The photo is a classically underfed Meyer trying to make fruit, new growth and flowers. Note the newest leaves are good color; it is because the plant is sucking the nutrients out of the oldest leaves to use to make fruits, new leaves, and flowers.
Can you over fertilize an inground Meyer??? I think you really have to be trying to do it. I have found it nearly impossible to over fertilize a garden Meyer... I have done it in field trials, where it was my intent to see how much I could feed the trees before it was obvious they were over fed; but I have never experienced that with my garden Meyers. The "smaller cheaper" Meyer is not yet producing; which is why it is easier to keep it "happy".

FYI, my commercial producing Meyers( I have 21,000 now) get 3 pounds per year of 18-6-12 with trace minerals (specially formulated for me); and sometimes I think that is not enough.

John, if it is hard to over-fertilize a tree, then would all the extra fertilizer just go to waste?
Do these trees only utilize so much in any given year?

Thank you:-)

Mike

Mike,

I only said it is hard to over feed a Meyer Inground. Any "extra" food will be absorbed by your tree and stimulate growth/flowers/fruit. The tree actually lets you know when it has enough food; if enough, the new flush will have a reddish brown color; if not enough, that color will be absent; if too much (I only know this from field trials) the new flush will be "warped" or curled... make sure it is not aphids; because too much fertilizer sometimes looks like aphid infestation... check it with your 10x loupe (an essential tool for all growers).

First, THANKS John for your analysis.

Next, I am going to give the tree another shot and see if I can't stop future yellowing and get the new growth to have that reddish color.

I know Meyers are special in a way, but I am thinking that perhaps I am underfertilizing almost *all* my citrus. Lots of pale green, almost yellow new growth :(

Hey John: If you are using 18-6-12, I have a question -- here in Tucson we use Arizona's Best Citrus Fertilizer (ABCF) with a formula of 13-10-4. What addition to ABCF would you recommend to bring up the "K" value?

Thx

P.

ABCF is a very good product for most citrus; it takes into account the high pH of your soils and the wide temperature swings, and the generally sandy nature of the soils.

IMHO it is not a good fertilizer for Meyers. A producing Meyer needs an NPK ratio of 3-1-2 and a lot of it. My producing trees get 3 pounds per year of 18-6-12; and sometimes I think that is not enough. My proprietary mix also has 2% Mg and Ca; and 1% Fe and Zn. I also give them a shot of chelated minerals once a year in July as an insurance policy. In high pH soils your Meyer will need chelated Iron, as regular iron cannot be absorbed by the tree when soil pH is 8 or more... 7.5 is iffy. Rather than trying to "fix" ABCF, I would look for something better for my Meyers and save the ABCF for "ordinary" citrus.

Hi John:

Thanks for your suggestions. I do all my fruit trees here 3 or 4 times a year (depending on the actual season) with chelated minerals (esp. iron and zinc) and also powdered sulfur to ultimately reduce the pH. I think that the trace minerals helped protect my citrus last winter when a lot of Tucson citrus was badly impacted.Also, it appears that 6-4-6 (or 8-4-8) is the best I can easily obtain. Would that be an improvement over ABCF?

BTW, congratulations on the successful progress of your Guatemala venture! I bet it smells great during bloom!

Peter

Is it just me or does that tree look like it's buried in a pit? If so, that would explain yellowing and defoliation.

uh oh. I'll some more pics...

I will chime in here. I am not a Meyer specialist, but currently have 4 Meyers in the ground in a variety of soils and conditions. I agree with Johnmerr that your Meyer looks underfed. It could be a root health issue in that they are not taking up food. The leaves are telling you a story, but it's last week's or month's story!

Is it possible to over feed citrus ? yes.... IF....
If you have recently fed it and NOT given it ample water and let it dry out, there is the potential to burn those roots. I've done this. If you fed it well and given it plenty of water and kept the soil moist, then it may take some time for the nutrients to be taken up by the roots.

I see one or two leaves with a burnt tip. This is what i got when i let one of my Meyers get too dry (after feeding during hot dry weather). The burnt tip progressed from a series of suddenly yellow leaves.

Good luck and give us an update on your progress!
- George K