Haven't been here in a while, but as well as the citrus plants I have doing well in UK (my mother is plant sitting while I live in Milan) I have a small but matureish lemon tree here in Milan. Its leaves are dropping like crazy.

As I understand it from you guys I have to increase the root temp, so its sitting on a low heat source.....how do I guestimate the root temp? Should I put a thermometre into the soil?

I hav wondered if not enough light is a problem??? I know is heat proportional to light, but we seem to have had a string of the dullest dullest days....should I put my guy near a window with his heat source to give him more of both?

Also, despite only having a bout half a dozen leaves left he does have fruit. I removed two large ripe fruits recently, he has one almost ripe large fruit, a smaller prematurely yellowing fruit (inch and a half maybe) a small green fruit and at least to tiny babies.

Do I bite the bullet and remove these fruits to give him a better chance?

His down fall has been sudden, in the last week or so, and I am desperate to save him. I do not know the variety, he was sold as a "common lemon" but it has pointy and quite large fruit. It is maybe two feet tall, but has been trained (not to my taste) over a small trellis in order to make him more city terrace friendly.

Additional details, air humidity is at 71 % (I know, high) and air temperature is 15 degrees celcius.

Hi Lulu,

Good to hear from you.

Not sure if the tree is inside - as you mention a city freindly trellis.
Sounds as though the tree has been stressed by something.
If kept inside, putting near a window but away from a radiator would be good.

If it's been kept outside have you had a lot of rain.

How's the watering - the soil should be almost dry before watering and when watering make sure all the roots get wet. But don't sit it in a tray of water. I use a wooden skewer to test for watering - I stick a couple of skewers into the soil, one from the top and one through the holes in the container at the bottom and leave them there for at least 2 hours. If they come out damp I don't water, if they are almost completely dry I do water.

I lost a Lime and Lemon 2 years ago through overwatering and roots being too damp and cold for too long.

I guess if the branches are still green, scrape them with your fingernail to see, the tree may be recoverable

Sorry if this is old news.

Apart from that and recovering the tree, the other Guys on the forum with a lot more knowledge and experience may be able to help

Nick

Hi Nick,

Yes its inside. Milan is a very damp city, our inside humidity in this flat never really goes much below 60. I am overwatering...desperately trying to force the thing to live, I'll stop, and I'll move it to the window immeaadiately, although, as I say, its really over cast in the city and its dull dull dull.

I think I should get a light bulb for it, but perhaps I am clutching at straws.

On the plus side ALL the wood is still green.

So, I guess the first thing I should ask now is about fruit: to leave or remove the rest of the fruit?

Hi Lulu,

My Trees are in small greenhouses outside, but you know what it's like in the UK - always dark and wet!! I don't use additional light and my garden gets no Sun in the Winter, but my Verna lemon has been losing a few leaves recently but looks like natural drop. It's a question of if you can afford it and/or want all year growth.

I know some guys on here do use additional light and keep temps very high, but if inside and by a window you'll probably be ok.

It may be an idea to up the temp around the roots a bit to dry it out but I wouldn't go increasing the temp to 25 degrees + and blast it with lights suddenly. Citrus don't like sudden change.

I think the important thing will be to dry those roots out so they don't rot, so maybe try something (bubble wrap?) to warm them up. Maybe a small fan heater close but not too close and not a radiator. It's trial and error, too much central heating can be damaging as well.

Don't know about the fruit, if your temp is 15 or above the tree will still be active (12 degrees or below it goes dormant) so I'd be inclined to leave them to draw up some of the water from the roots.

The less leaves on a tree, the less water they need, so dry it out and then don't water much until spring.

Hope this helps a bit until you get replies from some of the guys with more knowledge - they may say re-potting is the quickest way to save and dry it out.

Good luck

Nick

If you won't distrss too much by removing the fruit , do so, so the tree can direct its remaining energy to mfr new leaves or what not.
Your tree is still alive so that's the good news. Lessen the water and keep it on the dry side. When the weather temp go up you'll see new buds will come up. Put it on the east or south window sill if possible.

I recently added Christmas lights to some of my seedling pots and it raised the soil temp above 25-- but we had a series of rainy and cold days so they could not get outside for direct light. The indoor light I was using was not sufficient and as a result the developing leaves curled and some dried and dropped, however none of the older leaves dropped.

I quit warming the roots when I can't give them direct light. Cold roots (15>) and low light is ok.

Skeet