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boozemonkey

Meyer Lemon Diagnosis Please

Boozemonkey
10 years ago

Soil: Nursery mix (sand, peat. Compost?)
Soil PH: 5.0
Soil Temp: 68
Room Temp: 72

Problem: Green leaves with yellow veins, green leaves yellow tips, cupped leaves, inward curled leaves

Hi guys looking for some answers, after reading a few posts I know that the expert members on here love seeing pictures and data so I tried to provide as much as possible for a correct diagnosis :) I did search on the forums but was still confused as to what this could be.

Background info: When I first bought this tree I fed it with Miracle Grow Citrus Shake and Feed. After discovering this forum and doing some reading, I found out its not for container plants. I then started feeding with Foliage Pro and Pro-Tekt. The MG is still in the soil, I don't know how to remove it. I had a small outbreak of spider mites. I treated with neem and Pro-tekt. The other tree I bought from this nursery, had terrible soil that looked moist but really it was dry as a bone in the center. It was a ball of hydrophobic sand near the rootball! I would like to know whats causing the symptoms above and what I can do to remedy the situation.

Thanks in advance!

Booze
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This post was edited by Boozemonkey on Thu, Dec 19, 13 at 19:34

Comments (10)

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Soil pH is a little low; as is soil temp; but not unmanageable. Looks like you put oil on the leaves maybe when the temp was a little too high (hot sun coming thru the window, for example). Overall, your tree looks pretty good; I would probably harvest the fruit. Also, I think most people wash off the neem oil after applying it; you can do that in the shower, or outside with a hose, and that also helps to control spider mites.

  • Boozemonkey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks John,

    I appreciate the info. I cant wash off the neem because its at my office. I do try to mist the plant often. Will leaving the neem on there harm the plant?

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago

    Don't mist the plant at all. It does nothing....but could lead to potential trouble. I find that too much Neem will "suffocate" the leaves and they won't transpirate as well. In the past, I've had to hand wash the leaves with water and lemon juice to cut the Neem.

    When did you add the MG? And how long is the MG intended to last? With that information, you should be able to get a rough estimate of how much/how potent the remaining MG still is. Either way, the yellowing would seem to indicate a nutrient issue.

    My Meyer looks similar, too...always hungry.

    Josh

  • ssmdgardener
    10 years ago

    Leaf vein chlorosis may indicate a nitrogen deficiency. Since you're already feeding it regularly with Foliago Pro, the problem may be low ph interfering with nitrogen uptake.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Information about leaf vein chlorosis from Texas A&M

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Look at the new growth; it tells you how the plant is doing today. The older yellowing leaves tell you the plant was not happy in the past; that is the past... if the new growth looks good, keep doing what you are doing now.

  • ssmdgardener
    10 years ago

    John, in nitrogen deficiency, older leaves show the symptoms first before the newer, younger leaves.

    Edit: added link

    Here is a link that might be useful: Occurs on older leaves first then toward the younger leaves

    This post was edited by ssmdgardener on Sat, Dec 21, 13 at 22:10

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    ssmdgardener....

    thank you for enlightening me. I will apply that new knowledge to my 21,000 Meyers.

    John

  • ssmdgardener
    10 years ago

    It's interesting how nitrogen deficiency is shown first on older leaves, but deficiencies of other micronutrients like iron and zinc are shown on newer leaves.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Here's another link with a picture

  • Boozemonkey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi everyone,

    Thank you for all the help. After reading all the responses I do think its a nutrient deficiency. I'm theorizing that the nutrients are there, it's just not being absorbed by the plant so I'm back to looking at the low temp/low PH issue.

    Greenman - Thanks for the advice on the neem. I'm afraid if i rub the leaves down they will just fall off. I added the MG (crud) in early October. MG says on the bottle it will last three months.

    John - I have literally no new growth. In any of my citrus :(

    SSM - Thanks for the info, I agree with what you're thinking

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago

    Booze, so that means that the MG is nearly finished, especially if you've been watering thoroughly and flushing the soil every three waterings or so. I'd start fertilizing 1/2 strength to supplement as the MG's potency wanes.

    If those leaves won't hold onto the tree, I'd give the tree a gentle shake and just let them drop off now. The sooner they drop, the sooner new leaves will grow. Over the next two months, my Citrus will drop a lot of interior leaves due to lower light levels. It is what is it.

    Josh