Lemon Sapling Losing Leaves

Question

Hi there,

I have a lemon sapling that I planted about two years ago.
Last year through the winter it lost no leaves, and remained healthy.
This year however, it has started to lose leaves, and I am unsure if this is due to health problems with the plant, or if it is simply Autumn effecting it.

I’ve attached a few photos, one from a few weeks ago showing its healthy look, and another from today showing how few leaves remain.

It has a well draining pot, I make sure it has enough water, and have given it all the vitamins it needs. I’m just posting here to make sure there isn’t anything I’m doing wrong.

Thank you!
Robyn

Answer 1

I am not very certain what you mean by “vitamins” but you should never give a plant human vitamins. This will certainly kill the tree.

There does appear to be a few very apparent issues at play here.

There seems to be a light deficiency (This would explain the leaf drop). These will require at least 8 hours of full sun per day to remain healthy. The first year the tree can survive with less light, but after it will become very light hungry.

I am also seeing what looks like multiple nutrition deficiencies. This could be actual deficiency or it can be due to a pH imbalance, which is very likely as these trees change their soil pH very rapidly as they consume nutrients.

Last, citrus will appreciate being almost fully dry before watering. Overwatering will be a big cause for citrus to fail.

This article will help you to care for a citrus in container: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lemons/growing-lemon-trees-containers.htm

This article will also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lemons/lemon-tree-leaf-drop.htm