Leaf drop (petiole remains on tree)- Meyer Lemon
Hi! I have a small Meyer lemon tree that I've had since last spring. I've been learning as I go, and I've done a LOT of reading on gardenweb so I think I have the basics down pretty well.
The tree is in 5-1-1 mix since August of last year. I water as needed (I have a bamboo stake in the soil to check soil moisture), and I mostly use 1 tsp Foliage Pro in a gallon of water. Once a month, I flush the soil thoroughly with tap water to prevent fertilizer burn.
I brought the tree inside in about October when we had a sudden cold front and the temps were going into the 40s at night. As recommended, I moved it from full sun outside, to part sun, to shade, over the course of a month before bringing it inside. The tree has been in a tall, south facing window all winter, and we keep the house between 60 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It lost maybe 2-3 leaves over the course of a few months. It has had several blooming flushes, however I have removed all the flowers once tiny fruit formed as the tree is too small to support fruiting, it needs to grow more canopy first.
In mid-December, I noticed soft brown scale on the tree. There were two mature scale plants on the stems, and some immature ones on the leaves. I got all the insects that I could off by rubbing the tree down with isopropanol (rubbing alcohol), which I saw recommended (didn't have any pesticides). I repeated this probably 4-6 times (first inspecting the tree for sap drops/ insects) every few days to once a week, but though the lead drop stopped, they were still present.
I did some research and decided to some neem oil at Lowe's (chosen because it's effective on most sucking insects-- my croton in a different room had spider mites. The infestation seemed relatively mild and I'd prefer not to expose my cats to a stronger pesticide if not necessary). I used the weakest dilution specified on the label (2 tbsp/ gallon, I made half a gallon with 1 tbsp of neem oil). I sprayed the tree down with the mixture using my garden sprayer (which I thoroughly cleaned) at night, let the tree dry, and then put it back in the window. A week later I checked it and still saw some sap droplets forming though I couldn't see any insects, so I re-sprayed it. Both times I sprayed the lemon tree, I also sprayed the croton. (Timing was from the label, and the croton is doing fine).
I also wiped down the leaves once or twice with isopropanol between spraying as I had read that leaving the oil on might suffocate the leaves.
I looked at the tree last week and noticed some leaves were yellowing. I still cannot see insects, so I assume it's from the neem, and I looked online to see if there was a more effective way to remove the oil. I sprayed the foliage down in the shower with warm water.
It's been about two weeks since the last time I sprayed the tree with neem, and the lemon tree is dropping a LOT of leaves. The leaves detach leaving the petiole/ stem still attached to the tree. The leaves turn yellow before dropping. There's only two leaves left on the tree that AREN'T turning some shade of yellow right now, with maybe 15 leaves total left on the tree. The trunk/ branches are still green, which is something.
Sometimes leaves have sap on them, but I cannot see any insects anywhere on the tree, and most leaves do not show sap/ fluid beading. The tree was a lot happier with the minor scale infection than it has been after treating it.
What did I do wrong? If the tree dies, it's not the end of the world (it's so small I wouldn't mind getting a more mature tree and trying again), but I was careful and did my research... and I don't want to kill another tree or keep the poor thing from getting big and healthy by making mistakes.
I've attached a picture of the four leaves that have dropped today in case there's any tell-tale signs that I'm missing.
Thank you for your help!
Here is a link that might be useful: I used Garden Safe neem oil extract.
jrl1265
pip313
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