I am new to growing, in general, and I ordered a 3-4 year old Meyer Lemon Tree, and have had it for about 6 days now. I think it just got over the transplant shock yesterday. It seems to be growing. I noticed there were these little purple fuzzies coming out of the area where I had trimmed the tree a few days ago. I fertilized for the first time yesterday, using a teaspoon of Miracle Grow Blood Meal and a teaspoon of Jobes organic vegetable and tomato fertilizer. My tree is really green but when it came it had these white spots all over the leaves. They come off when you wipe them down but they seem to reappear later. They haven't seemed to have any negative effect but they still worry me and I don't like them. I have been using a paintbrush and plain water and trying to get them off each leaf. I have definitely removed a good amount of it but its still there. At first I thought it may have been a fungal growth or a powdery mildew but I am not sure. Anyway here are a few pictures. Please let me know if the little purple fuzzies are the start of flowers!!?!?!? Also, let me know what you think about the white spots. OHHHH and by the way, I have my tree by my window in my room and I water it every 3 or 4 days. In the day time its usually between 72-80 degrees and at night it is usually between 60 and 70 degrees with 60 being an ultimate low. I have 4 lights on the plant. 2 100W 3000K CFLS, 1 45W 2700K CFL, and 1 75W 7500K plus whatever sun it gets during the day. I have the lights on at timer: 12hours on, 12hours off - The time they are On is from 7am to 7pm.

Check out my pics and please answer my questions and feel free to comment and make suggestions!

In the two pictures below you can see the white spots as best as I could show them on my camera. Please let me know what you think it is and how I can get rid of it!!!! (It is sort of difficult to see the spots because there are glares on the leaves from the lights but you can see them, the glare is more yellow/red and the spots are totally white and they feel powdery):

Here is the picture of the purple fuzzies (maybe beginnings of a flower). This image is of the very end of a branch. I am also seeing this appearing in other places:

It's kind of tough to see the purple-color in this picture but believe me those little things are PURPLE!

Next I have a picture of my "FOR SURE" new growth. So, I know the thing is definitely growing:

See those little guys coming through? Those weren't there before and I can see it is actually a group of 3 or 4 individual tiny leaves or leaflets and this point! HAHA.

My last picture is of the full tree. It was kind of leaning to one side when I got it and the main branch shooting out from the stem/trunk was broken near the top. I put it back upright and taped it. It seems to be growing back pretty well. I un-taped it the other day and let it get some air for the day. I saw what it looks like underneath. It is healed on the one side where it wasn't COMPLETELY ripped off and on the other side it has a mean gash with some splintered "outer layer," but inside the gash you can see it is connected. Overall, it looks like it bound back together and I re-taped it today just to ensure it is a tight seal and it will be able to get water and nutrients to the tippy top. I also used a wire and connected it from a sturdy part of that wild branch to my window: to pull the branch upright. Hopefully this "training" will fix the lopsidedness. Well without further to do, here she is, in all her entirety, and glory: "Andrea the Lemon Tree":

If you or anyone could answer my other questions.... I took the liberty of concluding that I definitely have powdery mildew so I applied a water based mixture of: a tiny bit of vegetable oil and baking soda with the tiniest drop of antibacterial soap. What do you guys think? I am going to Lowes to see if I can grab some fungicide that will kill it off all-together. Comments and suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

If you want to grow inside your going to need better lights than that. When you use indoor lights you want LUMENS. You can go by watts but I have known people to use 500w lights with less than 20k lumens. I have a 100w floro with 15k lumens that I would use to keep my mother plant alive for cloning. I used to flower with two(2) 1000w Combo lights that pushed a total of over 300k Lumens (Thats 300,000). That many lumens still did not deliver the results I was looking for, anyways...I would put her outside during the day as the sun has something that no light can really duplicate. The temps you speak of are more than good enough.

Other than that I dont see anything wrong with your plant other than maybe changing up your feeding and watering schedule. I dont know. Your plant looks good to me:-)

A nice tree by the way:-)

Mike

Water softeners replace "hard" minerals with NaCl.. table salt; and that is poison to plants.

As for the "broken" top, I would just prune it below the break; citrus are soooo resilient, you will be rewarded with new branches.

If you buy one that is bagged for container plants, the directions should be on there to be safe.

As for the frequency? Many times it can depend on something as simple as the mix you use.
I use a mix that allows me and in fact is much needed by my plants to fertilize at every watering all year long.
It can also depend upon temps you expose your plants to.

As for in-ground, I would follow as John suggests since I have seen his beautiful trees.

If you would like to keep them that green, call your water supply company and ask them for the pH.
If it is kind of high like mine is at an 8.2, use a capful of vinegar every time you water with tap water.

If you are using rain water, then you are golden without vinegar.

Mike

Thanks guys,
Doc Citrus

If your Meyers are in ground and are garden trees, they will likely benefit from added foliar fert every 15 day; they are poor competitors with grass and other plants stealing the nutrients you thought you were giving to your lemons.

What great pieces of information. Thank you. As you can see in the pictures I posted, my plant in in a pot in my room so all the fertilizer is going towards the plant. The pot is filled with soil about 1.5 feet high and 1.5 feet wide. What do you think an adequate amount of fertilizer would be for this type of container? It seems to be happy with the amount I gave it but that was only a day ago and I will be waiting a few more days before I water it again. The blood meal is strictly nitrogen and the Jobes is very little nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium so I use both, making sure to under-do the blood meal since the jobes has some nitrogen too. I just dont know when I will need to fertilize again.

-Doc Citrus

Doc, I guarantee if you put it outside and get some real sun and good humidity it will bloom for you.

Mike

Johnmerr - I used a granulated fertilizer so I don't supplement mag, cal, iron, or zinc. is there any product you know that has only these elements?

BTW, the Meyer is most sensitive to light changes; often dropping most or all of its leaves, to be replaced with new leaves better "designed" for the new light condition. Best when moving the plant outside to put it in shade for 2 weeks; then part shade for 2 weeks; then to full sun. Reverse this in the Fall when bringing it in.

"fertilized for the first time yesterday"
"trimmed the tree a few days ago"
"I took the liberty of concluding that I definitely have powdery mildew"
"I applied a water based mixture of: a tiny bit of vegetable oil and baking soda with the tiniest drop of antibacterial soap."
"I bought some Daconil fungicide. I sprayed it down tonight"

I mention these things because I fear you are going to micro-manage this tree to death, killing it with kindness so to speak. Trees don't need or benefit from this degree of fuss- the self diagnosis and knee jerk response of spraying it down with Daconil just because you thought you had powdery mildew... well, it boggles my mind.

Never treat anything with anything until you have a firm diagnosis and/or identification of what the problem is.
More plants are killed by well meaning owners than anything else.
Put the tree in a decent potting mix and get out of its way.

Nothing is going to happen to this tree so quickly that you can't take the time to be certain that your actions are 1)necessary and 2)correct.

Post and ask questions but stop fussing!!

I was the same way a couple years ago. I micro managed a couple of my trees to half death. Its no big deal but the best thing to do is follow a schedule of watering and fertilizing with the best methods to prevent disease by using PREVENTATIVE methods. Organocide is one small step because it stays on the plant for a while. There is more but Ill let the pros handle that;-)

As for micro nutes. Alot of general water soluble ferts have micros and you can get a foliage spray. This is a good foliage spray:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors-garden-center-lawn-plant-care-sh rub-tree-fertilizers/1-pint-citrus-nutritional-spray-125242.html

And here is a good water soluble general fertilizer:

http://www.sunshinegardensfl.com/servlet/the-Fertilizers/Categories

These are just suggestions but you get the idea. A granule fertilizer for main feeding (If you choose) and an all purpose fertilizer with micro nutes, or a fertilizer with just micro nutes, to pick up the rest of your plants needs. This is just a suggestion so please dont take this as a DO WHAT I SAY OR ELSE thing...hehehe You have to listen to your plant and adjust to its needs. Also, come here when you have problems and these people will set you straight:-)

If every one of my 8,000 trees looked that healthy, I would be a happy guy.

My other, SERIOUS suggestion would be to lose the stake.

Meyers don't need support; and if you DO support them, they will likely break down the road.

John

Thank you for your suggestions. I just removed the steak and it didn't really change much so I am happy that my tree can stand oh her own. As for plant shine, haha, no I don't even know what that is. My plant is just shiny in the sun :) it could also be some of the fungicide still on the leaves although I washed a lot of that off with plain water. I don't think I am overfeeding the plant. There are no signs that I am doing so. I haven't lost a single leaf yet and there is no yellowing or leaf burn. I watered it yesterday after 4 days of no water and 2 days in the hot sun, which sucked the soil dry. I read, and follow a watering schedule that lets me water heavily and then wait until the soil is nearly dry. I use my pointer finger or pinky as an indicator, sticking it down into the soil to feel how moist it is. Oh by the way... what is this doting philosophy you speak of?

Remember that spout of new growth from my first post? Well its even bigger now :) check it out, it also has a little friend popping out right next to it:

In this next picture you can see the extra little guys popping out.

And here are a few more spots where I have noticed new growth:

and this one

Mike

and this one:

And let's not forget the "lucky bamboo" this is my mom's too. She nearly let the thing die. I am nursing it back to health:

Nothing like a little jungle producing fresh oxygen and sucking up the carbon dioxide in my room :)

-Doc Citrus

Thanks,
Doc Ditrus M.D., Ph.D.

I have a ton of new growth for you guys. I think they look like little freddie krueger hands:

and here is Andrea in full form:

Enjoy,
Doc Citrus

If you sprayed a mixture of oil on both surfaces of the leaves, I'd suggest that you do a bit of cleaning with a soft, warm soapy cloth or sponge. It is imperative that the stomata work efficiently and such a thick vegetable coating could pose problems.

By the way, a COMMERCIAL horticultural oil is what I was going to suggest if the stuff on your citrus turned out to be powdery mildew. I really couldn't tell one way or the other. Usually, hard water stains can be rubbed away with a soft cloth moistened with a bit of vinegar water. Put one hand under the leaf to support it while you gently rub with the other.

Neem oil is a great option for PM. It not only protects your plant from infection but can cure the disease.

Thanks for the replies. Olympia, I will be posting plenty more picture. Thanks for stopping by. Rhizo, for some reason my plant leaves have stayed shiny, I don't know why. They have been wiped with warm water multiple times, sprayed with plain clean water numberous times as well and when I applied the vegetable oil solution, it wasn't too much vegie oil. I think they are fine. I will be spraying the leaves with a spray bottle and wiping them down more over the next few weeks so I am sure there won't be any problem.

-Doc Citrus

Here are some more updates on the new growth. I am literally seeing new little green fuzzies comming out of everywhere. I fertilized and watered yesterday. I have noticed the major weight change that occurs from when you first water the plant and its heavy to when she drinks up all the water and feels so much lighter:

I'll be sure to send some more interesting pictures soon. BTW I have been giving my tree more than 12 hours of light for the past 2 days: I have only seen benefits so please tell me if I will be keeping her in vegetation or if this is fine and she will still flower and everything.

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

Hey Fellas!

I know it's been a while but boy do I have some updates for you!:

Here we have the BUDS [smilie=rk01_aola.gif] from a day or two ago:

And here they are tonight! (They are purple now!!!!):

I also have new growth sprouting from literally every branch on my tree. Some new growth is over 6-7 inches:

And here she is loooookin good (I must be doing something right?):

Enjoy,

I just used a Q-Tip to pollinate the few that were open. I am sure more will open up soon. I just got back from being away for the weekend and there they were, just as I assumed they would be! How long till lemons now? I also have brownish purplish hairs growing out of the very tips of multiple new growth areas and I am not sure what they are. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

Look at how long them branches are. Mine get cut off at the path by any insect that feels like teasing me. The other day, it was earwigs that cut off all my new growth. You should be proud of yourself, especially indoors since spider mites can be worst.

When will you put them outdoors, or do you?

I think it very nice to see the excitement you share with us.

Mike

Your comments are always appreciated. Thank You. I put the tree outside for a few days when it was very sunny and I found that all it did was make the new growth wilt or hang down from the intensity of the sun. I also recieved a nice infestation of gnats (which I hope cant harm the tree) They seem to be sticking to roaming around the soil, with an occasional few on some leaves. They don't seem to be eating the leaves or to be harmful at all for that matter. They are most likely attracted to my organic ferts and I assume they are eating some of it, which is the only problem I see currently. Other than that, I just went over the other flower or two that popped open today with a Q-Tip to pollinate everything. I want to make sure those flowers become lemons! I don't see any true benefit of putting "MY" meyer lemon tree outside as it has done much better inside. It receives partial sunlight through my window as well as 4 CFL's which almost cover the entire light spectrum. I have found that the tree likes to be fertilized every time I water it and I water every 4-5 days depending on how dry the soil gets. I am very happy with the progress so far and I don't see a need to change my strategy anytime soon.

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

All my other flowers have their pistil? I think it is. Let me know fellas!

And look! I just picked up some hot banana peppers:

Enjoy,
Doc Citrus

I removed a bud or two that were late bloomers and one or two also fell off. These are the ones left. I have 3 that looks to be lemons for sure (2 I am positive, one is a little smaller). I am still waiting for that last flower to completely fall off and then I will ave 4 little lemons HOPEFULLY!!! I am very excited for these puppies to start blowing up!

Thanks,
Doc, Citrus

What a surprise to see you come back and post after thinking of you..

Thanks for updating us and for being as excited as many of us are here.

Hello Lacey.

Mike_0)

It has been ages since I have been on here but the good news is one of those little things turned into a lemon.... It's still growing and looks like it has some time before it turns yellow but as a side note I now have about a hundred or more buds on the tree some of which have already flowered. Take a look at her progress!

Enjoy,
Doc Citrus

I am very proud of you. In fact, even if you just brought it inside, it still is a very beautiful tree and beautiful color. Must smell heavenly.

Bravo and thanks for thinking of us:-)

Mike

I just brought it in about a week ago but I actually don't enjoy the smell of the flowers to much. They definitely don't smell lemony. They smell like pollen more than anything, there is a hint of sweetness but whatever.... it is brightening up my place and gives me some fresh oxygen. I am actually having a major issue with gnats. Could you recommend anything?

-Doc Citrus

The only way I was able to get rid of gnats was to change my soil mix completely, or water with a mild organic soap along with Neem Oil. It would take about 3 waterings over a 3 week period to see them disappear after the watering technique.

If they were plants you did not plan on eating, I would say water them with the Bayer Disease and Pest control before you bring it in, and to not see after that again.

They say that over watering is the main cause, but they come no matter what you do and are impossible to rid of unless action is taken.

Have a great night.

Mike:-)

Like Mike said, I've had huge problems with fungus gnats with commercial potting mixes. They're not an issue at all with the gritty mix.

Nope, I threw it right into full sun. It did very well too. Although that was the case with my tree I wouldn't advise you to do that since everyone cautions against it. Also, I new strategy for the bugs: I put a ton of cellophane wrap over the top of the pot and wrapped in around the lowest point of the trunk. hopefully this will eventually kill the bugs. I will leave it on for about a week and then check under there. And don't worry I watered the tree yesterday, she won't need much water since it isn't in the hot sun anymore and it will be getting colder soon.

And thank you Ryan and Mike for the suggestions.

-Doc Citrus

Please, come back and let us know if that works for you Doc Citrus. I am very curious. I hope it does.

Mike

I took some better pictures and you can also see my "bug cover rig"

By the way the bugs have died down quite a bit. I can't image hot many are under that cellophane.

Enjoy,
Doc Citrus

Now, I am going to keep my fingers crossed and hope they don't find an exit stragety out the bottom air drain holes.

They are smart little buggers and find all kinds of ways to survive or get out.

Good luck!

Mike

Roots absolutely must have access to the atmosphere. Roots require free access to oxygen (which they obtain from a porous soil system) in order to survive. Roots also respire...give off CO2 which must be allowed to escape the soil system or toxic levels will build up.

That is what is called the 'gas exchange' we often talk about as being so important in a good potting mix (or outdoor soil).

Also, our container plants evaporate a great deal of water from the surface of the soil. That process is important.

I strongly urge that you take a good look at your potting mix and your watering practices as the two causes of a fungus gnat population. Without problems in one or both, the fungus gnats would cease to be interested. As I recall, you are a 'micro-manager' of your plants. People who do that to their plants often complain about fungus gnats.

If you are not going to change your potting mix into something highly porous and coarse textured, you should visit the garden center soon and pick up either mosquito dunks OR another form of larvacide called Gnatrol. Mosquito dunks contain the same active ingredient as the Gnatrol, a biological agent that targets ONLY the larva of certain insects such as fungus gnats, mosquitoes, black flies, etc. It's safe to use in your home and on your plants, even if you intend harvest citrus.

Soak a few little pieces of the dunks in your watering can for several hours or over night. Use that water when it's time to water your plant. No extra watering please; I suspect that that is part of your problem.

But, the permanent solution to your problem is to change your potting mix. Most of who use a very porous potting medium never see a fungus gnat. Even if you reduce your watering frequency, fungus gnat larvae can thrive in a dense, peaty medium. Kill the larvae with the Bt-Israelensis (gnatrol or dunks), not a general pesticide. But even that is merely a stop-gap measure, and not a permanent solution.

I suggest that you take your plant outside when you release it from all of that plastic wrap. I suspect that you might have created a big gnat nursery in there...with the larvae developing into adults who lay more eggs, etc.

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

Patience Grasshopper.

Can we move on to something that we can actually help with?

Curmudgeon John

Patty S.

So my meyer lemon tree is doing great. I have a question though, I have a lemon that was produced about 3 months ago and is still green. It's growth had seemed to slow and during this time I had a ton of new flowers, growth, and now about 40 small, solid lemons coming along. Is this normal to have more lemons produced before the one from an earlier flowering has ripened?

Thanks,
Doc Citrus

Patty S.

Doc Citrus

So my lemon is nearly ripe now. I suspect only a few more weeks. It has taken a LONG time! I am so excited! I went on break for a few weeks and right before I left I gave my tree double watering with no nutrients. When I came back there had been a lot of new growth and color development in the big guy/girl. I also have a neighbor (an older lady) who has had it rough (her husband dying, her daughter has cancer, a few of her dogs died; etc.) and I would always talk to her about plants when I went out back, on the deck, at my mom's house. They are both very kind, her and the daughter, but I don't know them all that well. Anyway, this christmas/channukah, my mom received this box on the doorstep, and what was it? A mineola tangelo tree (3 years old from four-winds). How sick? So I have some pictures of the Meyer, which I have had for about 7 month or more now and a picture of the new little gal, Susane (Mineola Tangelo):

Susane (mineola tangelo - This is either a tangerine crossed with a pumelo OR a manderine orange crossed with a grapefruit) Maybe someone can make heads or tails of it. I have read about these and know about their non-self-pollinating characteristic. I will hopefully be able to pollinate it with my meyer. We will see.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the New Year! Happy 2013,
Doc Citrus