Lots a lemons

Kath starts with ...
Pot it up and remove all the fruit and flower, this will push it into a vegatative growth phase and get it growing nicely for you.

Anonymous says...
Lots of lemons is just a cutting grown meyer lemon. (well marketed!!!!)If it is over watered or in a wet position, it will not cope. Frost shouldn't be a problem. Personally, i would rip it out and plant a grafted meyer lemon, it will do a lot better.

Wayne says...
Alison, I'm afraid to say that I think the branch without the thorns is probably the only "lots of lemons' you have, the rest have gone back to the stock root which is probably a bush lemon.

Wayne says...
I hope I haven't deflated you Alison but if the plant is only a few months old and considering that we still have some growing time left before winter would you consider replacing it.
Plant the old one in the ground, if it grows it grows, if not you have lost just a few dollars
My Lots of Lemons is growing in the ground, the only downfall is that the fruit lays on the ground because there is so much of it. If ever I get another one I will get a couple of truck tyres and stack them on top of each other to let the fruit droop down

Andy says...
After reading Wayne's comments I thought I'd solved the problem of my under-performing Lots of Lemons. All branches have rather nasty thorns...so the conclusion: it's reverted back to its stock root. However, after going to Bunnings to replace it with a "real" Lots of Lemons, I found all of this variety there had thorns. Does this mean they all have reverted back to stock root. I'm confused.

Stevo says...
Hi Guys. I have a "Lots a Lemons" planted in a 60 litre pot. I have had it for about one year. It has produced only 2 flushes of blooms in that time. The last lot of flowers produced about 10 or so little lemons. However, the fruits only lasted a week or so (approx a quarter of an inch before turning yellow and falling off or the bigger ones staying on until finally turning black It is in a well-drained pot with good quality potting mix and regularly watered. It also has slow release citrus fertilizer added.
Please help

Ann says...
Some trees take several years to reach maturity to start producing viable fruit. I have a lime that took 5 years, always flowered but would drop within a week, Now it's covered with limes non stop that I'm giving them away. The lemon I have is now fruiting after around 7 years of no fruit. It depends on the stock root as to how many years. I think some root stock now takes about 3 years. You might get the odd one or two fruits in the meantime but don't despair, so long as the tree is looking healthy it will be producing viable fruit eventually.

Wayne says...
This is what my "lots of lemons" looks like this morning, not a thorn in sight. It is definitely a grafted tree, which, by memory I got from Mitre10, because it sent up some "water shoots" with thorns from below the graph. Had I not trimmed them they may well have taken over.

At the moment it has a few large fruit left, some intermediate sizes and is starting to flower again.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Jimmy says...
My lotsa lemons is not that small, think me bin had by the promotors.

Jantina says...
Just to confuse the issue even more, my "lots of lemons" ,in a pot 3 years has stayed small (about 50cm) gives good crops (at the moment 10 large and about 15 small) and has no thorns. Sounds like there has been some label swapping going on.

Andy says...
Is there anyone out there who can finally offer a definitive answer...do "Lots of Lemons" carry thorns or not (i.e. can you safely identify a real "Lots of Lemons" by its lack of thorns.
cheers

Dekka says...
Here's a pic of my very neglected 'Lotsa Lemons'. I'm amazed it produced three fruit given it's such a runt.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

John I. says...
Hi Jenny,
Can you be a bit more specific? What do the black things look like? If it's scale then try a white oil spray, otherwise if there army that many then just remove them by hand.

amanda says...
Hi liz - it is possible that your plant has produced alot of water shoots (these are not from beneath the graft)- are you able to post a photo?

Water shoots tend to grow straight up, are very thorny, vigorous and can be unproductive - they should be removed so they don't take over the framework of your plant.

Wayne says...
Interesting post Speedy, the water shoots on mine came up through the centre, got to about 5ft tall and full of thorns before I cut them back to the trunk. The rest of the tree doesn't have thorns.

So I guess some do and some don't have thorns, makes little difference as long as they are producing fruit.

Today it's full of bloom and small fruit

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

amanda says...
Roses produce water shoots too I think..(and thorns!!) Thats' helpful info speedy - I selected a good water shoot to become a new leader on one of my trees last month - as the tree was growing all wrong...now I know what to do with it!

James says...
I have a lemon tree that came with the house. When we moved in there were no leaves at all. Cut it right back and fed it some citrus fertiliser and then it started to grow. Now big and bushy with heaps of leaves and thorns all over. The problem is that only one branch is growing any lemons at all (about 20 on just the one branch) and the rest of the tree is just leaf. Why isn't any fruit growing on the other branches

Thanks

James says...
Hi Jimmy

Thanks for the reply

Not really sure what it is

It seems to take a really long time for the lemons to yellow (not sure if that helps first time I have owned a fruit tree)

Wayne says...
Both look fine to me Liz, be it a coincidence that they have both forked just above the graft. Those two small shoots at ground level on the right in pic 2 need to come off.

Elf says...
I have a lots-a-lemons I got from Big W and it has small thorns. I found out after I stabbed myself. They are about, 1/2 cm long.

Question though, I've had it for nearly 3 months and it hasn't grown at all - is it the wrong season for that or do I need to feed it something specific?

Cheers, Elf :)

Itdepends says...
Watering twice a week in a pot wouldn't be enough IMO (daily to twice daily required in summer). What are you fertilizing with?- plants in pots are better off with slow release fertilizer and liquid feeds. (Liquid feed every couple of weeks in spring and autumn)

Elf- citrus grow in spurts- and can take a while to settle in- see comments above RE watering and fertilizing.

Julie says...
Well, too much nitrogen I would say. Not sure about lemons, but other citrus can develop a thick skin if you have too much nitrogen.

I would stick to the application rates written on the packet from just one of the fertilisers and see what happens. You may have thrown the nutrients out of balance.

kaya says...
I was given a Lots A lemon tree for a gift in October. it had a few flowers on it when i got it.
I then replanted it into my raised garden bed.
the flowers fell off and i now have a beautiful bushy green tree with no flowers at all. I have had a few leaves turn yellow but that's it, i don't even think there has been now growth.

How do i get it to fruit?
How often and how much water do they need?

M Nash says...
Most likely Leaf miner Lyn, Not the worst thing but unsightly all the same.
Ive been battling the buggers for years.
My own findings are that they are next to impossible to get rid of once they are there. My best attack is to spray from early spring and try to prevent them from infesting new growth in the first place.
I add a little permethrin to the oil spray as the oil has let me down alone.
Do this eight times over the warm months taking into account rainy days washing it away etc.
Fertilise well in late winter in time for new spring growth, Then is a matter of keeping an eye on all the new leaves.
Also spraying under the leaves will get results. Sounds like you need to get jiggy with a spray bottle

Ed says...
I purchased a small Clyde Plant Nursery Lots A' Lemons last year and we harvested 2 lemons from it. This year it started budding but then lost ALL its leaves.

Any suggestions to save this plant would be welcome.

Thanks

Andrew says...
Hi,
I am considering planting a lotsa lemons in the ground.
The garden bed is on top of a block retaining wall and has a concrete path around it.
The trunk will be around 600mm from anything solid - are the roots of concern - will they affect the path or retaining wall? The ground is well drained.
My mother in law had a full sized Meyer Lemon and the roots seemed very large with plenty on the surface which looked as though they could do some damage.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Also, do grafts on flying dragon root stock develop thorns?

Wayne says...
I would suggest a quality citrus tree fertiliser Viv, the tree looks hungry. Get rid of the ants with some ant dust and spread a little compost around

chris says...
Andrew, I wouldn't worry about the roots of lemon or any other citrus for that matter. They ain't going to be lifting pavers. Yes, they are shallow surfaced, but they are not invasive.
The Flying dragon rootstock shouldn't influence whether the grafted tree produces thorns or not. eg. a Lisbon lemon is always thorny, regardless of rootstock.

Peter says...
Hello Stevo,
I have the same problem with my potted Lots of Lemons. The tree seems very green and healthy. What, did you do?
Peter

au0rey says...
Viv, your lemon tree could be over-fertilised or the fertiliser is burning the roots, not sure how you applied it but seems like the tree is reacting to it quite badly if their leaves are shrivelling and dropping.

Citrus are very fussy. From the pictures, it seems like yours are suffering from some deficiency. Their leaves always show very well. And do they get enough sun on your patio?

Perhaps re-potting the tree in a good new premium potting mix will save it cos you cannot leave the tree with the existing mix. And give it Seasol seaweed solution.

pleasant grove blessed says...
Thanks for all the interesting posts it inspired me to contribute.I bought a lots of lemons from Bunnings .At first I noticed it wasnt doing particularly well so after some investigation read some advice given by expert and treated with seasol followed by specfc citrus feriliser and it took oFF.Seasol apparently stimulates root growth and the fertiliser gave the nutrients For It to flourish.Along the way i notice leaves a bit yellowish so again research indicate a dose of chelated iron ,which is readily available at most Nursryes ,it was brilliant.So now my lots of lemons began to flourish. Ahh The scent of the blossoms .Then the bugs became the next issue.Yes the dreaded leafminer.This time the clarity of what i was dealing with and the solution came from an apple app.If you have an iphone or ipad Put Yates into search and there it is free an indispensable garden tool . The Yates app lead me to the knowledge i needed to deal with the leafminer that was attacking the new growth on my plant .Evidence of the problem are silvery trails and curling of the new growth leaves(Curling of older leaves is all together a different problem).The solution was white oil although i am not convinced. It certainly helps but during the summer months it has to be done regularly.So the journey has produced heaps of delicious fruit ,a wonderful flowerering scent and doubt and anquish along the the way but i am proud in the knowledge that i gave it my best shot and feel i succeeded

Angela says...
So now my lots of lemons began to flourish. Ahh The scent of the blossoms .Then the bugs became the next issue.Yes the dreaded leafminer.This time the clarity of what i was dealing with and the solution came from an apple app.If you have an iphone or ipad Put Yates into search and there it is free an indispensable garden tool
http://lemonjuicefor.blogspot.com/

jakfruit etiquette says...
When the alchemists gave up trying to turn lead into gold, they got legit jobs as taxomimists, turning Citrus into species..
Mah Hah Hah Hah

Eureka says...
Never buy citrus taken from cuttings. Root stock are used for a reason.
It will save you LOTS-A-GRIEF.

Eureka says...
One can play Russian roulette for a while, then reality bites.
For starters, phytophthora is everywhere and your cuttings have little resistance to it. Ditto nematodes.
Lower resistance to diseases and major citrus viruses. Variable fruit quality, little cold tolerance, drought tolerance, etc, etc.
A lot of the problematic symptoms will show up looking like a nutritional problems, but the cause is elsewhere.

Mike says...
Cuttings and marcots are as good as grafted trees in some species like guavas and lychees but this is not so for many species.Besides the potential problems that jakruit and Eureka point out, tree stability and shape can be poorer with cutting grown trees.They can topple over more easily in strong wind and more often are not erect with branches and folige touching the ground.Grafted citrus often shows 'elephant foot' incompatability near the upper thermal limits of the scion due to excessive rootstock vigour.

Mike says...
Jakfruit, it usually happens the other way with citrus and especially where the scion is out of it's comfort zone.In my yard rough lemon,citrange and troyer rootstocks got massive and fluted (elephant footed) with comparative broomstick navel,minneola and imperial scions on top.I have also seen it in valencia on trifoliata and everything on flying dragon.Excess scion vigour is less common and extreme partly because nutrient and water flow is controlled by the rootstock but it can happen.It looks like an elephants foot and can snap off easily being top heavy.

Mike says...
Mary, I have heard that it can happen due to poor nutrition.In the north it seems mostly due to growing cool climate citrus like minneola,imperial or navels.They show no signs of nutrient deficiency and still produce lots of fruit.They volunteered their spots to a ross sapote,canistel and abiu in the last year.

Mike says...
Inside I scurry again with the next deluge.Mary, I've tried to grow brown turkeys,florda prince,yellow jaboticaba and in fact many temperate species without success.I also ditched shahtoot and dwarf mulberries after some early fruitfulness and just need to turn up my nose at most of bunnies and bigw's selection.

Mike says...
I am at fault for buying them.People from the frost prone towns that get below zero like Herberton,Ravenshoe,Millaa Millaa and even Atherton would certainly buy their trees there when they are shopping in the city.That is probably why there is such a big supply of temperate species.

Mike says...
David,the big bunnies in town is even more that way but sometimes they get tropical fruit trees by accident.

Devi says...
I bought a dwarf Tahitian Lime from the markets last week and a Lots-A-Lemons from Bunnings yesterday and now after reading these comments, I really wish I hadn't. Seems I may be out of my league with these dwarf varieties. I only wanted limes and lemons that can be mobile with our lifestyle rather than having to be left behind...

Clarry says...
We bought a dwarf Lots a' Lemons about 2-weeks ago from Bunnings. Since then the baby fruit has started to turn yellow and also some of the leaves. It is in a large pot outdoors and we used a bagged potting mix for citrus. We put a 50mm layer of garden soil with chook poo over the top and then mulched over with sugar cane mulch. The soil feels slightly damp about a finger length down.
We are afraid it is sick. Any suggestions?

Clarry says...
OK thank you.
Any suggestions on what we should do now in order to give it the best chance of survival.

TahlHollow says...
My Lots of lemmons tree is not doing well; leaves are yellowing and droopy.

First repotted it about June this year because (old one broke moving houses) and has done really well,

Its had a bloom of flowers and last weekish a bunch of little green buds (not sure if mini lemons or not)

There was a big hail storm in my area last saturday and is in a spot where it gets lots of sun and timed sprinkler spot

Has one stem full of thorns since I got it

Clarry says...
Here is a pic of our lemon tree hopefully you can see the leaf yellowing and some of the young fruit that turns black and drops off. It does not seem to be getting any worse tho.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Brain says...
+1

Your plant look all right and in great shape. As its a young and small plant, it wont support a lot of fruit, so the drop is quiet common.

Continue and small amounts of slow release fertiliser will help to ensure good overall health.

Clarry says...
Just wanted to update you on my little lemon tree. I have given it a drink of Iron Chellate about a month ago but it seems to be steadily getting worse. Most of the small fruit has dropped now with only a few baby lemons left although they are growing. More of the leaves are turning yellow with some dropping. I am concerned it will gradually die. We have been watering very sparingly. Checking the dampness of the soil by pushing a finger down into it and watering gently if it feels dry.
Any suggestions on what to try now please?

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Boris Spasky says...
Start again with a whole tree this time. Your tree is missing the bottom half--i.e. a rootstock.

Kelly says...
Hi I just bought a lots of lemons. Some branches have thorns some don't. The one with thorns has flowers. Should I just let it be. It is planted in a half wine barrel. Thanks

Markmelb says...
Mine LL is thornless - Gall Wasp loves it so keep an eye out for galls forming next year - Lemons are huge and nice - use plenty of iron chelates too for yellow leaf issues - Myers get that alot.

Manfred says...
Hi Kelley- juvenile citrus growth has thorns and the fruits are seedy. It is also more vigorous than adult growth.

Prune for shape, and live with the thorniness and seediness on those branches for now.

(remember, on a plant, the oldest growth is the juvenile growth.)

Markmelb says...
chris
give it a small prune and be patient :)

Lemons fruit on new growth Hint Hint

Also read all posts above.

Paup says...
When do i pick lemons off "e;e;e;lots of lemoms"e;e;e; tree is it when they are fully yellow?

Fruitylicious1 says...
Hi Paup

You can pick them anytime when they start to show a yellow color even if it is not fully yellow. I have a 10 year old lots a lemon tree we pick them off the tree even if they only have the slightest yellow tinge if we really need them.

Happy Gardening :-)

Fruitylicious1 says...
Hi mower man

The brown discoloration on your lemon fruits might be caused by citrus scab. A type of fungal infection.

You can spray it with copper fungicide. Just follow the directions on the label.
Happy gardening 😎