I recently got a question about a reader’s lime tree, and while I plan to tackle it, I’ll admit, I am only speculating. I thought I’d speculate, nonetheless, and then open up the comments to you. I figured, between me and all of YOU, we are bound to offer something helpful.
The question went as follows:
“Hi Mavis, I have a lime tree about 2 feet tall. I had it outside all summer and it was thriving. I brought it in the house about 5-6 wees ago and it promptly dropped all its leaves. It looks like a stick tree now. Any suggestions? Should I fertilize? More water? Less water? It’s in a west facing windwo area with many other plants that re doing well. Looks very sad. Help!”
Lunch Lady
My first inclination is to say it’s a watering issue. Likely the inside of your house is much less humid than what the plant experienced outside. Running the heater in the cold winter will likely dry that sucker out a lot faster than it would outdoors {excluding the dead heat of summer, of course}. You should be watering it while the soil is still slightly damp. Don’t allow it to dry out at all. If you started watering significantly more when the plant moved indoors, it could be over-watering too. Lime trees require a delicate balance. If it gets thrown off in any way, it will revolt by dropping its leaves.
Second, it could potentially need fertilizing, but since you say it promptly dropped its leaves after its move, I doubt it. Potted citrus trees will drop start to drop their leaves if they are in need of fertilizing–but it’s usually not an instant mass exodus. Finally, it could have a disease or mold {lime trees will show their displeasure by dropping their leaves, which makes narrowing down the issue a little trickier}. I highly doubt that too, given that you said it was thriving until its move indoors. Finally, it could be a light issue. Make sure it gets at least 6 hours of good light each day. If it doesn’t, you may want to provide supplemental light.
I think I would start by sticking your finger into the soil of the pot. If it is still moist up to your first knuckle, you are good. If it is only slightly moist, go ahead and give it a drink. If it is dry, you are going to have an angry little stick–as it sounds like you do. They can rally, so just keep checking the soil and watering when needed. Also, make sure the pot has adequate drainage, and that it is not in standing water. If you have a pan underneath the pot while it is indoors, it could not be draining properly, which means you may need to empty the pan regularly, allowing the pot to fully drain.
Now, I am passing the advice baton onto all of YOU. Have you ever had this issue? What should she do?
~Mavis
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Cody says
I’m having the same issue with a lemon tree and think my problem is too much water. I had water sitting in a pan and I have since removed the pan, added some fertilizer, and plan on not watering as much. Hope my lemon tree comes back strong!
Mel says
I’m new to the indoor citrus game, but since the leaves fell “promptly” after the tree was brought indoors, could it be shock? I got a key lime tree and a Meyer lemon for Christmas, and the instructions said not to be alarmed if the trees dropped leaves, buds, or fruit on arrival, that it was just shock from travel and new environment. The directions also said not to fertilize for 4-6 weeks after arrival, until the trees acclimated and put on new growth, and they implied that bringing a plant indoors for winter is sort of the opposite of hardening it off. It needs to be moved first into a shadier location during the day, then indoors just at night, and so on in order to acclimate it.
C says
I wanted to mention that when I worked in a flower shop, a HUGE reason plants dropped leaves was the temperature in the room. Moving your plant inside from outside, putting it by a cold window, heat vent or somewhere there’s a draft makes a big difference. Temperature changes can cause shock. Some plants are also fussy about water temperatures too, so you may want to watch that as well when you water. Hopefully it comes back!
Garden Fairy says
Hey guys. Potted citrus trees do like to dry out a bit between waterings. I live in Idaho, so I’m in a dry area, and right now a freezing cold area. My potted lime tree is in a south facing window to maximize sunlight (has been since September). About once a week I put him in the bathtub and water him thoroughly. He still has all his leaves and even one lime still hanging on. I recommend placing your lime tree next to the window in your home that gets the most hours of sunlight, giving it a big watering one a week (place it in the bathtub and water until you can see water coming out through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and then let it sit overnight to drain before returning it to the window), and if it’s been a while since you’ve fed it, it probably needs fertilizer. There are fertilizers specifically for citrus trees. Look for a fertilizer with 8-4-2 balance. I use Gardner & Bloome Organics Citrus & Fruit Tree 8-4-2. Sometimes the stress of being moved and jolted can result in the dropping of fruit and leaves on a potted citrus tree. So be extremely gentle with them. 🙂 Good luck!
Tracey says
My line tree is 5 years old and it drops pretty much all its leaves every winter when I bring it inside. It looks pretty funny right now because it’s blooming, has like 3 leaves, and I whacked the heck out of it because I want to keep it on the smaller compact side. Keep it watered it will be fine.
Carrie says
I’m having issues with my meyer lemon tree as well. The leaves are turning yellow and dropping but slowly. I water it once a week and it’s in the south facing window with the most light and next to the heat vent. It had sooooo many blooms two months ago and it dropped everyone without a fruit… 🙁 I even hand pollinated them. I stopped fertilizing when it was budding because I read that the fertilizer is more for leaf growth – not fruit. Any suggestions?
Melinda says
Sooo, I have something different. I bought a clementine tree in January 2015 from Fast Growing Trees on Mavis’ suggestion that they were the best. Our soil came moldy, so I called about that and they told us to wash out the planter (this is a potted plant only due to VA winters) and put in new soil, so I did. Then in April, I had to contact them again because I had a clementine stick. I had put it outside a few times in direct sun on our warmer days. They said that it was a normal result of any transition including shipping (this was 3 months after I received it, remember), and some plants will shed leaves as a natural way to protect themselves. “This results mainly from a lack of sunlight and summer heat…For plants that have lost their leaves give them up to 5 weeks to push out new leaves.” I think that not only did it not have enough light, I shocked it by giving it ample sunlight and it shed its leaves because it got too hot. (I read that online.) But I can attest to the 5 week timeline. I watered it religiously and dragged it in and out of the doors each day, and after 5 weeks, I had a tree again. It’s still small now, but it’s got lots of leaves on it. It lives under another of Mavis’ suggestions, a good grow light. Good luck! Don’t give up hope.
Heather says
I had those same issues with my lemon tree last year and it died. This year, when I brought my new one inside I put it under a compact fluorescent grow light that I put into a desk lamp. I put the lamp on an 8 hour timer and the bulb is close to the tree. I do keep an eye on the moisture in the soil. So far, so good. I got the bulb on Amazon 🙂
Mrs. Chow says
My lime tree does this every year. It’s normal. I think it’s in response to a decrease in sunlight in the north.
1. DO NOT OVERWATER. there are good comments earlier in the thread about watering once a week, letting the pot drain, and no standing water.
2. Fertilize at half strength. The tree needs to rest.
3. Lightly prune, and I mean lightly, if your tree is big enough.
4. Place in a south-facing window. My lime tree and bay tree are currently residing in my bathtub by the window!
Lunch Lady says
Thank you Mrs. Chow, I’ll take that advice.
Lunch Lady says
Thank You everyone! I was the one that wrote that about my poor lime tree. After reading all the comments I believe now it was too dry. All summer I sprayed it with the hose a couple times a week. It had been in the house for about a month before I thought to water it! Although my house is not warm (highest of 65) the furnace does blow dry air throughout. I’ve place a saucer of water nearby with pebbles in it with water, all the plants benefit from the humidity. I’ve been watering about ever 10 days and lo and behold it has 1 leaf and one of the sticks has a blossom on it! What? a blossom! No leaves there but a blossom. I am ever hopeful. Thank you.
Jeanne says
I’d check for scale. It is very common for citrus trees to get and can kill the tree slowly over the winter. http://www.cleveland.com/insideout/index.ssf/2012/07/saving_lime_trees_from_damagin.html
Emily B says
No advice but all this talk of limes makes me want a mojito.
Jen Y says
I’ve kept a lemon tree for about 20 yrs now & almost every winter it lost all of its leaves until I started keeping it in the basement garage(in the dark, cold garage with very little water). I live on the edge of zones 6 & 7 so we get below zero temps occasionally in winter, teens & 2o’s for a week or more at a time, ect.
From my experience the heat is too much of a shock for them. I drag mine out in the spring when night temps are above 40′. Water them if it doesn’t rain but pretty much leave it alone. I drag it back in by first frost. When I had it the house it did best in the coolest room. I hurt my back a few yrs ago & couldn’t get it inside so it went into the garage & never lost any leaves at all. I do pull it out when it stays above freezing for water & sunlight.
I say, let it dry out between waterings but not bone dry. Don’t worry about the loss of leaves, they’ll come back. They may not come back until you take it outside next spring but water anyway, even if it looks dead. You may lose a few limbs but more than likely it will be fine.
Denise says
I think that dropping the leaves is normal when there is a change in enviroment and the leaves will come back, also, in central texas we plant them in the ground and put nonLED lights on them in the winter to keep them warm.
Taryn says
Thank you, this exact thing happened to me. Everyone blamed my not so green thumb. I’m glad to know this is common. My lime tree is not flowering, hopefully it will survive the winter!
AmyD says
I’m with Emily B!
Cheri Hunn says
My lime tree did so well outside this summer and now has lost all but three leaves that are a bit yellowed. I
have it in a south window and have a grow light for additional 6 hours at night. Trying to water correctly. I also
noticed webs in the tree! Yikes. Think it is spider mites. I have been straying the last three leaves with MiteX by
Bonide. Am spraying every other day but saw some more webs:-( Wondering, will the mites live in the soil or only
on the leaves? Any other suggestions as to what to use? Thanks!