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| Meyer Lemon with deficiency |
Q. We have went to the nursery a couple times about this tree.
First we got the water cycle correct, then iron was suggested which we did as
they directed then Gold Dust was suggested. Online I read possibly the tree
suffers from a magnesium issue. I thought these photos would give a better
picture. All we did as directed and the tree is not
responding in fact it is getting worse. I am wondering if it is because of
where it was planted which is a confined root growing area. Any insight would
be appreciated.
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| Meyer lemon another shot. |
A. By looking at the leaves I have to assume this is a
Meyer Lemon (which is, by the way not technically a lemon but an unknown hybrid
found in a Chinese back yard by USDA researcher D. Meyer in the early 20th
century). Your pictures are all pretty good with the exception of not showing a
critical view of the trunk where it is just out of the soil. Just for future
reference always look at and show this interface of the trunk and soil. W/o
that view I have to only guess that the rootstock/trunk union is well out of
the soil and we can eliminate that issue. And, a shot of the soil might show
how the plant is getting watered. I have to assume drippers and I would guess
they are in the same locations as when the plant was planted.
in concert: 1. There is some salt burn and 2. The common symptom that comes
with salt issues is the magnesium deficiency. Just FYI Iron def. only occurs on
the new leaves.
the watering and with watering comes knowing if the water can even be applied
uniformly all around the edge of the canopy, sometimes called the ‘drip line’. Citrus
are botanically a shrub with shallow and wide spreading roots that are tough to
grow to maturity with drippers unless they are closely spaced in a wide band
around the canopy’s edge. There is one picture showing the plant is right next
to a step wall with no water being applied in that zone of the root system.
I
would not worry too much about adding any supplements and see if you can begin
to manage a watering system of application that would give a long deep soaking
water application out near the drip line. The ‘soaker’ hoses could be laid out
on the ground out near the drip line and let it run for hours and hours to try
and leach out the excess salts that may have accumulated over time with the
drip system. Drip systems are fine but, due to their limited water output salts
can begin to accumulate thus impacting citrus’ sensitivity to salts.
from now on all during the growing season (May through October) to supplement the regular water to leach out
the salts that inevitably are deposited with the limited volume of drip systems
. .This leaching watering is also the great time to add fertilizer and get it
into the soil evenly all around the active roots near the drip line.