# How can I stop my lemon tree dying? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** gardening\ **Created:** [January 14, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953 "2025-01-14T09:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/1 "2025-01-14T09:53:50Z")
I moved into a new house last year and it came with a Lemon tree which I didn’t really think about much until someone pointed out that it was showing signs of nutrient deficiencies in the run up to Christmas. The tree: - Has pale leaves that look much like these, sometimes with green veins. They are still moist. > **[Citrus Nutrient Deficiency – Yellow Leaves](https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2019/03/16/citrus-nutrient-deficiency-yellow-leaves/)** > > Yellow leaves on citrus trees are usually a sign of nitrogen deficiency If leaves are yellowing on a citrus tree, it may be a sign of nutrient deficiency, but it may not be, depending on which leav… - It seems to be losing about 10-20 leaves per day. - At this point it has maybe 1/3rd of it’s leaves left - is about 2.5m high and is planted in the ground. For treatment: - The person who first noticed suggested dumping lawn clippings on it, so I did that. - I’ve started watering it a couple of litres a day. \*My dad bought some tablets that unfortunately turned out to be slow release, so I crushed and dissolved some and have applied the water a few times. - I lightly applied some citrus food that I have applied about at new years, but it also warns against application in high heat, which unfortunately is a problem right now as we can expect to have 30°C days until the end of February. - All the fruit was removed post-Christmas. Thoughts? There’s a lot of information about diagnosing nutrient deficiencies, but can I bring back a tree that is simultaneously heat-stressed and under nourished? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/2 "2025-01-14T11:37:43Z")
Feed it citrus fertilizer according to the package, keep it watered, and apply well-rotted manure or compost mulch to a depth of three inches. Don’t use wood chips or bark as they suck nitrogen from the soil. Then wait and hope. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/3 "2025-01-14T13:48:41Z")
1. Insufficient water is best diagnosed by knowing soil moisture levels. What are they at root level? Sampling soil _at least_ a few inches down will provide an answer and a guide to watering needs. 2. It sounds like you could have an iron/trace element deficiency. More here: [Iron and zinc deficiencies in citrus](https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/citrus/content/crop-management/nutrition-factsheets/iron-zinc#:~:text=Iron%20deficiency&text=In%20general%2C%20leaf%20size%20is,is%20poor%20(Figure%202)). ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/4 "2025-01-14T14:13:46Z")
Oh, yes, this. My lemon in California had to be specifically supplemented with iron. Common issue I forgot about. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/5 "2025-01-15T22:54:33Z")
Citrus is kind of bitchy about nutrients relative to other plants, and they’re heavy feeders, so they need a lot of nutrients. I had really good luck with these folks’ fertilizer tablets (looks like they don’t make them anymore, but they make similar spikes): [Fruit Tree Fertilizer, Citrus Tree Fertilizer, Fertilizer for Citrus Trees | Lutz Corporation](https://www.lutzcorp.com/t-feedingcitrustrees.aspx) I wouldn’t sweat the slow release stuff; sometimes you just have to wait out stuff like nutrient deficiencies. They’ll release enough for you to notice positive changes, I’ll bet. ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/6 "2025-01-16T08:48:52Z")
Thanks for the advice. I’ve upped the watering and applied some more fertilizer and will continue to do so. And wait and hope. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-stop-my-lemon-tree-dying/1012953/7 "2025-01-16T11:36:07Z")
You could try peeing on your lemon tree. 😃