Improved Meyer Lemon
I bought a small one last summer and it flowered and produced about 20 lemons, some dropped, critters swiped a few and I got 6 or 7. The fragrance of the flowers was wonderful!!
It came inside for the winter where it became infested with spider mites. I did treat it with Safer a couple of times, but they came back albeit fewer of them. It dropped all but 6 leaves so it looks pretty silly. There are buds ALL over it now but they look like flower rather than leaf buds.
Will it grow new leaves? Any hints for keeping the pests at bay over the winter - my nursery said that citrus trees are challenging here (New England) where they have to come in because some of the pests come in but not the pest's predators. She said it will likely be mite free again outside.
My potted rosemary does well in our unheated breezeway for the winter, but that is too cold for the lemon.
Water is a great ingredient to cook with, it has such a neutral flavor - Bobby Flay
Edited 4/6/2009 3:06 pm ET by Risottogirl
Water is a great ingredient to cook with, it has such a neutral flavor - Bobby Flay
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(post #11519, reply #1 of 5)
We've had one for a few years. It gets bug infested while spending all winter inside, but survives despite the bugs, losing most of the leaves, etc. Once outside, it does OK. The leaves do come back, but the plant won't win any beauty contest.
I was in TX last week. 80 degrees, roses blooming. Tell me again why we live here in the cold?
(post #11519, reply #2 of 5)
I second the previous response. My citrus (one is a Meyer lemon) often lose a lot of leaves over the winter; they're tucked out of the way and it's hard to always remember them before they get too dry. This year I actually managed to keep most of the leaves, but I think it's the first time. But anyway, they always put out more leaves come good weather. I guess I've been lucky to not get the mites too. I think they also like dry, so I guess the same solution can help for both problems.
Be careful when you put it back outside not to scorch the leaves it has. That looks pretty lousy too.
BD
(post #11519, reply #3 of 5)
my lemon had a touch of the spider mite, I kept it close to the patio door this past winter because it is the variegated one and I knew it if it went semi-dormant downstairs it would have gotten in worse shape. I kept it fairly dry tho and watered lightly. I used neem oil combined with murphys oil soap and water. I had to spray my gardenia standard as well, which came to me with spider mite already there, (don't know how I missed that) but none the less the lemon seems to be okay now.
(post #11519, reply #4 of 5)
I don't have many sunny windows, so the Meyer lived on the dining room buffet in front of a window. I kept it pretty dry too. I think the unheated but very light filled breezeway would have been too cold, although the rosemary was happy there for two winters.
Water is a great ingredient to cook with, it has such a neutral flavor - Bobby Flay
(post #11519, reply #5 of 5)
if your breezeway doesn't freeze the lemon would have been fine there. They can take quite the cold, at least mine did, when we had our first killing frost last year the lemon wasn't affected at all.