The following is a question I posted on another forum, I have pretty much decided I need to move it being I cannot control roof runoff, Now I need advice on when, how and what can I do in advance.

I have a Lisbon Lemon tree that is 3-4 years old, about 5 ft tall and 4 ft across. It looks healthy except for a few of last years leaves that apparently had leaf miners--I have been spraying weekly with dormant oil to eliminate borers and that appears to work. The problem is that the tree has very few flowers (I have seen maybe 8-10) and doesn't set any fruit. I have used a commercial citrus fertilizer, sprayed with a foliar spray for trace elements. The tree is planted on the NE corner of my house and gets morning sun. It gets water from a sprinkler system (currently every other day) and from roof runoff. Do I need to move this tree?

Since then I have stopped the sprinkler from hitting the tree, so roof runoff is all the water it gets. We have been in a drought, but the tree has never shown any signs of wilting. The trees is growing great, it is now over 6 ft tall. I have moved the splash pan so that most of the runoff flows away from the tree.

Would late winter be the best time to do that?

How much should I cut it back?

Should I discontinue fertilizer from now until after the move?

Is there anything I can do in advance to improve the process?

If it is doing fine where it is why move it ? If the soild drains well where it is I wouldn't worry about it. I have quite a few (Navel / Meyers / Ponkan / Ruby Red / Pummelo / Satsuma) all along the dripline from my roof. The soil drains very well & they are all doing great. Remember that the fertilizer will get washed away rather quickly there...

My original question was about the lack of flowering and fruit which lead me to these forums. Reading that many of the problems were due to too much water, I thought that the roof runoff was part of my problem. The tree has put on more than a foot of growth this year-- at least 3 flushes so far. Last year was very wet, this year very dry, but I have not seen any major leaf loss or deficiencies. I do fertilize once a month with citrus fertilizer from March to Sept.

Which nutrients are most likely to be leached out by the excess water?

Would extra P help stimulate flowering?

Any soluble types of inorganic fertilizers will be easily leached out.

I wouldn't move the tree. If you want to move it, do it during the winter, but reduce the number of branches on your tree, like about 25% at least to compensate and balance for root loss during the transfer.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that recomendation. Of my 5 citrus trees it is growing the best. I guess I am just getting impatient for fruit-- this is the 3rd growing season since it was planted. I got it in FLA along with 2 satsumas that have barely grown. In fact one of them has regressed to just over a foot tall due to limb wilt problems. I hope I have finally gotten all of the infected limbs cut off.

limb wilt?

do tell.
im curious.

I have put plants out in too strong of sunlight, and or not watering enough causing dieback.

Limes are prone to anthracnose (withertip, blossom blight). Both my Key & Bearss get this & the only thing that seems to cure it is Copper treatment. Anthracnose causes dead tissue on fruits & new growth to die back. You will see dead spots in the new growth & then it just kills the new growth.

http://www.apsnet.org/online/Archive/2000/citri030.htm

I have not seen it on Lemons, but it may be possible. Malcolm Manners would know more.

I first noticed the problem on my Ponkan mandarin and posted the problem on the UBC. Dr. Shep was the one that recognized the problem and gave me a link -- http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1154/ that described Hendersonula wilt which seem to fit the problem. I treated with fungicides and trimmed all of the affected branches and the tree is now growing nicely. I still have some problems with leaf drop due to the fact that it gets sprinkler water every other day, but there are several limbs that have grown over 18 inches this year.

After I had taken care of the mandarin I started to notice the same symptoms on my Brown's Select Satsumas. The trees are only in the second growing season since planting and were pretty small so I did not remove limbs a foot below the affected area- probably a mistake. I probably ended up removing more at least on one of them since the disease kept showing up in lower branches a week or so after each pruning. Things have been stable now for a few weeks, but I am down to 2 shoots a little over a foot long coming out a few inches above the graft.

The disease probably got started after injury from all the hurricanes and storms.