Meyer Lemon With Few Fruit

Q. Our Meyer lime is full of blooms.  In previous years it has yielded lots of
fruit.  However, last year the blooms
were abundant but all of the bloom fell off and we had a crop of one lime.  What happened? 

A. This is probably Meyer Lemon. Can be difficult to say
exactly but we can start to narrow it down. The major culprits are irrigation,
late spring freezes and poor pollination.

            Meyer
lemon is self-pollinating which means it can pollinate itself. However there
does seem to be some evidence that bees will increase fruit set and the number
of fruit produced. Check your fruit and see if you lots of seed. If you do have
lots of seed then a lack of pollination was probably not the problem. If there
were just a couple of seed then maybe the tree needs access to more bee
activity.

            If we
have a late spring freeze then it is possible that the flowers were killed
after pollination resulting in poor fruit set. This can happen some years. If
this might be the cause then try to restrict cold winter and late spring winds
from directly landing on the tree. Use a wind barrier after or during bloom but
don’t cover the tree and restrict bee activity.

            If the
tree is not being watered evenly, a very dry and wet cycle or even one very dry
period during or slightly after bloom can cause fruit drop.

            Watch
how you prune. Prune right after harvest which should be December and no later
than the first part of January. If you delay harvesting the fruit into the
spring then this can interrupt the normal flowering and fruiting cycle.