Well, if you've read through this forum, you'll nearly all the successful container citrus folks use their own potting mix, as the stuff that comes out of a bag is just much too dense. Moisture meters like you have stuck in your pot can be notoriously inaccurate, and certainly will not tell you what's going on at the bottom of your pot, which can very well be a swamp, while the top of your soil can appear very dry. So, the first thing I would do is re-pot with either "Gritty Mix" or "511 Mix", both formulas can be found on this forum.

Secondly, those same container growers prefer to use Dyna Gro Foliage Pro, mainly because it has the proper NPK ratio (it's not just about the N), plus all the micronutrients. Plus, the nitrogen is non-urea based, which is very important to prevent biuret build-up and leaf burn. You can use Foliage Pro either 1/2 strength or full strength with every watering. I would water, first, to moisten the roots, then fertilize. Never apply fertilizer to dry roots.

Misting. Again. The myth that will not die. Citrus do not need high humidity. If this were so, they'd never survive in our S. California deserts, where there are still thousands of acres of commercial citrus groves. I have no idea where this myth got started. Yes, you citrus will always benefit from a hosing off, to remove house dust and discourage pests (all house plants will benefit from a hosing off), but you do not need to waste your time misting.

And, I would leave your lights on longer. Meyer lemons are rather sensitive to light changes, so you'll see leaf drop, but, your tree looks to me like it's suffering more from compacted soil and lack of fertilizer, than lack of light. So, try fixing those two things, first.

Fungus gnats can pop up in any soil, organic or not. They proliferate from too wet soils (which is my suspicion going on with your tree), so re-pot with better potting mix, and if they come back, you can use a product called, Gnatrol. It takes a couple of applications, but it is very effective. Another one of our forum members suggested another very effective product, just can't remember it off the top of my head. Hopefully, they'll post their product for you.

Patty S.

Thanks Patty!

I had a sneaking suspicion I was going to have to repot I was just hoping there was another answer since I've never done this. Anyway, I'll watch some videos online. I do have a bunch of little lemons (like 1/2 the size of my pinky nail), should I prune all of those off first? I'm assuming repotting is stressful and the plant well need to conserve resources. The plant has self-pruned about half of them off. I was hoping that I could save 1 or 2 of them but I'd rather have a plant that is going to survive long term than 1 or 2 more lemons. Thanks again for the fast response! I'm really enjoying my first real attempt at keeping a plant alive, and as weird as it sounds I love this little tree. :)

Brittany

It is difficult to add anything to what Patty has offered but I will try. When you repot into a better mix as suggested, you should change your watering habits. Each time you water use enough to get about 20% of what you applied coming out of your drain holes. This will avoid the buildup up of fertilizer salts in the mix, which may well be the cause of your foliage tip burn. Al

Ok, sorry to be such a hassle but I have called 3 garden centers close to me and none have partially composed pine bark. One center recommended that I try using a premixed soil made for succulent plants as an alternative. The brand he suggested is Hoffman Organic Potting Soil Succulent Mix which contains: Canadian Peat Moss, Reed Sedge Peat, Perlite, Sand, & Limestone. He said I could try that mixed with the granite stones. Thoughts on this?

Thanks!

Brittany

Or I found another poster on this site mentioned repotme.com They dont have partially composted pine but they do have "Orchiata⢠Monterey Pine Bark - Small" that they can mix with equal parts turface and granite. If its not partially composted what does that mean for me? Do I need to do anything different if I use this? I know this site is expensive but I live in 700 sqft apt in downtown Chicago and it was below freezing outside today so I'm willing to pay to have someone mix this for me this time around, I'm afraid if I wait till spring when I could mix it myself outside my poor Meyer would be dead.

http://repotme.com/orchid-potting-media/Monterey-Pine-Bark-Small.html

And also just to check the granite I want is "chicken granite" 3/16"- 5/16" diameter pieces right? Or do i want the "turkey granite" 5/16" - 1/2" pieces?

Thanks again for your help! This potting soil is going to be expensive so I don't want to order the wrong thing. Can't wait to post follow-up pictures of my revived Meyer, hopefully by then I can even figure out how to get the pic right side up :)

Brittany

Brittany. I use repti bark from pet smart. I use 5 parts bark. I part coarse perlite ,1 part spag. Moss..I put in a little dolomite . Some people also put in a small amount of Osmocote slow release fertilizer in the starter mix this is the 5-1-1 . I couldn't find the ingredients for the gritty mix you mentioned, . My 16 citrus trees have thrived in this mix. Don't have to worry about over watering. I also use dyna grow foilage fertilizer full strength with every watering. Except now that they are in the greenhouse I stopped fertilizing for the winter and water less . If yours are in the house will probably need to feed Patty has given you excellent advise .
Hope this helps Maggy

This post was edited by maggyby on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 13:39

Yes, remove most of your fruit. The tree just doesn't have quite enough leaf canopy to support fruit production. And, in using Foliage Pro, you really shouldn't have any issues with biuret build up, as it is completely urea-free, the nitrogen source is not from a urea-based product, which is why it is such a good choice for container citrus. I still think it's good to flush out the root zone on occasion, though. As well as give any house plant a decent shower on a regular basis.

Patty S.