{"id":2770,"date":"2019-08-02T00:04:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T07:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-570\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T12:52:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T19:52:44","slug":"meyer-lemon-tree-care-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/meyer-lemon-tree-care-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Meyer Lemon tree care guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"

I did not feed my Meyer lemon plant this summer. The leaves<\/strong>
\nare light green. Should I feed it before I bring it inside for the<\/strong>
\nwinter or wait until mid-winter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The pale leaves make me think perhaps there is a nutrient imbalance or
\ndeficiency, but it would be hard to say precisely via e-mail. Pale leaves
\nmight also mean lack of exposure to sunlight. Are the pale green leaves
\nnewer or older leaves? According to the University of Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology,<\/a> a nitrogen deficiency would be evident if older leaves
\nlower down on the tree were turning yellow.<\/p>\n

According to the book Citrus<\/em> by Lance Walheim (Ironwood Press, 1996),
\nnitrogen is the only nutrient which citrus plants need on a regular
\nbasis, and Meyer lemon needs less than other lemon species. A lot depends
\non your soil. If the soil is alkaline, this may “tie up” micronutrients
\nand keep them from being absorbed by the tree. You might want to take
\nsamples of the leaves and soil to your local county extension agent.<\/p>\n

The Walheim book offers the following advice on growing citrus in
\ncold-winter climates:<\/p>\n

\n

Make slow transitions from indoors to outdoors and back…The transition
\nperiod should last at least three to four weeks. Before bringing the
\nplant indoors, move it to a location where it receives less direct
\nsunlight. Gradually decrease exposure to the sun. Unless you’ll be
\nkeeping the plant in a cool location, don’t wait to move plants after the
\nweather has become cold and your heater is on indoors. ..Just before
\nmoving a plant indoors, hose it off to clean the foliage…<\/p>\n

The conditions found in most homes in winter–low light and warm, dry
\nair–will cause many citrus trees to turn yellow and drop their leaves
\nand fruit…To prevent his, place the trees in a cool, well-lit location
\nand try to maintain high humidity. A cool greenhouse, where temperatures
\nstay above freezing, is ideal…To increase humidity…place the tree on
\na large tray covered with rocks and filled with water. Replace the water
\nas it evaporates.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

General indoor care guidelines, also from the Walheim book:<\/p>\n

\n

Do not overwater. Let soil dry out partially between waterings.<\/p>\n

Fertilize lightly. About 3-4 weeks before taking trees back outside,
\nincrease fertilizer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So I don’t think you need to fertilize the tree
\nbefore you bring it inside. Here<\/a> is a link to a question from our library’s database, with details on fertilizing Meyer lemon.<\/p>\n

Check often for signs of insects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I did not feed my Meyer lemon plant this summer. The leaves are light green. Should I feed it before I bring it inside for the winter or wait until mid-winter?   The pale leaves make me think perhaps there is a nutrient imbalance or deficiency, but it would be hard to say precisely via e-mail. Pale leaves might also mean lack of exposure to sunlight. Are the pale green leaves newer or older leaves? According to the University of…<\/p>\n

Continue reading Meyer Lemon tree care guidelines<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[800],"class_list":["post-2770","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-citrus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}