This comment was sent to me about growing lemon successfully in the Mojave Desert. From the looks of the fruit I think it is a Lisbon lemon, one of the true lemons unlike Meyer which is not a true lemon and much more hardy to winter cold than Lisbon. This tree is located in the NW part of the Las Vegas Valley, north of Grand Teton.
We planted our lemon tree in Fall of 2006 as a
24″ box. It has grown to a height of 20 feet plus and has produced a major
crop every year but one. In that year we had a major freeze and we removed over
a hundred pounds of frozen fruit, we have had a full crop every year since.
24″ box. It has grown to a height of 20 feet plus and has produced a major
crop every year but one. In that year we had a major freeze and we removed over
a hundred pounds of frozen fruit, we have had a full crop every year since.
Our tree is positioned in
an alcove that faces south.
an alcove that faces south.
We wrap the tree every
winter on the south face of the tree and leave a vent at the top so the heat
build up from the wrap during the day can vent.
winter on the south face of the tree and leave a vent at the top so the heat
build up from the wrap during the day can vent.
We hand fertilize on four
sides of the tree in most years and have general fertilizer tank that we fill
twice a year in the spring and fall.
sides of the tree in most years and have general fertilizer tank that we fill
twice a year in the spring and fall.
We live at summerlin, since we planted our lemon tree 4yrs ago we struggle on how much water we need every year. Any suggestions? Our lemon tree leaves goes yellow and fall off. So far it is still alive. 😬
The usual reason for yellowing of the leaves is because of a lack of soil improvement. If you havent done it, apply a good quality compost like you can get from Viragrow in North Las Vegas. For a four or five year old tree apply about 1/2 to 1 cu ft of this compost and rake it in or scratch into the top of the soil. Apply it to the soil three feet in all directions from the trunk. Then water it in. Next cover the soil with woodchips…not wood mulch or wood chip mulch. You can get it for free at the University Orchard in N. Las Vegas. Cover the same area three to four inches deep and water it in. Your tree should have four drip emitters giving it water about one foot from the trunk in four directions. The tree at that size should get about 15 to 18 gallons each time you water. AS the tree gets bigger, add more emitters and you can keep the same time on the clock and give it more water.
We live at summerlin, since we planted our lemon tree 4yrs ago we struggle on how much water we need every year. Any suggestions? Our lemon tree leaves goes yellow and fall off. So far it is still alive. 😬
We live at summerlin, since we planted our lemon tree 4yrs ago we struggle on how much water we need every year. Any suggestions? Our lemon tree leaves goes yellow and fall off. So far it is still alive. 😬
What's a common watering interval for you, according to the setup you described?
Three things are important when watering this tree; delivery of enough water at the proper time, applying it to enough area under the tree, and wetting the soil to the proper depth. The last two things, applying enough water so the soil is wet tto the proper depth and applying the water to a large enough area under the tree, are set by your choice of how the irrigation system is installed. The third factor, when to water or when the water comes on, is the only thing you have to worry about. In the middle of winter the water is applied once every 7 to 10 days depending on your soil. In the hottest part of the summer be sure to give the soil one day without water. it would be nice to water only three times a week but some people can water less frequently than that and others cant. It just depends but in the middle of summer make sure the trees have at least one day without water after each irrigation.
Water is applied to as much of the area under the tree canopy as possible. The University of Arizona likes to recommend applying the water 100% under the canopy of the tree. I like to see AT LEAST applied to 50% of this area. I reason that most people will not apply this water to all of the area under the tree canopy. The University of Arizona is correct but if I tell people AT LEAST half of the area under the tree canopy then that is achievable. I hope it is applied to ALL of the area under the canopy but AT LEAST 50%.
The last is the number of minutes. I like to recommend one hour if using drip irrigation. The number of minutes are not as critical as the tree getting at least one day between irrigations without water. That one day without water can be the difference between yellow leaves and branch death and not having any.
So to answer your question: One deep irrigation every 7 to 10 days during Dec to January. One day a week from February to about mid april and again from the end of October to mid December, twice a week from about mid April to June 1 and again from end of august to end of October, and three times a week from June 1 through the hot summer months. The soil beneath the trees is covered with 3 to 4 inches of woodchips or rock to slow down evaporation of water from the soil and keep weeds from growing.