon, planted almost a year ago. It has never been happy. It’s planted in full sun but the soil is clay and gets quite boggy. We’ve had some cold/frosty mornings in Melbourne but it’s spring now and it still looks sad. It’s leaves have been curled and shrunken and yellow for months. I’ve fed it nitrogen, magnesium and a couple of broad spectrum fertilisers as well as good ol’ fashioned cow manure and I’m running out of ideas for how to make this little one happy. I gave my neighbours a Eureka lemon tree (a gift for our housewarming but two lemon trees would be excessive!) and theirs is growing really well. Would love some feedback on this one. Thanks!

Home-grown Lemons! (almost)

The first plant we planted in our garden was a lemon tree and we were very excited to see the first signs of lemons a few months later! Of course, they just shrivelled up and dropped off within a few weeks 😦