Question
Lemon Tree
My Meyer Lemon Tree is about 3 years old and grows in a large plastic pot. The first year I harvested 6 large wonderful lemons with the just a hint of sweetness to the taste as well as tangerine. I winter in my garage and last winter it got an abundance of flowers, this summer I put it out on my front patio (facing east to get morning sun and partially shaded in the afternoon), I live in EL Paso Texas and our summers get up to 108 deg. When I put it out this year all the flowers blew off (we get winds up to 60 miles an hr.) and never grew back. It is now Oct. 3, 2008 and it has 1 flower. Through the summer it has had very few leaves. I did not get any lemons this year, what am I doing wrong. How often should I transplant? It is approximately 4ft high and looks more like a bush than a tree. Can I prune all bottom branches so it will look more like a tree? And should I just keep it in a container and not plant in ground?
Thank you
Debra
AnswerHi Debra, that picture shows me a tree that is extremely stressed, it needs a larger container and a care program, spraying for fungal problems and insect problems with copper for the fungus it has and a horticultural oil for the insect problem. Citrus needs to be on a spray program or these problems will develop. Move it to a larger container with new soil, and expose it to morning sun and late afternoon shade out of the strong wind. This is a start, but there is much more you need to learn about growing a citrus:)Nick
