4 responses |
stephen starts with ... G’day all, Last year in November I bought a lemon tree, I think it may only be a couple of years old because it’s still quite small. The problem I have is that it isn’t growing much at all. It’s still the same height and has only sprouted 2-3 new leaves since I bought it. The tree is about 40cm high from the trunk base and has 11 leaves which are on average about a third smaller than a standard computer mouse. It has 2 branch stems so that the whole tree forms a Y shape. On one branch stem the flower petals are falling off and now turning into small fruits and on the other one the flower buds haven’t opened yet. This is the 3rd time it has borne flowers. The last time 1 lemon started to grow and did for about 2 months until one day it just dropped off. Over the past few days the leaves have slowly started to turn yellow, and small light brown patched have appeared on a couple of the leaves. I must admit that I have only given it food every 2 months as advised by a sales assistant in a garden shop (I also think now that the food isn’t suitable at all) I water it only when the top inch or so of the soil is dry. The pot height is about half the height of the plant and in diameter it’s about an inch larger than a CD. There are no drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. I realize now that I need to repot it in a proper pot and give it some proper food. How big should the pot be and what food should I be aiming for? I live in Poland, and the climate isn’t really super. There isn’t a lot of humidity. On average, because we are in summer now, the tree gets about 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. But over the past week or so it has been much cooler. In the winter I keep it in the living room by the window and water more sparingly. The room is kept warm during the winter. One problem also may be that there are very bright street lights outside the window, should I bring the plant in at night and put it in a dark room? What can I do to promote more leaf growth and to keep it short and bushy? I know this was a lengthy post, so I really appreciate any replies Stephen. | About the Author stephen3 Poland 23rd July 2008 8:27pm #UserID: 1190 Posts: 2 View All stephen3's Edible Fruit Trees |
| About the Author stephen3 Poland 23rd July 2008 8:27pm #UserID: 1190 Posts: 2 View All stephen3's Edible Fruit Trees |
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| About the Author 25th October 2009 1:16pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Wayne says... Hello stephen "The pot height is about half the height of the plant and in diameter it’s about an inch larger than a CD. There are no drainage holes in the bottom of the pot." There's your problem Yellow leaves? Could be because you are coming into your winter as well as lack of food. Pot size? The biggest you can handle, even if you have to wheel it with a trolley. Transplant the tree in to good quality potting mix and use citrus fertiliser as directed. The bright street lights won't hurt at all. I don't know about doing it now because the tree will go dormant with the cold. Snip the flowers or fruit off,punch some holes in the bottom of the pot to let the water out and give it just a little bit of fertiliser to nurse it through winter Good luck | About the Author Wayne Mackay QLD 25th October 2009 1:42pm #UserID: 338 Posts: 908 View All Wayne's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Original Post was last edited: 25th October 2009 1:43pm | |
Tropicdude says... no drainage holes? yipes, pop some holes in that pot right away ! I agree with what Wayne suggested, transplant your tree into a big pot, with soil that drains well. too much water at the roots will harm the plant. Also I have seen many people have great results with Epson salts with lemons, wouldn't hurt to put a little. | About the Author Tropicdude 25th October 2009 4:41pm #UserID: 2856 Posts: 24 View All Tropicdude's Edible Fruit Trees |