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geis88

Dropping Leaves & Tiny Flies: Citrus Problems in the Midwest

Geis88
10 years ago

Hello all!

First and foremost, thanks to all for the wealth of information I gleaned from this site for other plants in my garden. I've used it so much that I finally made an account :)

Problem 1: Dropping Leaves
My dwarf Meyer lemon tree has taken a one-way ticket on the struggle bus and I'm down to my last ditch efforts to try and resurrect it. I brought it inside back in Sept.(when the weather got below 40 degrees), which is when it and my dwarf lime tree started dropping leaves. Upon researching possible causes, I determined they weren't getting the sunlight and humidity they needed and purchased a grow light and plugged in the humidifier. My lime tree stopped shedding and is now exploding with new leaves! My lemon tree doesn't seem to want to join the club. Here's the stats (applies to both trees):

Central Iowa - zone 5
Purchased in June 2013 and potted in a 14" pot with Miracle Gro Cactus & Citrus Soil.
Used miracle grow 20-20-20 plant food once a month starting in July.
Last fertilized with this ~3 weeks ago (found out this probably wasn't a good idea with all the leaf drop...)
Fertilzed with Early May bone and blood meal and Espoma Citrus Tone after they were brought inside in October.
Epsom salt added 3 weeks ago.
Humidifier running 24 hours for the last 2 months.
A 4 bulb T5 HO grow lamp on for 10 hours a day since Oct.
Lamp ~6" above plants.
Watered only when needed (barely damp to dry)
Dug up SOME roots - white to pale yellow and firm
Leaves get pale before falling (pictures coming)
Never below 65 degrees, warmer at night when space heater is running.
Misted with water once a day for the last month.
It appears to have small buds forming, but many turn into flower buds, not leaves.
The only thing I can think to do now is dig up the whole tree and repot it, but it only has 16 leaves left and I don't know if I should cut my losses and start over next year.

Problem 2: The Tiny Flies
These tiny bugs (~2mm long) came in with the trees. Small flies with shiny wings and very proliferation... they are now EVERYWHERE! Recommendations to use apple cider vinegar to draw them in and drown them were fruitless and I'm pretty sure I could hear their tiny laughter. They are fragile (try to brush them off my computer screen and inadvertently smear them everywhere) and are drawn to water... Any water left out, I find them in. Tried 2 different insecticides to no avail... though I can't positively identify the sprays as I borrowed them from a friend. Any suggestions? Pictures coming for them too :)

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