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wort_11

Help diagnosing the problem with my Lemon tree

Wort_11
9 years ago

Hey. Some time ago I decided to grow a lemon tree from seed, so I planted a seed of a lemon which I bought in a local store. The plant is now 1 year and a half old, 40 cm tall and in general, it looks healthy to me. Since it sprouted it had been repotted for 3 times (yes, I probably did it too many times). There is one problem that bothers me. Few leaves (the older ones, the ones towards the bottom of the plant) are getting discolored and some of them look like they got "sunburnt". Any idea what could it be? (Picture incuded)

I live in Croatia and I keep my plant indoors, on window shelf (towards south), so temperatures shouldnt be a problem. I never fertilized my plant, but since it got repotted 3 times in its short lifetime, I didn't think lack of nutrients would be the case either. I water it frequently but not overreacting (I wait for soil to get completely dry before watering it again).

Since I'm a complete newby, Im asking you for a help.

Comments (11)

  • johnmerr
    9 years ago

    Don't let the soil get completely dry; citrus like moist root zones, but not flooded root zones. Give it some food, a good balanced fertilizer in diluted dosage and often.
    Put a little vinegar in the water with the fertilizer... maybe a teaspoon.

  • Wort_11
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    So basically all this plant needs is a fertilizer and it should be fine? Do I need to buy a fertilizer for citrus trees or would any fertilizer get the job done? (this is probably stupid question, but can I use orchid fertilizer?)

  • Wort_11
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Also...I found 3 different fertilizers at home..is any of those suitable?
    First one is NPK 10-6-8 ratio
    Second is 6-8-8
    3rd one is 8-8-8 ratio.

    I guess you mean 1 teaspoon of vinegar in a gallon of water?

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    Looks like the symptoms of oedema to me, brought about primarily by over-watering, exacerbated by any one or a combination of low light, soil compaction, cool temperatures, lack of air movement ..... Take a close look at your soil and change it if it's warranted - use a lighter hand on the watering can.

    Al

  • Wort_11
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @AI

    Thank you for your answer. For my plant I used well drained potting soil. There are even weep holes in pot so there never stays any excess water. When it comes to light, my plant gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight so I'm not sure how lack of light could cause the problem.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    The pot looks a bit small, but I can't see the entire plant.

    The potting mix looks too heavy, too much peat.

    Indoor or outdoor sunlight?

    10-6-8 fertilizer would be the best of those that you have available.

    Josh

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    FWIW - how well a soil drains has little to do with the fact that water flows through the soil and out the drain holes. The key is how much water the soil retains, and in particular, how tall the layer of soggy soil at the bottom of the container is. It's not uncommon for commercially prepared soils based on peat or other fine composted products to support 6" or more of perched water. This means that after saturating the soil, up to 6" of it could be completely saturated, and would remain that way until it evaporates or it's used by the plant. Unfortunately, a lot of water in the soil inhibits water uptake AND root function, often causing symptoms exactly like those in the picture you posted.

    I'll leave you a link that emphasizes the importance of a soil's structure and it's ability to hold enough air to keep the root system happy to your ability to consistently bring along healthy plant material. A healthy plant isn't possible unless you can keep the root system happy.

    Al

    Here is a link that might be useful: More about soils if you click me .....

  • Wort_11
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for your answers. AI, I'll listen to you and read an article you posted.

    Btw, can you recommend me what kind of soil should I use, so I repot my lemon tree?

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    This might sound vague, but what you use as a soil doesn't matter, as long as you can water correctly and the soil holds a reasonable amount of water. You'll understand what I mean perfectly if you work toward an understanding of the info at the link I left. You'll see by other's posts to the thread (almost 3,000 now) that soil choice makes a dramatic difference in how much opportunity you're able to offer your plants to realize their potential.

    Al

  • johnmerr
    9 years ago

    edema is caused by factors other than light; it is most commonly a result of soil that is too cool relative to the air temperature. Citrus roots do not grow well in cool soil; and the existing roots tend to absorb more water than the plant, which is not growing, can transpire. The simplest solution is to put some sort of heating pad to warm the root zone.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    "[Looks like] oedema to me, brought about primarily by over-watering, exacerbated by any one or a combination of low light, soil compaction, cool temperatures, lack of air movement ....." When I wrote this, I had the uneasy feeling I was forgetting one of the important influences ...... and I was. That is, high humidity levels.

    Cool soil temperatures slow water absorption, so would decrease turgidity and the likelihood of oedema. High soil temperatures increase the probability of oedema becoming a problem. Cool AIR temperatures slow respiration and cause higher turgidity and thus increase the potential for manifestation of oedema. A reduction in the amount of leaf surface a plant has (defoliation) can also cause symptoms of oedema.

    Al