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Post by peasonearth on Mar 21, 2015 11:40:39 GMT -5
We got a lemon and put it in the kitchen. The leaves at the bottom are yellowing and some have fallen off. We have one of those water globes and they empty out within a day which makes me think the soil is too well-draining and the plant is being over-watered. Anybody have experience with these and know what the culprit might be? I'll try and add a picture.
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Post by Veggie Gal on Mar 21, 2015 12:27:51 GMT -5
I have a lemon and lime tree, outside in pots. Too much water will cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop off. You need to take the water globe out of the pot. Get a moisture meter that you can poke into the soil to check how wet it is, when it gets to the dry side water it. You might want to let it dry out for about a week without watering. Check your area for fertilizer requirements. Are you going to take it outside when the weather is good for the summer?
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Post by peasonearth on Mar 21, 2015 12:32:26 GMT -5
I kind of figured there was too much water going in. I think I need to get the soil more acidic as well. They need that, right? We may put it outside once it's finally warm enough. It'll get the same sun it does now, afternoon and evening. I'll get a moisture meter and start monitoring more. Edit: finally got the picture added Attachments:
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Post by davidjp on Mar 31, 2015 18:51:26 GMT -5
As veggiegal suggested get a water moisture meters, they're under $10. I'd also allow it to get fairly dry before watering it again. They can be quite drought tolerant. I'd also get a citrus fertilizer, lemons can use quite a bit of nitrogen, the citrus fertilizers usually come with the micronutrients that they need as well. I wouldn't worry too much about pH as long as its not too extreme. But I think you're problem was definitely overwatering in this case.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Mar 31, 2015 20:25:54 GMT -5
How big does that get inside? What type of temps does it need? I live in zone 5....is that something I could try, putting it outside when my squash go in the ground, near end of May?
David, Sunset zone? Is there such a thing?
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Post by davidjp on Mar 31, 2015 22:00:55 GMT -5
Sunset zone? Is there such a thing?
Its just a different system developed by "Sunset" magazine over the years. They publish a book "Western garden" which is pretty much the manual for gardening in the west. It was done because there are so many microclimates around here that traditional USDA zones don't make much sense. There's I think 24 zones and besides just lowest winter temp they take not account heat levels and other factors as well collected over a long period.
My zone is 19, which I think is termed thermal belts around inland valleys. That means we are on the side of a large valley and so when it does get frosty the frost descends into the valley and as a result it never gets quite as cold as 2 miles down the hill from here. That has huge consequences in that every 10-15 years on average there is a big freeze and lots of stuff like citrus avocados will be in jeopardy. So here traditional it was the heart of citrus growing whereas down in the valley bottom it was more walnuts, pecans and other things a little more frost tolerant. Its just a way of defining some of the microclimates in the west and especially for here in southern california where the mountains and proximity to the sea make a huge difference in what you can grow. Theres just a lot of diversity around here, last weekend it was 95 but at the top of the local mountains there are still patches of snow visible.
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Post by claude on Apr 1, 2015 9:08:05 GMT -5
I love to grow citrus..I'd really like to grow Meyer lemons..tx sister does..I get bloom and small fruit but overwintering is a struggle. They like it kinda dry..but when you over do dry it's not good..you lose branches.
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Post by Veggie Gal on Apr 3, 2015 16:36:04 GMT -5
David, where I live I have to keep an eye on my Myer Lemon tree all the time. I check on it everyday. The hot weather we had recently made the tree drop many of the lemons that started to grow. I have lots more and many blossoms so it will be fine. It's just temperamental. While my lime tree just grows like crazy and give me lots of limes, I'm so glad I love them........ They are both in pots.
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Post by davidjp on Apr 3, 2015 21:24:28 GMT -5
I really like Meyer lemons but I've found they do seem to need quite a bit of fertiliser, but I guess that could be my soil. Mine doesn't seem to have set quite as much fruit either but its looking healthy and I should have plenty. I'm thinking of taking out some plants that grow under a large bay window and replacing with 4-5 Meyers and keeping them as a small hedge. I love the smell of the blossom and think they look nice and I've found them to be fairly water wise.
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Post by Veggie Gal on Apr 4, 2015 13:06:27 GMT -5
The hedge sounds wonderful and the smell will be delicious. I've finally found the right fertilization schedule for along the coast and my tree has really put on leaves, flowers and lemons. It's now doing well. I still have to baby it.........do you grow limes? My lime tree is so prolific, I really love limes in food, even on veggies but especially pork and chicken. I even squeeze on steak after I slice it, lemon works well too and a dash of olive oil.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 5, 2015 8:00:40 GMT -5
I love limes too and actually prefer them to lemons although I'm sure our store lemons don't taste nearly as good and the Meyer lemons you guys are growing.
In Caribbean countries they have Limons which are yellow like lemons but small and round like limes and they taste like a cross between the two of them. I really like those but have never seen them for sale here.
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Post by davidjp on Apr 5, 2015 11:49:34 GMT -5
I've got a Mexican lime, a Persian lime and a Eustis limequat, which is a cross between a lime and a kumquat. Also I've got a Keiffer lime which is for the leaves for thai dishes, but I actually use the fruits as well for making thai curry pastes, not sure there much use for these otherwise as they are quite bitter and not very juicy but very fragrant. I've heard they are good for making a hairwash that will get rid of lice but thankfully haven't had to test that one out. So all in all I'm quite a lime fan, most of these are fairly recently planted in the past couple of years so haven't had huge harvests as yet. I'm told that mexican lime is a bit marginal for riverside as they are the most frost sensitive citrus and I would think you probably have the perfect climate for it. But we're slightly on the side of the hill and I think better than on the valley floor. If you're ever in the area check out the California citrus state historic park www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649I live about a mile and a half away and the park has a good collection of different varieties and their mexican lime looks pretty good so am hoping mine does as well in the long run. In Caribbean countries they have Limons which are yellow like lemons but small and round like limes and they taste like a cross between the two of them. I really like those but have never seen them for sale here. Theres tons of different varieties but I wonder if what you're talking about is a ripe mexican lime/ key lime. When fully ripe they will go a yellow colour The only reason I say that is from this article about citrus from a California wholesale nursery, he has quite a lot of interesting stuff about citrus and mentions that in the tropics they call mexican limes limon and sell them ripe here's the article, you have to scroll down to citrus and look for the section on lemons, sorry its not more user friendly but there's good info there. www.montereybaynursery.com/plants.php?alpha=C Brown- you need to get yourself one and keep it in a pot, they make great houseplants, theres a citrus forum i sometimes go on and they have people all over the US growing them indoors. I doubt you'd get much fruit but the smell of the blossom is worth it just for that and the foliage is quite nice as well. Meyers are nice, this year we bought another one as a christmas tree and had it in the lounge over Christmas when it flowered and the room smelled lovely, that was the reason we bought it really, with the warm wetaher it seemed to have brought it onto flower early so that why we bought it. Now i just need to find a place for it outside.
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Post by OregonRed on Apr 5, 2015 20:41:53 GMT -5
there is a vendor here at the all year Saturday market that grows myer lemons year round too, she says she brings them in , in the winter.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 6, 2015 9:11:54 GMT -5
Theres tons of different varieties but I wonder if what you're talking about is a ripe mexican lime/ key lime
You are probably right about that. I never really gave it much thought. They do seem a lot more like limes but look like round lemons because they are light yellow. They do taste different than the limes I can buy here.
The first time we saw them was in Mexico but we have also seen them in Costa Rica and possibly in Puerto Rico but I can't remember that for sure.
We are not fluent in Spanish. We just know enough to get around, ask directions, order in restaurants, etc so if it looks like one of those little round yellow things, we call it a limon! I honestly never thought about what it actually was, I just know that we like them.
We like to experiment eating different fruits and veggies and sometimes they do not even have an English translation so it's quite interesting.
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Post by gardensupplies on Apr 7, 2015 3:06:40 GMT -5
RE:Reasons for Lemon leaves turning yellow There are plenty of reasons for yellowing,the most common are:
1.Lack of water-check the soil,if it is dried then make sure to water frequently or deep watering is essential. 2.Insect pests-Still some yellowing occurs then look for the pest infestation. Neem oil is one of the safe insecticides which doesn't harm anybody. 3.lack of sunlight-the lack of sunlight could be the one of the reason.if this is the case ,move the plant to a location which contain more sunlight. 4.Nutrient Deficiencies-the other may be the damaged roots,roots are comparatively tighter in the container or nutrient deficiencies.
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