Question
My lemonade tree is in a good sunny position all day - subject to some ocean wind but for over 5-7 years always has been full of the most beautiful fruit in season - very juicy - I live on a ridge very close to the ocean at Terrigal on the Central Coast of NSW - we have been in drought conditions for years - this year the tree is laden with fruit - however it is no bigger than a ping pong ball - some appear as if they may grow larger - the skin on the fruit is a little unusual - any suggestions for a cure ?

Many thanks  

Answer
G'Day Trevor,

It is great to hear from you "down under".

Admittedly, I am in a climate that makes citrus cultivation impossible except in pots outdoors in the summer time,though I have done some research on the topic.

I have been unable to find any common diseases in your area that could cause the symptoms that you describe.  I did find, however, that wind can cause fruit to be reduced in size as well as cause deformations of the rinds of the fruit.  Additionally, the fruit size is directly related to the amount of water that is available at the time of fruit development.  If you are still having drought and have not supplemented with water, the fruit size may be simply the result of the drought.   

I found a wonderful site that has some advice for lemon growing.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/citrus/lemon-manual

Sorry that I couldn't be more specific.