"G Burton" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your reply.

I don't know where the drip line is. the tree has a radius of about 10
ft, and the grass is about 2 ft from the trunk.

What harm does the grass do? The grass probably isn't much of a factor
because the tree is in the corner the grass covers less and less than 25%
of the circle beneath it.

I think it is getting plenty of water. The lemons also get almost the
size of small grapefruits sometimes. For some reason, it has not been
developing fruit high in the tree -- only in the lower half. Is that a
sign of insufficient water?

What do you think about what the nurseryman said about a mineral
deficiency?

Do you think I might be on the right track, but just too impatient? It
seems to me that it might take a long time for the minerals to get down to
the roots.


The rule of thumb is that the roots branch out into the soil as far as the
branches grow from the trunk, so the drip line is the circle around the tree
as wide as the longest branch.

As for the suspected soil defency, anything done over the internet is just a
random guess. Consider getting your soil tested. Many university extention
campuses in america will test it for free, or for a small fee. You didn't
say where you are located.

Grass competes with the tree for water and nutrients, which is why orchards
often remove the weeds that grow around the drip line as seen in this
picture.

http://home.earthlink.net/~gathering...%20Orchard.jpg
If that url doesn't work, try this one:
http://xrl.us/fduh

-S