Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Lemon tree not looking too healthy..Why?
We were, slightly to our horror, given a 18" tall lemon tree in a pot for Xmas. I have no experience of citrus in the UK.
It's currently in an unheated, SW facing conservatory. Temp got down to zero in there! It came with 3 lemons, all now picked and is forming one new lemon. I am mindful of not overwatering it; I have begun feeding it with citrus feed at the recommended intervals (in rainwater) and it seemed to be OK- it's got blossom on it- BUT now the leaves are dulling, in places yellowing a bit, even curling and all in all it doesn't look that happy. I guess I need to move it outdoors but is it safe to do so with possible frost still forecast or are its chances better out there in a sunny sheltered spot that in a possibly overheating conservatory? Any advice please! |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
I should add we are in southern Hampshire.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Lemon tree not looking too healthy..Why?
"downholme" wrote ... We were, slightly to our horror, given a 18" tall lemon tree in a pot for Xmas. I have no experience of citrus in the UK. It's currently in an unheated, SW facing conservatory. Temp got down to zero in there! It came with 3 lemons, all now picked and is forming one new lemon. I am mindful of not overwatering it; I have begun feeding it with citrus feed at the recommended intervals (in rainwater) and it seemed to be OK- it's got blossom on it- BUT now the leaves are dulling, in places yellowing a bit, even curling and all in all it doesn't look that happy. I guess I need to move it outdoors but is it safe to do so with possible frost still forecast or are its chances better out there in a sunny sheltered spot that in a possibly overheating conservatory? Any advice please! Our citrus trees have been outside against a S. facing wall of our house for a few weeks now. They will take a little frost especially if it does not last long, as in the S. of the UK now, so introduce yours to the great outdoors. Do it slowly mind because it's been in a nice conservatory so will need to become accustomed to outside. Put it outside during the day and bring it in at night for a few days. Have you considered that it may need repotting? Use Ericaceous compost with some added grit or similar to aid drainage, the plant will thank you. Oh, and do not use a water tray under it, let it drain any excess away. Wet roots are the usual cause of death for these plants. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Lemon tree not looking too healthy..Why?
"downholme" wrote in message ... We were, slightly to our horror, given a 18" tall lemon tree in a pot for Xmas. I have no experience of citrus in the UK. It's currently in an unheated, SW facing conservatory. Temp got down to zero in there! It came with 3 lemons, all now picked and is forming one new lemon. I am mindful of not overwatering it; I have begun feeding it with citrus feed at the recommended intervals (in rainwater) and it seemed to be OK- it's got blossom on it- BUT now the leaves are dulling, in places yellowing a bit, even curling and all in all it doesn't look that happy. I guess I need to move it outdoors but is it safe to do so with possible frost still forecast or are its chances better out there in a sunny sheltered spot that in a possibly overheating conservatory? Any advice please! Our pot lemon tree (bought from Aldi a while back) is also still indoors. It has also had some leaves turn yellow and drop off, but still seems perfectly happy and is putting on more top growth. I find the balance of watering very difficult - even now that I have a moisture meter. If it is allowed to dry out too much the very smallest new shoots shrivel and die, but as soon as it is watered again new growth takes off. Our other lemon, grown from a small cutting bought at The Range a few years ago, is already outside. In fact, this is the only winter that it has been inside - because of the unusually severe long term cold. It has the moisture meter at the moment and seems to be staying stable with the moisture content. The indoor pot dries out very quickly. The other thing the water meter showed was that my watering was not getting down to the bottom of the pot so I increased the water until the meter showed moisture. You don't say if there is new growth - none, a little, loads - so it is difficult to judge the health. If there is no new growth then you may be under watering; always a risk when you are aware of the dangers of over watering. I wouild have thought that an unheated conservatory was ideal for winter and spring as long as you make sure that the lemon is watered enough, because it is likely to dry out quicker. I have mine in a pot tray - because it is on the carpet! I have found that if you water slowly, and keep adding water until some just starts to come out of the bottom of the pot, then this is about right according to my moisture meter. This assumes that the potting medium is properly wetted already, and the water is not just running straight through. My tree is now about 3' high (including new top growth) and is in a 9" pot which makes me think it may be due for potting on. I expect that the pot size is the minimum to keep it healthy for shipping and sale so as to keep the production and shipping costs down. I will pot it on when the weather is a bit warmer and should then see from the roots if it is currently pot bound. The older part of my lemon tree (with smaller, darker leaves) is carrying quite a lot of fruit and flowers but there are no signs of flowers on the part with newer, larger leaves. This suggests that the conditions where it was raised (Italy IIRC) were different from those in the UK. [No sh*t Sherlock!] HTH Dave R |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Lemon tree not looking too healthy..Why?
David WE Roberts wrote:
"downholme" wrote in message ... We were, slightly to our horror, given a 18" tall lemon tree in a pot for Xmas. I have no experience of citrus in the UK. It's currently in an unheated, SW facing conservatory. Temp got down to zero in there! It came with 3 lemons, all now picked and is forming one new lemon. I am mindful of not overwatering it; I have begun feeding it with citrus feed at the recommended intervals (in rainwater) and it seemed to be OK- it's got blossom on it- BUT now the leaves are dulling, in places yellowing a bit, even curling and all in all it doesn't look that happy. I guess I need to move it outdoors but is it safe to do so with possible frost still forecast or are its chances better out there in a sunny sheltered spot that in a possibly overheating conservatory? Any advice please! Our pot lemon tree (bought from Aldi a while back) is also still indoors. It has also had some leaves turn yellow and drop off, but still seems perfectly happy and is putting on more top growth. I find the balance of watering very difficult - even now that I have a moisture meter. If it is allowed to dry out too much the very smallest new shoots shrivel and die, but as soon as it is watered again new growth takes off. Our other lemon, grown from a small cutting bought at The Range a few years ago, is already outside. In fact, this is the only winter that it has been inside - because of the unusually severe long term cold. It has the moisture meter at the moment and seems to be staying stable with the moisture content. The indoor pot dries out very quickly. The other thing the water meter showed was that my watering was not getting down to the bottom of the pot so I increased the water until the meter showed moisture. You don't say if there is new growth - none, a little, loads - so it is difficult to judge the health. If there is no new growth then you may be under watering; always a risk when you are aware of the dangers of over watering. I wouild have thought that an unheated conservatory was ideal for winter and spring as long as you make sure that the lemon is watered enough, because it is likely to dry out quicker. I have mine in a pot tray - because it is on the carpet! I have found that if you water slowly, and keep adding water until some just starts to come out of the bottom of the pot, then this is about right according to my moisture meter. This assumes that the potting medium is properly wetted already, and the water is not just running straight through. There is some advantage to standing the pot on something in the pot tray so that surplus water is clear of the bottom of the pot. 5mm plastic rod for instance to leave an air gap. They don't much like wet feet. My tree is now about 3' high (including new top growth) and is in a 9" pot which makes me think it may be due for potting on. I expect that the pot size is the minimum to keep it healthy for shipping and sale so as to keep the production and shipping costs down. I will pot it on when the weather is a bit warmer and should then see from the roots if it is currently pot bound. Mine is slightly smaller than that and was pot bound when I repotted it. Regards, Martin Brown |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Lemon tree not looking too healthy..Why?
David WE Roberts wrote:
"downholme" wrote in message ... We were, slightly to our horror, given a 18" tall lemon tree in a pot for Xmas. I have no experience of citrus in the UK. It's currently in an unheated, SW facing conservatory. Temp got down to zero in there! It came with 3 lemons, all now picked and is forming one new lemon. I am mindful of not overwatering it; I have begun feeding it with citrus feed at the recommended intervals (in rainwater) and it seemed to be OK- it's got blossom on it- BUT now the leaves are dulling, in places yellowing a bit, even curling and all in all it doesn't look that happy. I guess I need to move it outdoors but is it safe to do so with possible frost still forecast or are its chances better out there in a sunny sheltered spot that in a possibly overheating conservatory? Any advice please! Our pot lemon tree (bought from Aldi a while back) is also still indoors. It has also had some leaves turn yellow and drop off, but still seems perfectly happy and is putting on more top growth. I find the balance of watering very difficult - even now that I have a moisture meter. If it is allowed to dry out too much the very smallest new shoots shrivel and die, but as soon as it is watered again new growth takes off. Our other lemon, grown from a small cutting bought at The Range a few years ago, is already outside. In fact, this is the only winter that it has been inside - because of the unusually severe long term cold. It has the moisture meter at the moment and seems to be staying stable with the moisture content. The indoor pot dries out very quickly. The other thing the water meter showed was that my watering was not getting down to the bottom of the pot so I increased the water until the meter showed moisture. You don't say if there is new growth - none, a little, loads - so it is difficult to judge the health. If there is no new growth then you may be under watering; always a risk when you are aware of the dangers of over watering. I wouild have thought that an unheated conservatory was ideal for winter and spring as long as you make sure that the lemon is watered enough, because it is likely to dry out quicker. I have mine in a pot tray - because it is on the carpet! I have found that if you water slowly, and keep adding water until some just starts to come out of the bottom of the pot, then this is about right according to my moisture meter. This assumes that the potting medium is properly wetted already, and the water is not just running straight through. There is some advantage to standing the pot on something in the pot tray so that surplus water is clear of the bottom of the pot. 5mm plastic rod for instance to leave an air gap. They don't much like wet feet. My tree is now about 3' high (including new top growth) and is in a 9" pot which makes me think it may be due for potting on. I expect that the pot size is the minimum to keep it healthy for shipping and sale so as to keep the production and shipping costs down. I will pot it on when the weather is a bit warmer and should then see from the roots if it is currently pot bound. Mine is slightly smaller than that and was pot bound when I repotted it. Regards, Martin Brown |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|