Problem with my lemon tree

[PomeKing]

Hi I have a lemon tree that is about 10 years old, variety is Eureka with thorns from the nursery (before this existed another lemon). But it has a problem, a lot of branches cannot develop new shoots and leaves and the old leaves are not green and are discolored as you will see in the photos. The basin of the tree is quite large (see photo) and I have two peppers and mint in it. I water the tree solidly, and have fertilized it in early April. Also I have sprayed several times with specific pesticide that makes for a lot of things. The temperatures in the area where I am (Cyprus) is between 34-38 degrees and 20-23 at night (can reach up to 44 degrees in August).What can be the problem?
1)The variety is not suitable for my area?(summer is really hot from 35 to 43 degrees celsius)
2)Could it be a disease?

Thanks. Do not forget to see the pictures

[ElizabethB]

Hi PomeKing,

Warm welcome to the forum.

Your temperatures are suitable for citrus.

What are you spraying and why are you spraying? Most insects will not kill your tree nor will they prevent fruit production. Spraying is not necessary nor is it recommended.

What fertilizer did you use? How much?

I have a young citrus tree. I fertilize mid March then again in late May using granulated 8-8-8. Because my tree is young and still small I use 1/2 lb then water in.

I do not see much of a problem other than pale leaves - possible a nitrogen deficiency or a pH issue. Is this a new issue with your tree? Does it produce fruit?

Is that concrete surrounding the planting area? If so it may be an issue of high pH. If the pH is too high available nutrients are locked into the soil and can not be absorbed by the tree.

www.growerssupply.com has a reliable pH meter. Use a spade to dig a slice of soil the width and depth of the spade and an inch or 2 wide. Put it in a bucket. Add enough water to turn it into mud - a tight mud - not super wet. Use your meter to test it.

I would not under plant your lemon tree. The under plantings compete with the tree for nutrients.

The question comes back to whether or not this is new or an existing problem?

As long as you are getting fruit I would not be too concerned.

Good luck

[PomeKing]

hello thanks for your reply,
The fertilizer i used is 28-10-10 as i remember and i used one palm and the spray i used if for Phyllocnistis. This is a new issue i noticed the issue from Winter but i did not give much attention because i thought it was due to the cold. As for the ph i have a phMeter that i ordered from ebay(Hong kong) can i trust it and test the soil or it is inaccurate? Yes the tree has produced fruit more than last year. My main problem is that the tree does not seem so healthy as it should be and i don't know the reason. i do not know what i do wrong. Also we put manure almost every year to the trees. I have an other lemon tree that has also the same problem with the uncolored leaves and happened this year also. The surrounding area of the tree are bricks you know old ways my grandfather did them

[PomeKing]

you can see the lemons have the same problem, they are pale whitish and yellowish not green.

[imafan26]

You are giving the citrus a lot of nitrogen and that would boost the leaf growth but not the fruit. Citrus trees in general need regular feedings, like an acidic soil. If you are using chicken manure it may be raising the pH a little.

Citrus show signs of micro nutrient deficiency quite often. Iron deficiency is the easiest to tell because of chlorosis, but zinc and manganese deficiency also cause yellowing. Low phosphorus can cause yellowing on the lower leaves. You should have enough nitrogen if you apply your fertilizer regularly. It may not be the problem but if pH is on the higher side it would make sense. Check the pH and if it is above 7.5 , lowering it may help and a citrus food with micronutrients would not hurt. If it is a nutrient deficiency, the plant should show improvement in a few weeks. If not then it is something else.

Citrus will also yellow and drop leaves in response to drought. They like a well drained soil and deep watering.

[PomeKing]

I checked the PH and it is 7.5 how can i reduce it?

[imafan26]

Reduce pH with sulfur. You will need to calculate how much you need for the soil space you have. It is not a quick fix since it will take 6 months for the change to occur. That is because the soil organisms use the sulfur to change the pH and you can't hurry mother nature up. Switiching to a citrus food helps because it contains some sulfur and is an acidic fertilizer. You don't want to over do it. You only want to change the pH by 1 point.
You can do the MG for now. Use Miracle grow for acid loving plants. It contains micros and you can get some of it in as a foliar feed if you spray early in the morning under the leaves when the stomata are open.

pH 7.5 is not really bad, citrus just does better in an acidic environment.

Do not use chicken manure and instead of compost use peat moss. Compost can be alkaline....mine always is at pH 7.8 . Peat moss has a pH of about 5.