A desperate plea came in this week that sounds like a 911 call:
“New meyer lemon dwarf tree doing poorly, yellow leaves, flowers dropped off. So sad….Help! Suggestions?”
You said the magic word – new. I’m guessing that your lemon tree is suffering from transplant shock in some way. It can take around 3 weeks for a plant to show signs of it, but chances of survival are pretty good , especially in winter, if you address it right away. Here’s what I can say about it and other possible problems your tree might be suffering from:
Yellow leaves – There are a couple of reasons why the leaves might be turning yellow. In general, yellow means over watering. New lemon trees have fairly shallow roots and need to be watered about once a week. You can taper off as the tree grows over the years. If you are growing it in a container, it will need more water and nutrients than if it is in the ground.
Another reason for yellowing might be a nutrient deficiency. It might need nitrogen. Nitrogen is responsible for foliage development, and without enough, you might see the oldest leaves on the tree turning yellow as new leaves grow. Fertilize with blood meal or fish/kelp emulsions and some good compost.
Your tree might also need iron. Iron chelates are available in granular form or as a foliar spray. You may also want to check the pH of your soil (should be between 5.5 and 6.5), as soil with a high pH will prevent the tree from taking up iron.
The last possible nutrient it might need is magnesium (if the leaves are yellow but the veins are still green). Add some Epsom salts to help that out. I would start with a nitrogen correction and then move on from there to the other above mentioned suggestions.
Flowers falling off – Meyer lemon trees are self-pollinating, but sometimes they need a little help. Like tomatoes, you can shake the tree to help the pollination process along. I’ve been reading around on some forums and there are several folks who say that if the tree is young, you might experience flowers dropping because the tree isn’t ready to produce yet. I’ve had good luck with lemon trees producing in their first year, but it really depends on the age of the tree you buy and all its other health issues.
I would suggest correcting the leaf color problem first and the fruiting issue should solve itself. Keep us posted on how it goes.
Thanks for writing in.
Anyone else have suggestions about leaf yellowing or flower drop, let us know here.
I transplanted lemon tree 3 days ago and joint all of the leave or fall off. How do I get the out of shock?
Sorry to hear that, Pamela. It’s important to ease the trees requirements for creating energy as much as possible during this time. Cut back the canopy by as close to 50% as you can (usually we do this prior to transplanting), and give the tree a good soak with diluted kelp emulsion to help ease transplant shock. It contains low-level nutrients in a broad spectrum so it helps keep it going while it develops new roots. Keep it watered and monitored during the next few weeks. If you don’t see new leaf growth it might not make it.
Yellow leaves – There are a couple of reasons why the leaves might be turning yellow. In general, yellow means over watering. New lemon trees have fairly shallow roots and need to be watered about once a week. You can taper off as the tree grows over the years. If you are growing it in a container, it will need more water and nutrients than if it is in the ground.
Yes, my lemon tree did the same thing when I transplanted it. Yellow leaves that eventually dropped off to make room for new green ones. Once the tree gets over transplant shock, it will leaf out again and those yellow leaves will drop. You might consider giving it a shot of vitamin B-1, available in liquid form at many nurseries. Dilute it with a couple gallons of water and that should help it recover.
You’re right to ride it out. Keep the faith!
Thanks for sharing your Meyer tips!
We have a new 15-gallon beauty we transplanted in our community garden two weeks ago that’s giving me worry.
We followed the nursery tips with a base layer of rocks and amended our clay-ish soil with cactus mix for drainage. We watered well at first planting and twice a week since. Even though it’s in full sun all day in Southern California, I’m concerned it was too much (water/sun) too fast.
It had a few yellow leaves when we first purchased, but now it’s almost a third yellow. Flowers are falling off pretty fast, too.
I watered well this morning and plan to not touch her again until next weekend. Thinking if I give her just a good dousing once a week for 3-4 weeks, she might acclimate.
From there, if all works out, I’m curious how I will know I’ve succeeded? When the shock is over, do the yellow leaves return to green, or fall away and make room for new?
On another point, she’s pretty woody. At 3-1/2 feet tall she’s ground-to-top in long winding branches, intertwined leaves and clusters of flowers. Looks like she could never carry the fruit-weight when it comes (staying optimistic!) – is it right to wait to thin out until apparent shock is over?
Would appreciate any advice you may offer. While my instinct says “ride it out” I’m afraid maybe one of these symptoms (or a symptom I don’t even know to look for) would signal a more seasoned gardener to take immediate action.
Funny how we get so attached to these lovely trees!
Best to you and yours.
I would do a hydrogen peroxide bath this will remove damaged roots and instigate new root growth add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide to 3 cup water and pour into the base of the tree also toss in 4 tablets of bio plasma found in sprouts this will geneticists the cells of the tree and replenish any lacking minerals should see results in about 4 days
Sounds like 1) transplant shock 2) not acclimated to proper sunlight yet or 3) a Calcium/Magnesium shortage. I would suspect the first 2 before I take care of the third.