My Poor Lemon Tree

[roscoeroscoe]

So, for the winter I moved our Meyer lemon into our little greenhouse under a grow light, and made the mistake of putting some of our hanging baskets in there too. Some days later, there's an explosion of gnats and the lemon's leaves are covered with black spots, the flowers are trashed with black fuzz, etc. Any suggestions? What could it be? I got rid of the gnats with neem spray and natural insecticide, what can I do to get the lemon back to healthy?

Signed, desperate in Albuquerque

[elleng]

1. ;-)

[biophile]

2. My lemon tree is prone to scale

I hand wash the leaves and stems with mostly water with a mild detergent using cotton balls. Maybe try a little fertilizer if it’s not going into dormancy. The Neem oil should help.

[roscoeroscoe]

3. Thanks!

Will do, baby my baby.

[Keepthesoulalive]

4. Did you solve your problem with your Meyer Lemon

[roscoeroscoe]

5. Getting there

I cleaned it up and took it outside on a sunny day, wiping the leaves and hosing it off. It's much better now, I'll stay on it and look forward to spring!

[Keepthesoulalive]

6. I put a humidifier under the navel tree

It is doing much better than the Meyer Lemon I am hand spraying. My key lime is being a diva dropping all of her leaves.

[Retrograde]

7. How cold does it get in Albuquerque?

Meyers are hardy - I have an old (probably unimproved) Meyer in my yard, and it's survived freezes in the 20s. I know you're at altitude, but does it get so cold you can't keep it outdoors, and maybe cover it when you get freezes?