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Troublesome lemon tree

thomasHNqK97S3thomasHNqK97S3 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi all,

I wanted to seek some advice from all of you in here. 

I bought an engineered lemon tree in May last year. I had a lot of lemons when I bought it which all grew large and delicious during the year and lots of new flower and lemons appeared. 

For winter I built an insulated greenhouse with a heater and dehumidifier securing a minimum temperature of 12 degrees celcius. It seemed the plants were doing fine as they kept growing new flowers. 

However, since I moved threes outside in beg. June this year, the lemon tree has become extremely lackluster. All the tiny new lemons turned brown and fell off and the slightly bigger green ones have stopped growing and have now turned yellow but soft. It seems leaves are falling off/withering and o only had one new flower since I took it out, which didn't produce a lemon. 

I was worried if I had overwatered it as I had out it in a tray and the last few weeks before taking it out there was a bit of water standing in the tray. However about a month ago I dug out the tree 4p check for root rot, but the roots looked ok to my eyes (not dark and soft). 

Does anyone know what might be the reason / what I can do to revive it? Or do you think it's a lost battle? I suspect it is probably best to remove all of the lemons?

Attaching a picture from a few months back.  More leaves have fallen off since then.

Posts

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    edited August 2023
    It could be several things. Having been cosseted in the winter and spring moving them out may have given them a bit of a shock. They look up high, is it exposed to wind? It would be better if that wall was higher. I have mine on a south facing patio under the kitchen window   they get reflected heat from the wall behind.  Some say that a crop of Lemons will inhibit flowers and new fruit set so maybe pick what you have. I  think @Obelixx grows Lemons too she may have some suggestions. 
    P.S. I  would clear away whatever else that is growing in the pot. Feed and topdress with soil based compost.
    AB Still learning

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited August 2023
    I have a lemon, a limquat (lemon kumquat) and a yuzu which are all in tall, plastic pots to make them lighter to move about.   The lemon is a Meyer so hardier than the other two but they all spend the winter in an unheated polytunnel but once night time temps are realiably at 10C or more I move them out to the front of the house.  They sit against a south facing wall in full sun so get reflected heat at night and are protected from any strong northerly winds and the worst of any cold easterlies.

    I don't let them sit in trays as they like good drainage but I do water them generously in the growing season and less frequently once in the polytunnel.   Following advice from @philippasmith2 a few years ago I give them a nitrogen high feed thru summer and then a special citrus feed high in P and K with trace elements to promote flowers and fruit formation from autumn to late spring.   

    I top dress the compost every spring and give a dose of Epsom salts too and keep the pots weeded so there's no competition.  Mine are bushy so the compost hardly shows but, as yours is trained as an espalier, you could use some decorative slate or pebbles or clay pellets to disguise the compost.  They like a neutral to sligtly acid soil so don't use shells or limestone chippings.
     
    It does help to remove fruits as soon as large enough to pick as leaving them on will inhibit other fruit from ripening and flowers from forming.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    First question I would ask is,are you in the UK, if so, where? We have 4 lemons ( also calamondins mandarin grapefruit) they come out of the greenhouse march in the day,by may night and day (, unless it's really cold,) terracotta pots,north facing garden,but gets sun from sunrise to sunset,but sheltered from midday sun. In half soil based half citrus compost, they are under the eucalyptus tree ,hubby removes small lemons to allow a few to ripen. Usually find,it's dry air that causes browning and drop.
  • thomasHNqK97S3thomasHNqK97S3 Posts: 3
    Thanks all. Very helpful. It may be the wind, which could be tough at night as that is indeed quite an exposed location. 

    I do add a special lemon tree feed in the summer half year at every other watering or so. I have removed all the lemons on the tree to allow it to recover better. 

    Let's see if it survives...
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