Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lapidaryart

lemon/citrus problem

lapidaryart
10 years ago

Can someone help me figure out what is happening to our citrus? Two years ago we planted 4 trees (meyer lemon, variegated pink lemon, kumquat, and a lime). For two Springs the trees were covered with flowers, then when the fruit starts to come in it all shrinks, turns black and falls off. The leaves and the trees themselves are growing vigorously and look very healthy. I'm not finding any clues or bugs and not sure what is causing this. Help!! We are in zone 10, CA bay area. thanks

Comments (4)

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    I don't have a lot of experience with the others; but for the Meyer, I would guess you are giving it too much Nitrogen, when it is blooming... which for the Meyer will cause it to dump flowers/fruits in favor of growing leaves/branches.
    If you could post a photo of the whole tree, we could make a better guess. Unlike most citrus which do well on an NPK ratio of 5-1-3, the Meyer needs 3-1-2 to be productive; and quite a bit of that. I am assuming your trees are planted inground, so if you can find a citrus fertilizer like 15-5-10 with Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, and Zinc, your Meyer will be happy. I feed mine the first week of January, May, and September; and for garden trees planted inground I have found it nearly impossible to overfeed a Meyer. Again, most people here know that I am a one trick pony; so you will need advice from others about the other varieties. As always the more photos you can post, the better answers you will get; add also your fertilizer and water regimens, things like the pH of your soil and water, what rootstock your trees are on...

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    10 years ago

    Agree with John, here. More photos of your trees would be helpful, especially a whole tree photo. If they are thriving and are green and lush, they sound healthy. I've included a link to a nice article on how to care for citrus for those of us in California, including when the fertilize. In addition to the micros John has mentioned, you should also see Manganese listed, as we tend to be a bit low in Manganese, at least, in S. California we are. Your soils will be different than mine, and fairly significantly I would think. I put my first fertilizer app down in February, a bit later than John, since John lives in a very warm part of the world. I fertilize again in March or April, due to my poorer soil (DG), and the chlorosis we can see during our winter months, then again, in June, and lastly in September/October. Similar to John's schedule, just a little later, as we need to allow for our temps to warm up more, so that the trees can absorb the micros.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Questions and Answers to Citrus Management

  • lapidaryart
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    thank you, I actually hadn't considered a fertilization issue, I was stuck on pest. I pulled a blueberry bush out of the same spot and into a container. it developed cranberry fruit worms so I'm paranoid that there is something in the soil. I have not found any of the webbing/worms on the citrus tree though. I've used Dr Earth's organic fruit tree fertilizer a few times, that's about it.

    This is a photo of the Variegated Pink Lemon Tree, the Lime is in front and the Meyer on the left. The Variegated one is a monster! It's grown about 2 feet this year and is about 5 ft tall now, probably needs a pruning. They were all about 2 ft tall when planted.

    thanks again, please let me know any other possibilities to explore....!

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    It's likely fertilization; organics, especially are seriously lacking in what they need. If you want to stay organic, look for Citrus Tone; it is a bit pricey, but quite good. For the Meyer I would use 1 1/2 times what the label recommends.
    Other than that, your trees look relatively healthy; perhaps still on the young side of production. For the Meyer watch the flowers... if they have a strong purple base, you can expect them to make fruit; if the flowers are mostly or all white, it means the tree is too young and few if any will make fruits.

Sponsored
Landscape Concepts of Fairfax, Inc.
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars17 Reviews
Northern VA's Creative Team of Landscape Designers & Horticulturists