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kenji_matsuoka

Meyer lemon leaves yellowing, no new growth.

Kenji Matsuoka
9 years ago

I got this tree about a year and a half ago. The leaves started yellowing last summer and no new growth since then, although it did produce a dozen or so small lemons over the winter. It stays outdoors here in San Francisco, gets 8 hours sun most if the year.

I wouldn't say the yellowing has gotten much worse lately, but it's almost like it's in a state of suspended animation.

It's around 2 1/2 feet tall and I repotted it to a maybe 10 gallon pot a couple months ago. The root system didn't look especially vigorous. The original soil it came with is sandy and dense. It has the strange quality that the soil moisture meter always reads high, even when it's totally dry and the leaves are starting to wilt. When repotting I added potting mix with a bunch of vermiculite.

During warmer months I've given it 30-10-10 Grow-More Soil Acidifier monthly. That fertilizer is supposed to be good for citrus and it has some iron in it. I've generally watered it deeply once a week.

About a month ago I notified that there was some soil built up on around the base of the trunk, so I cleared that off.

One odd thing about the yellowing is that some leaves that were shaded by another leaf didn't yellow in the shaded area. You can see that in the photo.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

- Kenji

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