Lemon Tree in big trouble

[JT101]

Hello all

I purchased quite an expensive lemon tree a few years ago. It came with lemons on it, but as soon as i brought it inside in the winter, it lost it's leaves and died.

I decided to give it another go this year a bought a three. Bought one from Aldi in spring. It did really well outside, producing tonnes of foliage, flowers and quite a bit of fruit.

But having brought it inside (slowly brought it inside, a few hours at a time to acclimatise it), it's now in trouble with pests and lost leaves.

The first thing I noticed were spider mites a couple of weeks ago.
All over the place, and a few webs here and there. I sprayed them off with a garden hose which seemed to do the trick. But now I just noticed they're back in force, and since about a week ago the tree is losing a lot of leaves. It's the big one on the left.



I put it in this plastic tent and sprayed the leaves occasionally incase the central heating was drying it out too much, but it almost seems like the leaves started dropping when I added this!


Tonight I just noticed one or two leaves with much larger beige coloured insects as seen in the photo aswell.


I plan on tackling the mites with an insecticide or predator, but I do also wonder if my last lemon tree died due to poor humidity, light and temperature. It is in a north facing extension with big French doors, which does have radiators in it, but is the coldest room in the house.

I measured the relative humidity over a few days and it ranged from 77 to 95%. The temperature ranged from 14 - 20C.

If this raises any questions, then the plant can be moved to the front upstairs, the warmest and sunniest room in the house.


The other two I bought from You garden about a month ago. The seem relatively happy but I don't like the look of the leaves. Look slightly twisted and curled to me:




Any thoughts welcomed

[nickdub]

Could you say where you live and what sort of garden set-up you have please ? (Under some circumstances these sort of semi-hardy trees may do better outside)

[Nicos]

I gave up with lemon trees indoors after several failed attempts.
One I clearly overwatered ( have you checked your for healthy roots???)
Also, although they like some humidity, they also like airflow so the blowaway is good in one aspect and not in another.
However, it is good at providing perfect conditions for pests ....

Sorry...I'm no help, but just thought I'd offer my confused ideas....

[Jungle Jane]

You could spray some neem oil on it as there’s no predators about. Have you got the winter plant food,lemons are fussy with feed.

Edit - you could add a cup of water under the radiator to stop the air drying so much?

[scarey55]

I'm having a similar problem to you with an orange tree. I'm afraid I have no real advice to offer because everything I have tried has failed. I, like Nicos, am going to admit defeat and not buy any more

[Scarlet]

I had one of those little oranges....went outside in the day in the GH and brought indoors during the winter.

My advice would be to take it out of the tent. You want the tree to go through it's season...so dropping some leaves and going semi bare/bare doesn't mean it's dead.
Put it in a spot where it gets the most sunlight as possible and ideally a cool room, not one that has heating going on and off and out of draughts. Constant temps going hot and cold won't help.
Aphids often come when plants are brought indoors and are in a warm spot or have new fleshy green growth. Reduce your watering, water from the bottom and not the top. Keep the top earth from getting wet. Clean up any fallen leaves promptly.
You can buy citrus feed for them. I think it may be too late now but there's different feeds for different seasons so maybe worth having a look.

[Scarlet]

I'm having a similar problem to you with an orange tree. I'm afraid I have no real advice to offer because everything I have tried has failed. I, like Nicos, am going to admit defeat and not buy any more

Mine died after a few years in the Summer after forgetting to water!

[Bluenowhere]

I’ve got a lime tree, keep it in my unheated porch when it starts to get chilly at night, porch has external doors both to the front and to the house so doesn’t get too cold but not warm either, my anticipation was that it would need colder weather than the central heated house but protected from winter.

Seemed happy enough last year and again this year so far, fruit continues to swell and doesn’t lose too many leaves.

I’d say it is probably too warm.

[Jimny14]

We have a lemon which we won from the outlaws (would say in laws but we're not married) a few years ago as it was enjoying itself in their dining room in summer but was starting to sulk during winter. We brought it up the road to our orangery which we use as an occasional dining room during winter but at other times it stays unheated apart from a heater set to come on if temp gets below about 8-10°c (lemons are supposedly hardy to 5ish) to keep damp down in the room. We have found it works really well, we reduce watering down in the winter (keeping it just moist) and tend not to feed over winter, just start feeding again about late April and give a last feed around when it starts cooling down and threatening frosts outside. It has gone outside for summer last couple of years but has managed to get itself infested with scale insect (that reminds me I must go wash the lemon tree).

[scarey55]

Mine died after a few years in the Summer after forgetting to water!

Shame I don't really expect mine to survive, I'm notoriously bad at keeping plants like that but OH wanted it

The funniest thing is me running outside in a rainstorm in my pj's trying to catch all available rainwater during the summer to use when it was dry. As you will remember, we didn't get much rain this year.

[Scarlet]

The funniest thing is me running outside in a rainstorm in my pj's trying to catch all available rainwater.

Postman just caught me in my PJ's, no socks and slippers pruning my mock orange

[BrightST]

For reviving your citrus tree you should develop a regular watering schedule, and check the moisture of the soil before watering... It's a real challenge, good luck!

[JT101]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I will try a few different things.

The larger more mature tree with fruits which had the spider mites, got blasted again with the hose which again removed most of the spider mites. I then sprayed it with a homemade mixture of vinegar, oil, soap and water. I think I can still see some mites on there, but they don't seem to be moving so presumably I suffocated them.

Left it for a few days, and was still dropping leaves like mad, so I've moved it from the north facing cold extension with radiators, to the upstairs south facing front bedroom, and turned the radiators off.

So hopefully this reduction in uneven heating, and more daylight will help. Will see.

Scarlet mentions watering from the bottom, but surely this means the tree is sitting in water, and citrus trees aren't supposed to like wet feet so not sure how you get round that.

Everyone goes on about summer vs winter food, and yet baby bio citrus feed is highly rated and claims to be used winter/summer. This is what I've been using. Additionally Jimny14 doesn't feed his at all.


In answer to Nickdub, I am in London. Suburban terraced house, south facing with a decent sized garden to the rear.

The reason I brought the trees indoors was fear of frost damage. I do have a lean to attached to a brick built garage which is my final option if the tree still suffers

I used a data logger to measure temp and relative humidty over a couple of days in this current relatively mild weather.

Backroom north facing extension 14 – 20C, 71 – 95% RH
Upstairs front south facing bedroom 19 – 22C, 65-68% RH
Glazed lean to attached to brick garage south facing 5 – 13.5C, 85-90% RH


I'm sure I read that citrus plants require 50% and above RH, and the temperature in the front bedroom doesn't fluctuate as much as the other two locations, so it seems it would be ideal.

Sunrise today was 7:45 and sunset 4pm, so it would seem it's getting the recommended 6-8hrs daylight.

[Scarlet]

Well I've not used the baby bio version so I don't know how good it is....but plants do have different requirements at different times of the year/ flower/fruiting/leaf production often require different nutrient amounts.
I used this https://www.homebase.co.uk/vitax-cit...r-200g_p413558
But as I haven't tried the baby bio / tested them side by side Etc I wouldn't know how well each work.

Watering from the bottom - you pour water in the tray and let the plant suck up what it needs - tip the excess out. Or sit the plant in the sink until you can feel the weight change. Don't leave it sitting in a tray of water that it hasn't absorbed.

[Kirk]

Lemons are actually fairly hardy so if London and if you do not get a frost it might be OK outside all year, an unheated green house or similar would help.

Red spider mite are a problem, also vine weevels are a problem. I found on mine I had to get "rough". Good spray soaking with an insecticide, and a 100% soak of the compost with a vine weevel solution. Then repeat both again after a week or two.

Watering - mine gets a half can twice a week, 2.5 litre plastic watering can, not evenly spread but when I remember. Always recall everything I had indoors grew best when I worked away all week. They got a good watering on a Friday when I returned and another on a Sunday when I departed. Never decided if they like the regime or like the absence of me.

They do not like being moved, and usually throw leaves in protest.

I am presently working on how to repot a lime that fill a window from top to bottom and across the width but it has 9 limes on it and I don't really want to have them fall off in protest.