Hi all,

first the situation: I'm living at the moment in Barcelona/Spain. I am renting a flat that has a lovely small graden in the city. In the Garden there is as well an about 2 meters high lemon tree. i know the landlady who rents me the flat is very fond of the tree and since she'll be living after me in the flat and garden again I try to be very careful with the garden and especially the Lemon Tree.

My problem: When i got into the flat in march the lemon tree was well up with a lot of fresh, dark-green leaves and a lot of fresh lemons.

Now, mid-july, the lemon-tree looks quite different. He has a lot less leaves and they look much brighter in green. They're a bit brownish, but thats because they're dusty. Still there are new Leaves growing on top but overall the lemon tree heas much less leaves. see pictures..

Of course the lemons from march are gone now, we ate them all, but there are new smalls ones coming. but some (only 3-4) of the very small fell off..

I water the tree every 2-3 Days in the evening and water with really a lot of water.

Now I'm really frightened that Lemon tree is not doing well. The thing i don't know is, i mean it's summer here and we have really high temperatures, everyday between 34-38 degrees, no rain since 4 weeks, if it is just normal that a lemon tree reduces it's leaves count in hot summer time or if i really have to be careful that the tree is not dying. Should i water it every day? should i water more? Should i do sth. else?

here are two pics of beginning of march and now:

March:


Now:


any help would be very appreciated.

Christian

I'd be very interested in seeing a close-up of the part of this picture where the trunk of the tree enters the soil. There appears to be a different-colored brownish thing there, and it could be foot rot (a.k.a. crown rot), caused by Phytophthora citrophthora, and if so, it could cause the symptoms you're seeing. But from the distance of this picture I cannot be sure. If it is foot rot, clean the area around it, and allow the sore to dry out daily. If that turns out to be the case, we can discuss curing it.

Hi, thanks for the answer.

No, i don't think its foot rot as you call it. I took this picture straight after i gave som water to the lemon tree thats why the soil is dark-brown there.

So I'm really not very into citrus trees so do you think this tree isn't well up, or as i said, is it just normal that the tree changes his appearance in hot summer time? Means much less leaves..

thanks again.
Christian

i made some more detailed detailed fotos. Pobably this helps.

on some leaves and fruits there are some little webs and some strange kind of white foam, very small. Only on veryvery few leaves (not all over the tree) and very little, as you see on pic 1+2




This is what a new fruit looks like, they look dry and some of them fall of in this stadium.. pic 3



there are also some branches on the inside of the tree that are totally brown and dried out. But as well there are very fresh leaves on the very top of the tree.

porbably that helps you to help me!

Im really concerned about the tree..

I noticed the grass growing between the flagsones is gone.
Did you use an herbicide to kill the grass?
The roots of the charming little lemon tree probably extend
past the small area immediately beneath the tree.

I am about to apply "Roundup", a glyphosphate herbicide,
in the areas around my fruit trees and I will apply it with
a brush to avoid getting any on the trees.

The white bug is Mealy Bug. Very common insect on citrus. You can just wash them from the tree with a forceful water spray through a nozzel. Or use a Horticultural Oil as a spray. If you use the Oil you better do it soon, if your area receives cold wether during the winter. - Millet

I also noticed there is no grass in 2nd pic, & the flagstone looks different...like they are rearranged. There is definately a bug problem, but just do as Millet says, blast the leaves with water..top & bottom.

thanks for all the answers!

No, we actually didn't use any herbizide to kill the grass. Actually i liked the grass, but once in the springtime - just after i took the first photo - a gardener came by the flat and cleaned up the garden. So he cut down all the grass. And since it's got so hot and dry now it didn't re-grow again i think. Actually we don't use any chemicals in the garden. The only thing was the gardener put a lot of this blue little pills all over the garden against the snails.. And he put some fertilizer in the soil around the lemon tree.

The gardener comes once a year or sth. and i don't know him. He's away in summer i think with his family in latin-america. So i can't talk to him.. that's why i bother you .

And we didn't as well re-arranged the sandstones. It's all the same.

So, i give the tree a cold, strong shower this evening when the sun is gone to get rid of the mealy bug. The tree is very dusty anyway.. And i try to get this Horticultural Oil.

you generally think the tree has a serious problem or, as i asked before, is it just normal that the tree changes the appearance in summertime?

thanks a lot for your help..

Christian

I suggest you take the picture Malcolm asked to see - a close-up like you took of the fruit and foliage. All the problems with the upper part of the tree could be related to foot rot. I can see the brownish part on the trunk too. Foot rot may not be a problem, but a close-up shot would be simple, and may well shed some more light on why the tree is unhealthy.

Ok, here comes the photo you requested...



is it possible that i water the tree too much?

christian

ayup, just looks like that dark shadow on the trunk was just where water had splashed up.

Thanks Christian - I think you are correct. I see no problem there.

thank you.

hmm.. so you have no other suggestions?

Is it possible that i just water the tree wrong? Too much, not enough?

thx,
Christian

I am new to citrus, but have been reading a lot on these forums. I have a lisbon lemon (inground) that went several weeks without water during this summer's drought and it never even wilted. I was trying to stress the tree a little to stimulate flowering, but it never even slowed down its growing.

I think your problem is much more likely to be too much water than too little.