The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Posted on by Posted in Edibles, Tree .
For four years now, I’ve been doing my best to keep a Meyer Lemon tree alive and somewhat thriving. It is a container bound tree that lives outdoors June through September and indoors in front of a south facing window the remainder of the year. It has been a struggle ever since I received the little tree stub for Christmas from my beautiful bride but I am determined to eventually see the “fruits” of my labor.
Here is how it looks in its current state (actually from a week ago):      

It has quadrupled in size but as you can tell, it is a bit awkward as many leaves have dropped from the branches over the years. As I move the container indoors each autumn, the tree becomes unhappy and sheds some leaves in protest. The tree manages to hold on OK through the winter, but it is your classic “one step forward and two steps back” situation.

So now I’ve decided to make some changes to hopefully get me a nice looking and well limbed tree and most importantly, some friggin fruit. Actually, my first fruit appeared this summer and here’s hoping I can keep it on the tree over the winter:

Fingers are crossed.

Back to my changes:

  • I think I panicked a bit in the past and brought my tree in too soon; usually mid to late September. This year, I gave the tree a few more weeks of outdoor time and only brought it in last week in anticipation of our first frost.
  • I made it a point to slowly transition my tree from the outdoors to its ultimate winter landing place. The tree went from full sun all summer to partial sun for a week to my garage for a week. I am now ready to bring her indoors and hopefully the transition is a bit less stressful this year.
  • I never considered fertilizing my lemon tree while indoors but I am open to doing so this year. I’ve read quite a bit on the topic and while opinions vary, I am leaning towards feeding. What would you suggest?
  • I had previously lined the bottom of the container with perlite to aid in the drainage process but I can now attest to the fact that I believe that actually hindered the drainage. The perlite is out, new soil and a larger container are in and here’s hoping we get some positives out of this.
  • Finally, I made the investment in a grow light and I’m counting on this to supplement the light the tree typically gets from my south facing window.

I’ll be closely tracking the development of the tree this “off-season” and will share the results. In the interim, I beg for your feedback on what has or hasn’t worked for you.

As always, thank you.

John  

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8 Responses

  2. I don’t think I’d fertilize, as you’ve already given your lemon some fresh soil and a bigger container. I’d recommend letting it “sleep” over the winter, then fertilizing it next spring as it starts getting more light and starts actively growing again. (I’m far from an expert, though.)

  3. I’ve had a container grown meyer lemon for about 5 or 6 years. I actually bought it on sale, meaning….it was dying. One year I will have a ton of lemons, the next maybe five. Last year I had thirty, this year I will have about eleven. I had a ton of blooms, but a storm blew through and almost left it naked. I never bring my tree in until the last possible moment…a freeze. I will have leaf drop during the winter, but the leaves come out beautifully once it is returned outside in the spring. I will feed mine once I remove the last lemon, probably in late December or early January. I’m not for certain why your tree is not prospering. I hate to say this, but it really should have more leafs. Good luck!

  4. I am getting ready to pick the 3 lemons I have off of my meyer lemon. I bring it into my unheated porch in the middle of October, and then move it indoors in mid-late November. I keep by an northern window in my house, and I get blooms all winter long, and fruits start before I bring it out to the porch again by April. (I bought it 2 summers ago, and it is still a small bush, but looks a lot healthier than your picture.

    Wendy

  5. Hi John,
    I’ve grown quite a few different types of citrus, but the longest-lived has been the Meyer lemon. A couple of questions: when did you repot it? What and at what level had you fed it during the summer? I use a water soluble acid-loving plant fertilizer through the summer along with a general all-purpose time-release food. There is also a fertilizer made specifically for citrus. I give my citrus a shot of weak fertilizer in the winter (I’m a Zone 6 and have a south-facing sunroom with no supplemental lighting) but cut back just a bit on water. Best of luck! E-mail me if you have more questions.

  7. In Phoenix, AZ, citrus grows pretty easily.However, I do notice the flowers are winter blooming. Since you bring yours inside for the winter, do you manually pollinate them since there are no bees?

  8. Don’t over water. Continue feeding during the winter with an acid loving fertilizer. Sunniest window. Good draining potting mix. I like using a clay pot too. I almost killed my meyer lemon this past spring…I didn’t realize it was sitting in water. I cut it back hard and then it spent the summer outdoors and really made a comeback. I have 3 lemons turning yellow right now. Hope this helps.
    Melanie

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