Help... Myer Lemon w/ Yellowing Leaves??

[cruisin_psu]

Hi! I have a relatively new-to-me "Improved Myer Lemon" tree. It had beautiful blossoms on it when I got it and it seems that is health has been stagnant/decreasing over the past few weeks. It did produce several blossoms additional, but less. On the plus side it does seem to have some forming lemons (I think?). We have repotted it into a larger pot (but definitely could have gone bigger) some potting mix. In the first several weeks all we did was water and cultivate into the soil some coffee grounds (we have water ~9pH). Otherwise we have watered it ~weekly and cultivated in some citrus-specific fertilizer (per the box's young-tree recommended quantity - taking the small side of the range) last weekend with watering.

The reason for my thread - I fear this tree is not getting exactly what it needs. The leaves are yellowing and some are falling off Today I noticed much larger sections of the tree are showing yellowing and I'm hoping to stave off whatever is going on! I was searching and some photos indicated lack of manganese.. would you agree? What would you do given how this plant looks?

Thanks!

[AnnaIkona]

To be honest, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Since you have just transplanted it, the leaves slightly turning yellow could just be a sign of transplant shock. Transplant shock is when when a plant is getting used to its new environment and soil. This is normal.

And then there are two other possible causes for yellow leaves: mineral deficiency and over watering. Sometimes when you over water, the roots stay in the water for too long, which is bad for them, and at the same time, wash out all the nutrients.

How often are you watering the tree? The soil must not be moist 24/7. Let the soil dry out and then after a day or two water it.

Keep fertilizing the tree with the cirrus fertilizer.

It is also possible that it is not getting enough manganese (may be due to over watering as I mentioned above). So I would add some epson salts to the soil to maintain the manganese level.

Good luck!

[cruisin_psu]

How often are you watering the tree? The soil must not be moist 24/7. Let the soil dry out and then after a day or two water it.

Ever bit of advice we've gotten is to not over-water.. so I think I might be actually under-watering! I water ~1x/week. It definitely dries out, but it has been getting hot here (almost 100F today) so I suspect I may need to water slightly more (?).

The transplant took place ~3-weeks ago. How long is typical for transplant shock to last for a citrus tree? I feel like it should start developing new foliage growth soon if it were happy?

The citrus fertilizer instructions say to apply the pellets to the soil monthly. We applied them last weekend before watering. I was thinking at next watering to add a much more mild fertilizer I have to the water mixture - it is a 1-2-1 fish/seaweed fertilizer. My thought there was that this may supply additional minerals which the citrus fertilizer may not contain or not dissolved yet in its pellet form. Thoughts on this?

I'm interested what others think of the leaf yellowing.

[AnnaIkona]

Watering 1 times a week sounds good.

Transplant shock may last anywhere from a week to a couple months. To see if it is healthy check to see for new foliage...if there is new foliage, it's good.

Have the pellets from the citrus fertilizer dissolved/disappeared yet? If yes, wait a week or two and then add the mild fertelizer you have.

Those are just my suggestions and opinions, I would too like to hear what other gardeners have to say about this.

[imafan26]

Lose th saucer or turn it upside down. If your temps are 100 degrees, I would think it could use more watering in a pot but it does depend on the kind of media you are using.

My media drains very well so I have to water my citrus trees every day. If I miss 4 days the leaves start to curl. One of my trees has been in the pot for about 18 years.

What kind of soil are you using.?

Does it have compost? If it does, give the tree miracle grow for acid loving plants every two weeks and see if there is an improvement. If you want to foliar feed, do it early in the morning when the stomata are still open and douse the bottom of the leaves not just the top.

Citrus trees like acidic soil. If you have compost in the pot it may be more alkaline. Alkaline soil makes micronutrients less available.

The top leaves are more yellow than the bottom ones. That can be a nutrient or waterring issue. Citrus are very sensitive to micronutrient deficiencies.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch142

[cruisin_psu]

Have the pellets from the citrus fertilizer dissolved/disappeared yet? If yes, wait a week or two and then add the mild fertelizer you have.

I'd have to dig around to know if they've disappeared since I cultivated them into the soil. I'm curious to check now... maybe tomorrow.

Lose the saucer or turn it upside down. If your temps are 100 degrees, I would think it could use more watering in a pot but it does depend on the kind of media you are using.

My media drains very well so I have to water my citrus trees every day. If I miss 4 days the leaves start to curl. One of my trees has been in the pot for about 18 years.

What kind of soil are you using.?

Does it have compost? If it does, give the tree miracle grow for acid loving plants every two weeks and see if there is an improvement. If you want to foliar feed, do it early in the morning when the stomata are still open and douse the bottom of the leaves not just the top.

Citrus trees like acidic soil. If you have compost in the pot it may be more alkaline. Alkaline soil makes micronutrients less available.

The top leaves are more yellow than the bottom ones. That can be a nutrient or waterring issue. Citrus are very sensitive to micronutrient deficiencies.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch142

The saucer is attached to this pot It does seem to drain well. I am using purchased potting mix. I have not added any compost to the pot. I did add the nutrient shown in the image in addition to some coffee grounds in hope that this will satisfy its want for more acidity. I do know from municipal reports that the water here is 9~9.5 pH.

Interesting about these micronutrients... hard to say from my leaves what exactly it could be Any guesses? Possibly iron deficiency?

My blueberry is actually struggling too (maybe need to make another thread for that..) - I gave it some acidic fertilizer, but it is showing very little growth and fruit is not ripening.