My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about this
time.
Does anyone know why?

John

In article <1151693379.487652.176700 [at] d30g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"John" <john.hancock5 [at] blueyonder.co.uk> writes:
|>
|> My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about this
|> time.
|> Does anyone know why?

Stress - too much temperature variation can do it. Citrus can live
outside in the summer in most of the UK. If it isn't movable, try
improving the ventilation.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

In article <313030303930323944A587E956 [at] zetnet.co.uk>,
Janet Baraclough <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
|> The message <1151693379.487652.176700 [at] d30g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
|> from "John" <john.hancock5 [at] blueyonder.co.uk> contains these words:
|>
|> > My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about this
|> > time.
|> > Does anyone know why?
|>
|> Because all trees shed their old leaves when the new ones grow?

Definitely not. Citrus are true evergreens, and their leaves last many
years unless dropped through stress.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article <313030303930323944A5945892 [at] zetnet.co.uk>,
Janet Baraclough <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
|>
|> > Citrus can live
|> > outside in the summer in most of the UK.
|>
|> My Lisbon lemon tree is spending its first summer outdoors, and has a
|> dozen 2" lemons, still green.
|>
|> I'm torn between keeping it in the current north position relatively
|> sheltered from the wind (sun half the day), and a windier south
|> position agains a white wall, where it will be sunbaked all day.

Grrk. And when you say windy, you mean windy. Here, it would be
much easier.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I'm in Italy and I left my orange tree out one night that was too cold ( I
think it went below 15c) and it dropped about a third of its leaves. It has
now recovered after two months of heat, sun and water.
Jim
"Nick Maclaren" <nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:e8423m$3g0$1 [at] gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk...
>
> In article <313030303930323944A587E956 [at] zetnet.co.uk>,
> Janet Baraclough <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
> |> The message <1151693379.487652.176700 [at] d30g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
> |> from "John" <john.hancock5 [at] blueyonder.co.uk> contains these words:
> |>
> |> > My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about
> this
> |> > time.
> |> > Does anyone know why?
> |>
> |> Because all trees shed their old leaves when the new ones grow?
>
> Definitely not. Citrus are true evergreens, and their leaves last many
> years unless dropped through stress.
>
>
> Regards,
> Nick Maclaren.

In article <44a5951c$0$5087$4fafbaef [at] reader2.news.tin.it>,
"J.Francis" <j.francis [at] alice.it> writes:
|> I'm in Italy and I left my orange tree out one night that was too cold ( I
|> think it went below 15c) and it dropped about a third of its leaves. It has
|> now recovered after two months of heat, sun and water.

I don't think that you can mean 15 Celcius, because no normal orange
tree is likely to be worried by THAT. If you do, the most likely
cause is that it was the shock of being taken from one set of
conditions to another - which makes me boggle what temperature you
kept it at before :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"John" wrote
> My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about this
> time.
> Does anyone know why?
>

They are evergreen plants so shouldn't lose all their leaves at once, so it
must be the conditions they are in or your care that is causing this.

As others have mentioned, our citrus trees have been outside against a S.
facing white wall since April with me keeping an eye out for frost forecasts
so as to bring them back under cover for the night, a wheeled trolley helps
if you aren't built like me. :-)
They cope with anything above freezing ( and a bit below but I don't take
the chance) and they certainly prefer it outside despite the cold nights.
The difference after a couple of days out is noticeable.
All now in full flower together with well growing fruit from a winter
flowering on one of the Lemons and the Orange.

Get it outside in the sun asap, keep it watered but never let it remain wet,
never use a water tray. Water with rainwater if possible, feed every other
watering and flush through on the other watering so as not to get a salts
build up in the pot.
I'm watering (flooding) mine twice a week now.
Bring it back in at the first forecast of frost in your area.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Thanks to all.
I think it must be the extremes in temperature in the conservatory -
cold in winter, hot when no-one is at home to ventilate the
conservatory. I'll put it outside today.
I've discovered some little mites under the leaves. Have you come
across these before?

John



Bob Hobden wrote:
> "John" wrote
> > My lemon tree (in a conservatory) loses its leaves each year about this
> > time.
> > Does anyone know why?
> >
>
> They are evergreen plants so shouldn't lose all their leaves at once, so it
> must be the conditions they are in or your care that is causing this.
>
> As others have mentioned, our citrus trees have been outside against a S.
> facing white wall since April with me keeping an eye out for frost forecasts
> so as to bring them back under cover for the night, a wheeled trolley helps
> if you aren't built like me. :-)
> They cope with anything above freezing ( and a bit below but I don't take
> the chance) and they certainly prefer it outside despite the cold nights.
> The difference after a couple of days out is noticeable.
> All now in full flower together with well growing fruit from a winter
> flowering on one of the Lemons and the Orange.
>
> Get it outside in the sun asap, keep it watered but never let it remain wet,
> never use a water tray. Water with rainwater if possible, feed every other
> watering and flush through on the other watering so as not to get a salts
> build up in the pot.
> I'm watering (flooding) mine twice a week now.
> Bring it back in at the first forecast of frost in your area.
>
> --
> Regards
> Bob Hobden
> 17mls W. of London.UK

Bob Hobden wrote:

> Get it outside in the sun asap, keep it watered but never let it
> remain wet, never use a water tray. Water with rainwater if possible,
> feed every other watering and flush through on the other watering so
> as not to get a salts build up in the pot. I'm watering (flooding)
> mine twice a week now. Bring it back in at the first forecast of
> frost in your area.

Thanks for the information. My lemon tree has lost leaves on the stems
that have fruit on them, but is thriving and growing elsewhere.

Not too sure what you mean by 'flush through' and 'flooding' though. I
thought too much water caused leaf loss?

Others state that drying out of compost is good. It's confusing as to
how one can give citrus ideal care.

Is this care right?

Keep indoors in winter and feed with winter feed when required.
Keep outside in summer and water weekly.
Feed with summer feed fortnightly.
Hose down in summer occasionally.
Prune in spring.

--

"Saxman" wrote
>> Get it outside in the sun asap, keep it watered but never let it
>> remain wet, never use a water tray. Water with rainwater if possible,
>> feed every other watering and flush through on the other watering so
>> as not to get a salts build up in the pot. I'm watering (flooding)
>> mine twice a week now. Bring it back in at the first forecast of
>> frost in your area.
>
> Thanks for the information. My lemon tree has lost leaves on the stems
> that have fruit on them, but is thriving and growing elsewhere.
>
> Not too sure what you mean by 'flush through' and 'flooding' though. I
> thought too much water caused leaf loss?

If you constantly water a plant with fertilizer there will be a buildup of
unused salts in the soil so what I do is flood the pot every other watering
so that the water passes right through and washes out any unused salts. This
will not overwater the plant as any excess just drains out of the pot and
onto the ground, it being summer they can take more water. It's in the cold
winter you have to be very careful with watering.
Never use a water tray with citrus either summer or winter as water lying at
the roots will cause the problems you describe, and worse.
I might add, I use Ericaceous compost with added small bark chippings,
Orchid compost type*, to aid drainage.
* If you use grit it makes the pots even heavier.

>
> Others state that drying out of compost is good. It's confusing as to
> how one can give citrus ideal care.

Yes, you do let the compost dry out a bit between watering, but too dry and
you will get leaf loss too. In the summer the compost ours are in always has
some moisture in it, in the winter I do let it almost dry out between
waterings.

>
> Is this care right?
>
> Keep indoors in winter and feed with winter feed when required.
> Keep outside in summer and water weekly.
> Feed with summer feed fortnightly.
> Hose down in summer occasionally.
> Prune in spring.

If it's in a sunny S.facing position then it will probably need two
waterings a week in summer when it's hot, like now here.
I also tend to pinch mine out as they grow instead of a major prune once a
year but must admit I usually have to get the pruners out to fit them in our
greenhouse come winter. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK