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08-07-2005, 06:26 PM

wrote:

Citrus is self-thinning. Fruit falls off if more is started than
the tree can support. Other causes of fruit-drop include improper
watering (too much or too little), poor drainage, lack of zinc, and
insect damage

Thanks for your input David. The tree is rather small, only about
three feet tall. Perhaps it's not ready to form fruit yet? I'm also
wondering about the watering. What kind of watering schedule do citrus,
and lemons in particular, like? I water the tree along with the rest
of my patio pots, which seem to do fine with a good soaking every two
or three days.

Three feet is good for a dwarf citrus. If it's not a dwarf, it
might never bear fruit while planted in a container. My dwarf
Eureka lemon is about three feet tall and has about 20 full-size
ripe lemons plus smaller green lemons that are still maturing. In
the past month, I've already picked about five lemons; so it may
have had over two dozen.

Where I live, my potted citrus gets watered at least every other
day. However, they are all in either redwood tubs or terra cotta
pots, both with drain holes. Also, they are all elevated on bricks
above concrete rounds. Thus, with my home-made potting mix, any
excess water drains away very quickly. Citrus are very sensitive
to poor drainage.

Note that, with frequent watering and excellent drainage,
container-grown citrus requires frequent light feedings. Nitrogen,
iron, and zinc quickly leach away and need to be replaced. Never
feed when the soil is dry; otherwise, you will burn the roots
(another cause of fruit drop).

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at URL:http://www.rossde.com/garden/